{"id":1305,"date":"2026-05-09T15:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-09T15:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsmag.live\/2026\/05\/09\/running-point-star-brenda-song-really-knows-ball\/"},"modified":"2026-05-09T15:30:00","modified_gmt":"2026-05-09T15:30:00","slug":"running-point-star-brenda-song-really-knows-ball","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsmag.live\/ja\/2026\/05\/09\/running-point-star-brenda-song-really-knows-ball\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Running Point\u2019 Star Brenda Song Really Knows Ball"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\t \t \t\t<\/svg>\t\tLogo text<\/span> \t<\/a> <\/p>\n

\tIf there\u2019s one thing Brenda Song<\/a> knows, it\u2019s acting. Well, that and basketball<\/em>. She definitely knows basketball. <\/p>\n

\tThe 38-year-old Running Point<\/a><\/em> star is a seasoned veteran onscreen. It sounds like a ridiculous thing to say about an actor yet to reach their 40th birthday, but Song\u2019s been steadily working since she was six years old. <\/p>\n

\t\u201cI\u2019ve been doing this for [nearly] 35 years now,\u201d Song tells The Hollywood Reporter <\/em>on Zoom Monday morning. Fresh off the release of Running Point<\/a><\/em> season two, the actress seems full of energy despite what must\u2019ve been a busy few weeks. \t<\/p>\n

\tIn the Netflix comedy series, Song plays Ali, the right hand woman to Kate Hudson\u2019s Isla, who at the beginning of the series finds herself leading her family\u2019s business \u2014 the pro basketball team, the Los Angeles Waves. Executive produced by Mindy Kaling, Ike Barinholtz and David Stassen, the show was a bit of a dream project for Song, despite not fully buying into that concept.<\/p>\n

\tThe actress, who spent much of her youth starring in Disney Channel\u2019s biggest early aughts projects, is a lifelong, diehard basketball fan. She\u2019s since found a love of football, she clarifies, something she credits to her longtime partner and fellow former child actor, Macaulay Culkin. \u201cPeople don\u2019t realize what a big sports fan he is,\u201d she laments.<\/p>\n

\tWhen Kobe Bryant, who sparked Song\u2019s love for the Los Angeles Lakers, retired, she had to take time away from basketball because she was so devastated. It\u2019s unsurprising that when she heard about the Netflix series, loosely based on the life of longtime Lakers owner Jeanie Buss, she knew she had to be part of it. \t<\/p>\n

\t\u201cI literally would have done anything on the show,\u201d she jokes about her reaction to being pitched the series. \u201cI was like, \u2018Do you need a PA? Do you need an assistant?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\tBelow, the actress digs into her love of sports, Running Point<\/em> season two and why she feels Disney Channel was ahead of the curve in terms of onscreen representation. <\/p>\n

\tYou\u2019re such a fan of basketball. How did you get into it, and how much of that led to you taking this role?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\tMy love for basketball started many, many, many moons ago. My dad and my younger brother are huge Chicago Bulls and Michael Jordan fans, so I just grew up with basketball always in my life. My dad would play it in the park. We\u2019d watch it at home, but that was also in Michael Jordan\u2019s heyday. I personally was a Dennis Rodman fan. I loved defense. I loved his hustle. That\u2019s where my love of basketball sort of started, but I didn\u2019t become a Lakers fan until \u201996 when Kobe was drafted.<\/p>\n

\tFor some reason, I don\u2019t know what it was about him and his playing style that just made me fall in love with it. Then I became a Lakers fan, and we were a divided household for a minute. From \u201996 to 2016, I watched basically 82 games a year, whether it be watching it or listening to it on the radio with Stu Lantz and Chick Hearn. I was aware of 82 games. Then when Kobe retired, I was actually so devastated [that] I had to take a break from basketball for a couple of years just because it wasn\u2019t the same for me.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t \t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>

