Pickleball may be at the center of Apple TV’s sports comedy film The Dink, but its cast says the film is ultimately about people searching for connection.
Jake Johnson stars as Dusty Boyd, a former tennis prodigy who now coaches children at the suburban country club run by his father, Chuck, played by Ed Harris. Desperate for his father’s approval, Dusty initially supports Chuck’s campaign against the growing popularity of pickleball. After an old injury prevents him from playing tennis, however, Dusty reluctantly turns to the sport he has been fighting against. With the help of his new partner, Candace, played by Mary Steenburgen, he begins to embrace pickleball while confronting his past failures, his strained relationship with his father and his longtime rivalry with Andy Roddick.
The film is directed by Josh Greenbaum and written by Sean Clements, The Dink also stars Ben Stiller (who produces the film), Patton Oswalt, Chloe Fineman, Chris Parnell, Aaron Chen and Roddick.
In an exclusive interview with BLKCinema.com, Johnson, Steenburgen and Chen opened up about learning the sport, why they hope the movie inspires viewers to play and the loneliness driving their characters.
Jake Johnson and Aaron Chen were relatively new to pickleball
Chen said he had only recently become familiar with pickleball before working on the film.
“I wasn’t yet, and then I learned about it three years ago,” he said. “I played in Brooklyn by the docks, the shipping yard kind of thing, in a secret area.”
Johnson was also new to the sport, though preparing for the film gave him plenty of opportunities to play.
“I was new to it and got to play a lot for the movie,” Johnson said. “I got tennis lessons, which was really fun, and so was able to get into it by playing against a lot of people who played.”
Mary Steenburgen hopes the film encourages people to play safely
Steenburgen said she hopes The Dink inspires viewers to try pickleball, though she stressed the importance of approaching the sport carefully.
“I hope it does do that for people because—I mean, I hope it also does it safely,” she said. “You have to go out and get a pair of court shoes, and you have to not try to chase every crazy ball that comes your way, and take a few lessons.”
Despite those precautions, Steenburgen described the sport as an accessible and joyful addition to people’s lives.
“But honestly, it’s such a joy infusion into life,” she continued. “It’s so much fun. It’s much easier to learn. The scoring is a little crazy, but it’s much easier to learn than a lot of other sports.”
She also pointed to pickleball’s ability to bring together players of different ages and experience levels.
“And it’s very kind of egalitarian,” Steenburgen explained. “There’s kids playing it and people in their 80s.”
The film’s premise, she noted, was partly inspired by its writer’s experience being humbled on the court.
“In fact, the writer—the idea came to him because he was a really good tennis player who went to play pickleball and totally got smashed by 80-year-old women who totally talked trash to him the whole time,” she said. “So that’s what gave him the idea for it.”
‘The Dink’ explores loneliness and the need for friendship
Chen jokingly described the film as a direct response to a growing sense of isolation among men.
“There is a male loneliness epidemic, and it’s reached dangerous levels in 2026,” he said. “And this tackles that head-on.”
Steenburgen said loneliness also shapes Candace’s journey throughout the film.
“I think she’s lonely,” she said. “And I think she’s someone who went through a divorce, which I’ve been through too, and I know it rocks your world. It shakes up a lot of things, including friendships.”
Candace enters the story looking for someone to play pickleball with, but Steenburgen said her character is also searching for companionship after losing much of her social circle.
“And Candace says that my husband got all the friends, and she’s lonely,” she added. “And that thing she’s trying to find is a pickleball partner, but she’s also just trying to find a friend.”
That connection ultimately comes from someone she would not have expected.
“And the last person that it looks like it would be is this washed-up tennis player who’s super annoying,” Steenburgen said. “But they end up being more similar than you could ever imagine.”
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