Now in his third season with the New Orleans Pelicans, 28-year-old center Willy Hernangomez has become a familiar face around the Crescent City, increasingly recognized by the local populace. The only small issue with that is he’s now sometimes incorrectly “recognized” as a fictional movie character played by someone else – his younger brother, to be exact.
“When I was in the (New Orleans) airport, people were calling me ‘Bo Cruz,’ ” a smiling Hernangomez explained of arriving in town for Pelicans training camp.
Hernangomez’s 27-year-old sibling, Juancho, starred in the movie “Hustle” that was released this summer, playing the role of Bo Cruz, a young basketball player discovered by Adam Sandler, a basketball scout in the film. Willy was also cast in the movie, but in a background role, as a member of the Spain men’s basketball team (both Hernangomez brothers are on that roster in real life, having teamed up to win EuroBasket in 2022).
“We were filming the scene I was in for more than eight hours, but in the movie (the scene) is only 10 seconds,” a smiling Willy said, before joking, “I’m only talking for five seconds, but it was the most important five seconds of the movie!”
Willy actually had more previous on-camera experience than Juancho (who plays for the Toronto Raptors), having appeared on TV shows in Spain, but this was the movie debut for both. Willy was surprised by at least one aspect of the process.
“It was interesting being around all the people filming,” Willy said. “It’s amazing how many people work behind the scenes.”
Willy came away impressed by how well Juancho handled his starring role in “Hustle,” particularly given his rookie status as an actor.
“It was a completely new experience, a new environment for him,” Willy said. “He really surprised me a lot when I watched the movie. He’d never been a part of anything around acting. But he worked with a (acting) teacher for more than three months. It was something amazing. My brother is a multi-talented guy who can do many things. I’m just so proud of my brother.”
While the movie might be the start of a new post-playing career for Juancho, Willy is looking forward to what could potentially be the next entry on his acting resume.
“Hopefully they can do a Hustle 2!” Willy said, smiling.