\t \t\t\t\t\tBrenda Song as Ali in \u2018Running Point\u2019 Season two.<\/span> \t\t \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tKatrina Marcinowski\/Netflix<\/cite> \t\t\t\t\t \t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\tWhat did you turn to then?<\/strong> \t<\/p>\n

\tThat\u2019s actually how my love of football came to be. Mac and I started dating \u2014 people don\u2019t realize what a big sports fan he is. I walked in one morning, and was like \u201cWhat\u2019s football?\u201d It was a Rams and Seahawks game, and then it was over for me.<\/p>\n

\tBut you found that love for basketball again?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\tI always watched casually, but I didn\u2019t start really watching it religiously again until really the pandemic. Everyone was at home, and sort of this new iteration of the Lakers\u2026 It was really hard for me to swallow any newness, especially when it came to the Lakers, because Kobe Bryant was my steady the whole time. Then when this project came about, I remember my agent telling me, \u201cThere\u2019s this untitled basketball project by Mindy Kaling.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tA lot of buzzwords for you.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\tI told my agent I would do anything to be a part of that because I\u2019m also such a huge fan of Mindy Kaling. I\u2019m a huge fan of The Office<\/em>. Huge fan of The Mindy Project<\/em>. She\u2019s so talented. I love her writing style. That\u2019s the thing that\u2019s so impressive about what she, Ike and Dave do \u2014 you hear Mindy Kaling, and you know exactly what sort of comedy you\u2019re going to get. It\u2019s going to be witty. It\u2019s going to be fast. She pushes the boundaries.<\/p>\n

\tI had my first meeting with them over Zoom, and I think we talked about basketball for a majority of it because Dave and Ike are from Chicago. They love the Chicago Bulls. Dave always says, when he used to get sad, he\u2019d go watch Michael Jordan highlights. I told him I rewatch my favorite Laker games or my favorite Kobe Bryant moments all the time. I was like, \u201cWe\u2019re the same.\u201d We just connected on this sort of other level. \t<\/p>\n

\tWhat was it about the show? <\/strong><\/p>\n

\tWhen they pitched me this show\u2026 I knew of Jeanie Buss\u2019s story, being an Angelino. I couldn\u2019t believe that she was willing to have someone sort of make a TV show about her life. I was so thrilled. I literally would have done anything on the show. I was like, \u201cDo you need a PA? Do you need an assistant?\u201d I will do anything because it\u2019s quite literally my dream project to be able to do a show with this group of producers and writers, but also with this cast is such a dream. I\u2019m constantly looking around and being like, \u201cI can\u2019t believe I\u2019m in a scene with Kate Hudson. I can\u2019t believe I\u2019m talking to Justin Thoreau.\u201d It blows my mind. This past season working with Ray Romano, I\u2019m just like, \u201cWhat is my life?\u201d Little Brenda would never believe her right now.<\/p>\n

\tYour character Ali has this almost \u201cfuck it\u201d moment in season two, where she stands up for herself after not getting a raise. Can you tell me more?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\tGenerally, being a woman in any industry, especially in a male-dominant industry like the sports world, asking for a raise for Ali probably is not a big a deal. She would probably ask Cam for a raise in a second. I think the difficult thing for Ali is the fact that Isla\u2019s now her boss. Her best friend is her boss, and I think she believes in Isla more than Isla believes in herself. She\u2019s her biggest cheerleader. Now, Ali\u2019s in this uncharted territory where Ali feels nervous. She\u2019s unsure. It feels so bizarre and also bizarre for Ali and Isla\u2019s friendship because they\u2019ve been friends for so long. Ali technically had a higher position than Isla for so long. Now, they\u2019re navigating this new aspect of their relationship. \t<\/p>\n

