Noah Beck & Siena Agudong Go Long in ‘Sidelined 2: Intercepted’
The greatest play isn’t the one you make on the field — it’s the one you make for love.
Last November, Drayton Lahey (Noah Beck) and Dallas Bryan (Siena Agudong) entered our lives in Sidelined: The QB & Me, based on Tay Marley’s novel, and we haven’t been the same since. In an era full of a constant stream of content, Sidelined: The QB & Me was a fun and refreshing addition to the rom-com world. A charming teen love story with believable pressures and a dose of early 2000s nostalgia.
And there was also the Sidelined scene that launched thousands of TikTok edits. The moment when hotshot Archwood quarterback Drayton throws a pass that changes his life forever. Dallas, the effortlessly cool new cheerleader with big dreams, impresses Drayton with her quick reflexes. “Nice catch, Cheer,” Drayton quips. Dallas tosses the ball back with a little sass and says, “Not my name, Quarterback.”
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It was the quintessential teen rom-com meet-cute. From that moment on, viewers were cheering for Dallas and Drayton. On November 27, almost exactly one year since Sidelined: The QB & Me, the highly anticipated sequel, Sidelined 2: Intercepted, is dropping on Tubi. In Swooon’s first digital cover feature, Beck and Agudong give a play-by-play of what to expect in the sequel.
MVC: Most Valuable Couple
Beck and Agudong never expected the first movie to take off like it did. Sidelined: The QB & Me became Tubi’s most-watched movie at the time of its premiere in November 2024. Fans across the globe were embracing the “Nice Catch, Cheer” trend, which even reached the For You Pages of high-profile sports teams like the Las Vegas Raiders and the Savannah Bananas, who took a stab at the trend. The trend’s “wave of virality” had both Beck and Agudong at “a loss of words,” the actor tells Swooon.
In the sequel, directed by Justin Wu, Dallas and Drayton are back and entering a new chapter in their lives, one that’s full of emotional roller coasters and life-altering changes: college. Drayton is living out his (and his dad’s) football aspirations playing for the University of Southern California, while Dallas chases her dance dreams at CalArts.
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At the start of their freshman year, Dallas and Drayton remain united in their love as they pursue their individual ambitions. “Something that came up was the movie is more about identity this time around and navigating love within that,” Agudong explains. “You meet new people, you have new experiences, and I feel like there’s a lot of discovery in this, self-discovery, and what do you want? Who are you? In the first movie, we have that universal experience of first love. And then this one, it feels like the universal experience of change, of a new place, new people, new things.”
Beck adds, “There’s the relatability of going out of state to college, but also going into college with the relationship. It’s kind of this stigma of: Don’t go to college in a relationship. But we’ll see if Dallas and Drayton can figure it out. Because if anyone could, it’d be them.”
Sitting next to Beck, Agudong recalls someone coming up to her to praise how the first movie “portrayed [the] love” between Dallas and Drayton. “It was so healthy,” she says. Dallas isn’t looking for love whatsoever when she transfers to Archwood, but romance often pops up when you least expect it. Initially, Dallas pushes Drayton away, but Agudong notes that Drayton’s “persistent” about pursuing his connection with Dallas in a “very innocent, pure, loving way.” Sidelined 2: Intercepted tests Dallas and Drayton’s relationship, but you’ll never doubt the love between them.
When it comes to a winning rom-com, chemistry between the two leads is vital. From the moment they shared their first scene, it was clear that Beck and Agudong had chemistry in spades. There’s an ease to their playful bantering and a sense of security in the movie’s heavier moments. Much of that onscreen magic stems from the costars’ genuine friendship offscreen. They have a sweet and relaxed energy with each other.
They’re a team.
Not only are they costars, Beck and Agudong are also executive producers of Sidelined 2: Intercepted, just as they were on the first film. “It was a different level of trust and stretching the muscles that you have as an actor,” Agudong says. “At least for me, it was hard to have an opinion that I’ve always wanted to say and know that it also has a place there. That was just a new lesson.”
New School Year, New (and Familiar) Faces
Sidelined 2: Intercepted will be introducing some new characters into the fold. The always delightful Julie and the Phantoms alum Charlie Gillespie plays Skyler, a musician and a senior at CalArts who befriends Dallas. Roan Curtis, who had a breakout moment in Netflix’s Firefly Lane, plays Charlotte, a student-athlete trainer at USC.
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Just because they’re off at college doesn’t mean Dallas and Drayton have forgotten about their families. Drew Ray Tanner and James Van Der Beek will reprise their roles as Nathan, Dallas’ older brother, and Leroy, Drayton’s father.
Drayton’s complicated relationship with his father, Leroy (James Van Der Beek), continues to evolve in the sequel, according to Beck. The actor says Sidelined 2: Intercepted will portray that point in life when “your dad kind of becomes less of a mentor and more of he’s just your guy that you go to if you need help. He’s your emotional backboard. But also, you just always look up to your dad, and I think every son needs that, and I think Leroy is that for Drayton.”
Does Sidelined 2: Intercepted mark the end of the game for Dallas and Drayton? Not if Beck and Agudong have anything to say about it. “Absolutely,” they both said in unison to the possibility of a third movie.
They’ve got clear eyes and full hearts on making sure the sequel is just the halftime show and their characters have another half left to play.
Sidelined 2: Intercepted, November 27, Tubi
