Actor Tanner Anderson got the role of Sonny D and produced the film “The Turkey Bowl” with his friend and director Greg Coolridge. Its a film about a group of high school friends that come back together to finish a Thanksgiving day football game that got snowed out 15 years earlier. Coolridge offered Anderson the part and helped him put the movie together. “I was a lot younger than everybody in the cast, so it was weird to be their boss,” Anderson said. “When Lionsgate bought the movie, I was one of the youngest producers they ever worked with.”

Anderson said he is from Eden Prairie, Minnesota, where he grew up and went to a small liberal arts college before moving to Los Angeles to pursue his love of film. The comedy film “The Turkey Bowl” can be watched on Hulu, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, and other streaming services. Anderson said he had hair down to his shoulders and gained 40 pounds for the role of Sonny D. “Sonny D was a character that fit really well with me, and I am cheap, so it was easy,” he laughed. Anderson believes the film is very playful and fun to watch.“It is one of those movies where you should have a few drinks and throw it on in the background,” he said.

He shot the movie in Oklahoma three years ago for three months. He said the cast was a tight-knit group that enjoyed each other’s company.“The experience on and off the set was great, and I love all those people,” he said. Anderson said some of the cast members are still his closest friends today. “Greg and I text at least once a week, and Ashley Fink and I, who plays my wife Cammie in the movie, are really close,” he said. Anderson said there were no outside distractions because the cast could not see their friends and family. Instead, he said all the cast members had to depend on each other for support.

Anderson said that being in Oklahoma was like going to summer camp.“You have a bunch of people, and you put them together in a hotel where none of us have lived before,” he said. “We were there for two months together, and I was there for three since I was preparing and wrapping up the film.”

When Anderson produced the movie with Coolridge, they worked together to hire the actors. Anderson also said that being a producer is a lot more prestigious than being an actor. “Acting is fun,” he said. “It is like you’re a kid who never has to grow up.” Anderson said the moments he shared with “The Turkey Bowl” cast were terrific memories. “Acting is freeing, and it is what I enjoy doing,” he said. “It is exciting to have camaraderie with the cast members and have your favorite scenes, and you remember them very vividly.”

Anderson said he had many projects in the works but could only speak about the upcoming launch of his non-fungible token metaverse called the “Ruff & Tuff Kennel Club.” Anderson said he created this metaverse with his friend, Steven Crowley. “The ‘Ruff & Tuff Kennel Club’ surrounds a group of dogs who live in the same apartment complex,” he said. “It is based on my dog, and we are going to reverse-engineer a toy brand like Transformers.”

Anderson said he and Crowley would build the NFT metaverse into a television series and movie franchise, but they will start simple with animated dogs. “We are working with animators, cryptanalysts, and blockchain experts to build this massive franchise,” he said. Anderson said the possibilities with the series are endless. He said it is a big idea with a lot of good people behind it.

Anderson also said that Hollywood is an interesting place. He said he promised himself never to change and always treat people with respect. “I want to build a group of people who enjoy what I do,” he said. “I also want them to feel like they know me and that I’m accessible.”

Anderson was the first member of his family to go into the film industry. He said he began as a person who loved movies and desired to do something with them in his life .“I am not special, and I bust my tail every single day,” he said. “If I can do it, everyone else can do it.”