\tI think it\u2019s really hard, even now, to stand up for yourself, to be like, \u201cYou know what? I think I deserve more than that.\u201d I don\u2019t know what it is and what society\u2019s ingrained into us to say that we don\u2019t deserve it, but that\u2019s why I really love that moment. I remember reading it in the table-read about Ali grabbing note cards. That is just such a funny thing because she\u2019s still so Ali, so type A, but unsure how to approach this subject and her standing up for herself. Even though it\u2019s not what she expected, she was trying to do what she thought was right for herself in that moment. I think that\u2019s what\u2019s really important. It\u2019s OK to make mistakes, but I really feel like we, in this day and age, really need to learn to listen to our instincts and know that we deserve more and that we are enough.<\/p>\n

\tWhat about the relationship between the two women?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\tThe flip side of it is also learning how to appreciate and validate your friendships and being able to show people how you care about them and really understanding what that means. People show love and take love differently. Me and Kate talked about this with Dave, Ike and Mindy, but in my mind, Ali and Isla have never really had any sort of butting of the heads. They\u2019ve always had their dynamic. It\u2019s why they work. They get each other. They love each other. This is the first time that they\u2019ve ever fought in this kind of way. It was really fun. Kate [Hudson] is the best scene partner. <\/p>\n

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\t\t\t \t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>

\t \t\t\t\t\tBrenda Song. <\/span> \t\t \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tEmily Sandifer<\/cite> \t\t\t\t\t \t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\tWhat are you dying to do that you feel you haven\u2019t been able to yet?<\/strong> \t<\/p>\n

\tI\u2019ve been so incredibly fortunate and grateful for the past few years. I really feel \u2014 especially being a new mom and figuring out what that work-life balance is \u2014 this was the perfect show to sort of set that off. I had two weeks off after The Last Showgirl<\/em> and went straight into this, and it was such an amazing progression because that movie was so different. I was also working with an incredible group of women who really inspired me. Then to work with Kate and Mindy and this crew, it has been so wonderful. I just wrapped a Netflix movie called The Fifth Wheel<\/em> with Nikki Glaser, Fortune Feimster and Kim Kardashian, [it\u2019s] directed by Eva Longoria. That\u2019s the kind of broad comedy that I used to watch and loved so much. To be able to do that was such a dream. We have some amazing cameos in that. [I\u2019m] working with people that I never thought that I\u2019d be in the same room with.<\/p>\n

\tPeople used to always ask me, \u201cWhat is your dream role?\u201d I thought about it and said I actually don\u2019t know because it kind of takes the fun out of my job. I have people \u2014 actors, filmmakers, directors, producers and writers that I\u2019d love to work with \u2014 but one of the things that I love about being an actor is getting a script and figuring out if I can make it believable.<\/p>\n

\tDo you have anything shooting soon?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\tI\u2019m about to start another film that is a 180 from this. It\u2019s a little indie. I can\u2019t say much about it, but it has a much more serious tone to it. It\u2019s based on the writer-director\u2019s story. I\u2019m really grateful to have this opportunity to really challenge myself and do things that I haven\u2019t had the opportunity to do yet. I feel like it\u2019s so funny because people always say comedy is my thing. Honestly, until The Suite Life<\/em>, comedy was sort of really scary for me. \t<\/p>\n

\tI am so excited to be able to spread my wings [with this next project] and do something different, be [seen] in a light that I feel people haven\u2019t seen me in. I haven\u2019t been able to really delve into a character like this before. It\u2019s been really fun, and I\u2019m really excited. I\u2019m nervous, but that\u2019s also where I\u2019m at in my life and career. I want to be challenged. I want to walk on set and be nervous. I\u2019ve been doing this for [nearly] 35 years now. I\u2019m finally getting the opportunities that I only dreamed of, that I never thought that I could have. I\u2019m in a place where I feel like I\u2019m a little bit like a ball of Play-Doh. I am ready to take on whatever\u2019s thrown at me because I feel ready. I feel ready to be challenged.<\/p>\n

