Despite the fact that the series «Stick» Apple TV's Golf Show is about golf, and it's far more about people than the results. Created by Jason Keller, this tragicomedy starring Owen Wilson follows former pro golfer Price Cahill, who becomes interested in coaching rising star Santi (Peter Dager). The 10-episode series explores themes of grief, redemption, and newfound family, all within a touching sports story.
Below, Keller talks to Deadline about the exciting creative challenge of writing for Price, who plays a flawed yet sympathetic protagonist, balancing the show's heavy emotional themes with moments of lightness, and finding the right cast.
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DEADLINE: How did you approach creating a golf drama series?
Jason Keller: When I first started thinking about this show at the casting stage, I wanted to find actors who could inhabit these characters and bring them to life in ways I hadn't imagined, or in ways the other writers on the show hadn't. It was about meeting with Mariana Treviño or talking with Marc Maron, how they reacted to the scripts, how the characters affected them, how their stories intersected with their personal lives. That's what the whole process was about. I spent time talking to all of them: Owen, Mark, Mariana, Peter Dager, and Lilly Kay, discussing my ideas for the characters and listening to their thoughts and feelings about them. And I just watched everything fall into place.
It's important to note that golf is merely a vehicle for conveying information in a show about people. There's a lot of golf in the show, but you don't have to like golf or understand it to understand the show's core. At its core, the show is about people's struggles to understand and get along with each other.
Left to right: Peter Dager, Mariana Treviño, Marc Maron, and Owen Wilson in "Stick" on Apple TV+
DEADLINE: Price is a very multifaceted character. What qualities were most important to you to convey through his portrayal?
KELLER: Owen brought a lot of himself to this character. When I was developing the show, Owen was there, and we were constantly discussing how Price felt about things and what his perspective was. I think the beauty of Price is that he's a broken character who's reached a point where he's ready to allow himself to, perhaps, redeem himself. I don't see it as a redemption story in the sense that Price is looking for redemption in the outside world. I really see it as a moment in Price's life where he's ready to accept himself for who he is. That was an important part of the character. You needed someone, in Price's case, who had been broken by life to the point where he came to terms with his situation, and then was willing to open up to Santi and see himself differently.
DEADLINE: It's also refreshing, especially compared to Santi's overbearing father. It would be easy to portray Price as cynical or cruel after a career-high collapse. But he's not that way; he's very sensitive to Santi's needs and can offer him a helping hand, even if Santi isn't always willing to accept it.
KELLER: When we meet Price, we don't know his story. We don't know the personal trauma he's endured as a parent. This character has always been open. He's always been vulnerable. He's been a guy who's seen the worst life can throw at him and survived. I think going through something like that makes you—or at least, in Price's case, can make you—a softer person. It can make you more empathetic. It can make you more sensitive. That's the Price we meet, a guy who's almost at rock bottom. And what comes with that rock bottom, in Price's case, is a sense of empathy for the world and the people around him.
DEADLINE: What was the most challenging part of writing and creating this show?
KELLER: From a storytelling perspective, I wanted to do Owen's character justice and believably explore what he's been through. Price has a very traumatic past, and the question of how to approach that sensitively while still maintaining the authenticity of the storytelling was really important to me when I was thinking about these 10 episodes and the story we were telling. He lost his son at four, and in a half-hour, single-camera dramedy, there's nothing funny about that. But we didn't want to shy away from that. We wanted to show it. We wanted it to feel realistic. We talked about that a lot and wanted to make sure it was done right. That was really important.
TERM: Tell us how you thought about Peter Dager for the lead role opposite Owen Wilson.
KELLER: We spent a long time searching for Santi. Rachel Tanner, my casting director, is absolutely amazing, and she searched everywhere for him. We weren't just looking in Los Angeles or New York; we were looking all over the world for someone who would inspire us to explore this character. Peter sent us a video of his performance, and by that point, I think we'd seen about 600 actors for the role. I watched Peter's tape and thought it was amazing. I called Rachel, as well as the directors of our first two episodes, and said, "You absolutely have to see this. This guy is really good." When I watched the tape, I saw the character come to life in a way I never imagined. That's exactly what you want as a director, showrunner, or writer.
We invited him to read the play with Mariana. We also invited him to read with Owen. He's a fantastic actor. It was his first major role, and no one was more professional than Peter. It was a pleasure working with him.
Left to right: Lilly Kay as Zero and Peter Dager as Santi in the Apple TV series Stick.
TERM: What do you plan to explore in season two?
KELLER: In season two, we'll see the members of this family embark on their own individual journeys. They'll still be connected, but they'll be moving in different directions. But from a story perspective, I think the most interesting thing is that we really begin to understand who Price is and where he comes from. In many ways, season two is Price's coming-of-age story. We kind of go back and see how he was introduced to golf, what his relationship with golf was like as a young man, and the challenges he faced that shaped the Price we met in season one.
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