The Independent film, “Finding Tony” follows a widowed ex-NBA star who has lost everything. Written and Directed by Raven Magwood Goodson, Tony’s journey to self-discovery is chronicled as he navigates grief, alcoholism, depression, and a career change as the women’s basketball coach at a junior college.

Throughout the film, Tony Greene (portrayed by Stephen Bishop,) often thinks about the moment that changed his life forever– when he lost his wife in a tragic home invasion 18 years ago. The traumatic event caused him to spiral and ultimately retire from the NBA.

His best friend, Dr. Daniel (played by David Banner), encourages him to join him at Liberty Community College. At tryouts, Tony meets 17-year-old Destiny (portrayed by Raquel Justice), a natural talent on the court. Her defense system keeps her circle small and resists getting too close to her romantic interest. In helping her, Tony allows himself to find his true destiny.

In an exclusive interview with TheBobbyPen.com, Goodson and Bishop spoke with Entertainment Reporter Bobby Pen. Bishop is a former MBL player initially drafted by the Atlanta Braves and ended his career with the Baltimore Orioles.

When asked about getting into the mind of a coach, Bishop mentions that the role was a great fit as he’s currently a coach to the SoCal Cubs where he scouts for the next talent to join the Chicago Cubs organization in Los Angeles. “This [role] was pretty much something that is in my comfort zone as an athlete who’s had to retire fro the sport before he wanted to and is now a coach,” he said. “These are things that I’ve lived, so I had a lot of personal experience to inform Tony’s character. I know what it’s like to deal with athletes going through personal problems. You learn that there’s a different key to every lock.”

Bishop also reflected on the progress made in sports to support players’ mental health. He recalled a time when “toughen up” was the mentality, and the type of vulnerability we see today being shunned in the locker room of yesteryear. “I’m glad that athletes now are able to do [express themselves] because there’s a lot of pressure and if you’re not really used to it or built for that, then you could suffer; anxiety could become a very, very real thing,” he said.

For Bishop, the hardest part of the role was getting into the mindset of a man who has lost a child. “The depth of the rock bottom that he was at, it was just my imagination and doing my best to try to feel what he could possibly be feeling,” he said. “I have children, so I tried to empathize with Tony, which was very difficult for me to do because that’s something you don’t even want to think about.”

Goodson, sung Bishop’s praises for bringing her character off the page. “I didn’t want to rush with casting Tony. It’s such an important character,” she said. “Me and my husband were watching ‘The Terminal List’ with Chris Pratt Stevens and that’s when [Bishop] came across the screen. We both kind of looked at each other and my husband said, ‘That’s Tony.’ I said, ‘You’re right.'” Bishop’s charm, innocence, and compassion were the determining factors that made him “the perfect Tony,” according to her.

Goodson is only in her 20’s, but she’s already a force! She’s a published author, motivational speaker, and filmmaker. She’s also a former student-athlete, raking up national titles in Gymnastics by 11 years old, publishing her first book by 12, and graduating high school as Valedictorian with a 5.1 GPA at just 16 years old. Among her incredible resume of accolades, landing support from Los Angeles Lakers’ Anthony Davis takes the cake. According to a press release, upon reading the script for “Finding Tony,” Davis jumped at the opportunity to help bring the story to life and make the film part of his production company Jakm3n’s new slate.

Familiar faces and emerging talents round out the cast, including Columbus Short as (Detective Hash,) Josh Ventura (as Jonathan,) Brook Sill (as Kayley,) Rayven Symone Ferrell (as Charity,) Jock McKissic (as Detective Moore,) and Rodney Perry (as Mr. Parks).

“Finding Tony” is available for rental or purchase at https://findingtonyfilm.com/ on May 10th.