In another universe, Patrick Renna could have been cast in another iconic role after his portrayal of Ham in 1993’s The Sandlot.
“I auditioned for Entourage,” the Sandlot star, 45, exclusively told Us Weekly ahead of the release of his new children’s book A Little Slugger’s Guide to the Unwritten Rules of Baseball and Life. “I’ve been in Hollywood my whole life, so, you know, if there’s a movie out there, I’d probably audition for it.”
Renna explained that he was under consideration to play Salvatore “Turtle” Assante on the HBO dramedy, which ran from 2004 to 2011. Turtle is the childhood best friend of Vincent Chase, who was played by Adrian Grenier.
Ultimately, Renna lost the role to Jerry Ferrara, who portrayed the character throughout the show’s entirety. Despite not booking the gig, Renna has been able to find some silver lining.
“I loved the way [Jerry] did it,” Renna said of Ferrara’s performance. “So, I got to have a favorite show back in the day.”
Turtle wasn’t the only timeless character Renna almost landed. The actor was also up for multiple parts in The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
“I auditioned for Samwise Gamgee. And then I also auditioned for Merry and Pippin,” he recalled. “When you did it, you kind of auditioned for all of them. Anyone that sort of fits.”
Renna walked away from the fantasy trilogy without a part. Sean Astin ended up playing Samwise, while Merry and Pippin went to Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd, respectively.
Much like his respect for Ferrara, Renna doesn’t have any hard feelings — especially since he’s a big fan of the J. R. R. Tolkien fantasy.
“That’s one of my favorite trilogies. So I would’ve ruined it for myself. So there’s the silver lining,” he told Us. “Now it can be one of my favorites. I can’t watch myself like that.”
While Renna didn’t get the parts he wanted, he’s still been booked and busy. In addition to being a movie star, he can now add children’s book author to his impressive resume. His book A Little Slugger’s Guide to the Unwritten Rules of Baseball and Life hits shelves on Tuesday, February 25. Renna shared that being a dad was one of the main reasons why he wanted to write the story. (Renna shares sons Flynn and Liam with his wife, Jasmin who is currently pregnant with baby No. 3.)
“I think being a dad and having two young boys made the idea of writing a kid’s book a no-brainer,” he told Us. “I read them every night with my wife and, um, we tell them stories or read them stories.”
What sealed the deal, however, was being able to utilize his baseball expertise. Renna famously played Ham in The Sandlot — a film famously based on a group of little league baseball players — and has since become a baseball icon. When approached with the opportunity, Renna told Us that “there was no question about whether it would have baseball” in the book.
“When you read the book and you see the rules, it sort of writes itself,” he explained of the concept. “Sports and life are so similar and they have such a symbiotic relationship. You start writing it and all the analogies come to life.”
With reporting by Kat Pettibone
