'American Underdog' 's Zachary Levi and Anna Paquin on Playing Kurt and Brenda Warner: 'They're Amazing'

When Zachary Levi and Anna Paquin signed on to play Kurt and Brenda Warner in the new movie American Underdog, both actors happily dug into their own preparation for each role, as well as looked forward to meeting the real-life couple they would be portraying onscreen.

The movie explores the Warners' inspiring real-life love and success story, but also required Levi and Paquin to acquire skills they didn't yet have, like proper football and quarterback techniques and line dancing lessons. Kurt is an NFL Hall of Fame quarterback, and he and Brenda met line-dancing at a country-western bar.

"I was dying to get as much right as I could," says the Shazam! star, 41. "With the essence of who [Kurt] was, who he is still, I nailed as much of that football stuff as I could to the best of my ability, which I felt good about. I definitely got to the point where I could throw some dimes, but I also had some great doubles that were helping me do that along the way."

He continues, "And also I, by law, couldn't take some of the big hits that they were going to send a linebacker [to hit] me with. So it's a concerted effort. It takes a village to go and bring this stuff to life. But as that concerted effort, as that village, I think we did Kurt and Brenda, and Zach and Jesse, and their whole family and the story, all of the justice. I think it's all there. And I think they feel that way."

For Oscar winner Paquin, 39, she happily jumped into line dancing — a key connection point for Kurt and Brenda at the start of their romance, and a sweet scene in the movie.

"I did not know how to line dance but I have a solid enough movement background between gymnastics and ballet that it wasn't difficult to learn the choreography," she says. "But I'd never danced in cowboy boots before or done any form of dance where you can't point your toes. So that was just a little bit of kind of rhythmic and feeling the difference in it. But I love getting to learn new stuff when I do a job."

For both Paquin and Levi, meeting and connecting with Kurt and Brenda before and during filming, made their American Underdog experience even more special.

"I now have this amazing, really cool friend named Brenda who I get to keep forever," says the actress. "[The Warners] are even nicer and more amazing in real life. And that sounds ridiculous because they're amazing on paper."

"They were with us on set for a lot of the movie," adds Levi. "I never felt the pressure from [Kurt]. I always felt like these guys really just want to make sure that their story is told honestly."

He continues: "I tried to find Kurt's essence as best I could and bring that forth. And I know that Anna did the same. And I think we made a really good little movie. And I think that it does inspire and it does give people hope. And it tells them to run after those dreams."

American Underdog opens in theaters Dec. 25.