\tHave you found you\u2019ve had to work against preconceived notions that people have about you in the casting process?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\tOf course, and I don\u2019t fault anyone because when you see someone do something, you want to cast them in doing that. I\u2019ve told this story so many times. Especially for me, I think it hit harder when I was doing all the Disney stuff because I felt like I walked into every room with Mickey Mouse ears. People at that time made it feel like that was a knock on me instead of embracing it. When I did The Social Network<\/em>, I remember asking David Fincher, the director, why he hired me. I\u2019m sure he doesn\u2019t remember ever saying this to me, but he so casually was like, \u201cI didn\u2019t know you were on that show, and if someone hires you on what you\u2019ve done and what you\u2019re not doing in the room, you don\u2019t want to work with them anyway.\u201d It\u2019s probably why I also love to audition so much. \t<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t \t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>

\t \t\t\t\t\tBrenda Song as Ali in \u2018Running Point\u2019 season two.<\/span> \t\t \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy of Netflix<\/cite> \t\t\t\t\t \t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\tThat\u2019s something I wanted to check in with you about. Certainly things have changed even in the last years or so, but like you said, that representation wasn\u2019t there when you were coming up.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\tThe thing is, when you\u2019re in it, you don\u2019t even think about it. When I was younger, I just loved to work. I loved being on a set. I never really thought about anything outside of that. I was so lucky to jump into Disney. I feel like Disney Channel was really ahead of the curve when it came to representation in media very early on. Seeing a young Asian American lead was really important to me. On Disney, they were doing that really years before people were doing it. I mean, Wendy Wu<\/em> \u2014 someone just told me it\u2019s about to be 20 years since that movie came out. That was my first titular character. Being able to talk about heritage and things like that, people weren\u2019t doing that back then.<\/p>\n

\tNo, they weren\u2019t.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\tIn the last five to 10 years, it\u2019s been so nice to see people ask questions and speak up, to be able to really make space that all stories need to be told. There\u2019s space for everyone here at the table. People always said that, but it never really felt that way. We\u2019re still not there yet, but I feel like we\u2019re working our way towards that. It\u2019s amazing to see movies and shows being made with actors and actresses of all shades and sizes, all different ages, because media should reflect what the world really looks like. Especially now, having kids, I think it\u2019s so important to really have that representation. It has been a beautiful growth and a beautiful journey. Again, long way to go, but we\u2019re moving in the right direction. To me, that\u2019s all that matters. Progress is important, and as long as we\u2019re progressing and not regressing, I will not complain. \t<\/p>\n

\tI do agree that Disney Channel really was actually doing things a lot sooner than a lot of other places, honestly, some still aren\u2019t.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\tNo, and people don\u2019t realize. At that young age, it didn\u2019t matter to them. I really loved my time at Disney because of that, and how it really was such a special time that I look back on now. I think I appreciate it, of course, now more than I even did then. But it\u2019s funny to say Disney Channel was ahead of the curve.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Logo text If there\u2019s one thing Brenda Song knows, it\u2019s acting. Well, that and basketball. She definitely knows basketball. The 38-year-old Running Point star is a seasoned veteran onscreen. It sounds like a ridiculous thing to say about an actor yet to reach their 40th birthday, but Song\u2019s been steadily working since she was six years old. \u201cI\u2019ve been doing this for [nearly] 35 years now,\u201d Song tells The Hollywood Reporter on Zoom Monday morning. Fresh off the release of Running Point season two, the actress seems full of energy despite what must\u2019ve been a busy few weeks. In the Netflix comedy series, Song plays Ali, the right hand woman […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1306,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[831,2,832,85,335],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1305","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-brenda-song","category-hollywood","category-running-point","category-tv","category-tv-features"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsmag.live\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1305","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsmag.live\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsmag.live\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsmag.live\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsmag.live\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1305"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsmag.live\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1305\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsmag.live\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1306"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsmag.live\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1305"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsmag.live\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1305"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsmag.live\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1305"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}