Forest Whitaker became one of the most recognized actors of the 1990s and early 2000s. Matthew Modine would go on to a fruitful career in Hollywood, while heartthrob Michael Schoeffling left it all behind Jasper last heard Schoeffling found a preferred, quieter life building furniture. He laughs loudly, far from the menacing character he portrayed over 30 years ago. He and his wife, Sandy, founded Osani Holistic Healthcare in 1995, emphasizing holistic approaches to personal health and well-being. “When a guy tells me this is what got him through The Citadel, or three tours in Iraq, that’s the stuff that gets me. “When people tell me this is why they became a wrestler, that the movie inspired them, or that this is why they became a coach, that’s what matters,” Jasper said. He didn’t know the impact it would have on the lives of others, either. Jasper didn’t know the lasting power Vision Quest would have. “Like the title itself, the whole experience was spiritual for me,” Jasper said. Matthew Modine, refusing to use a stunt-double, insisted he himself should endure the slams Jasper had to inflict.Īs he talked, the impact of Vision Quest on Jasper was evident. The close-up shot of Shute’s fingers on Swain’s elbow in the Shute-Swain match was Becker’s call, contributing subtle nuance to the drama of their movie-ending match. “The attention to detail by (director) Harold Becker was amazing.”īecker noticed a three-day difference in hair-growth length on Jasper, and told him to get a haircut. “It was all so new to me, everything that goes into a movie,” he said. Jasper landed the larger-than-expected part. “When I found out there were spoken lines, I was like, ‘What?’” Jasper says what he thought was an audition for a role as an extra became much bigger. “He says they were still looking for wrestlers, and tells me I should try out.” “Rick Thiefault comes in one day and he’s talking about a movie he’s in, in Spokane,” Jasper said. It was in that role he'd meet a variety of athletes, including members of the wrestling team. Jasper continued hitting the weights while working in EWU’s athletic training program. “I had no idea what I wanted to do,” he said. He re-enrolled in classes at Eastern Washington University. The gritty, grinding days took their toll. While out of school, Jasper took a job as an iron-worker. “I started working out seriously, and went from 155 to 185, eventually going over 200 pounds,” he said. “I was rebelling at the time and dropped out,” Jasper said. “I was young.disillusioned with the college thing.”Īround that time, Jasper read Arnold Schwarzenegger’s book, The Education of a Bodybuilder. His racket skills would earn him an athletic scholarship to Northern Idaho. Lifting weights and tennis would become primary passions. Instead, he lurked ominously in the plot’s background the entire movie.įrank Jasper began wrestling his freshman year in high school, a scrawny, 115-pounder. Like Ivan Drago in Rocky IV, Shute was perfectly and by-design kept off screen for most of the film until the culminating showdown. He wasn't granted significant on-screen appearances. Shute - the returning, undefeated state champion - became Swain’s movie-long foil.ĭirector Harold Becker's genius was shown in how Shute was presented. Swain informed his coach he'd be dropping an ungodly amount of weight, all in the attempt to wrestle the top wrestler in the state of Washington, Brian Shute. Lead character Louden Swain was played by Matthew Modine. Vision Quest became the definitive "wrestling movie." It became one of the decade's benchmark coming-of-age films, too. Here’s to expired statute of limitations.Ī cast including Linda Fiorentino, Michael Schoeffling, Forest Whitaker, Ronny Cox, Harold Sylvester, and Charles Hallahan captured that elusive certain-something. It was the summer when childhood pal Dax Pearson and I would pull off our first underage heist: We'd figured out a way to rent the R-rated movie from Video Village on Delhi Pike. I was still 14 when it made its way to video rental stores (look ‘em up, kids). I was 14 when Vision Quest was released in theaters. In the way horror fans embraced Freddy Krueger, we did the same with Shute: We wanted him to lose, but there’s no movie without him. Jasper’s character, Brian Shute, was birthed into wrestling lore. Hoisted logs and stadium steps, tight yellow tank tops and tighter blue short-shorts each became part of our sport’s collective consciousness. More than three decades ago, Jasper played Shute in the 1985 wrestling classic Vision Quest. It’s difficult being jealous of yourself. Okay, the latter is more of a household wrestling name, but that’s fine with Jasper. Recognize the name Frank Jasper? How about Brian Shute?
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