If only life truly imitated art, then Cleveland fans could pop champagne corks instead of aspirin. Instead, they are left to watch movies like Major League and now Draft Day, which opened yesterday, in which Cleveland teams actually come off as champions - or at least competent - for a change. The Dispatch recently caught up with Draft Day star Kevin Costner, who plays fictional Browns general manager Sonny Weaver Jr. The GM shrewdly wheels and deals the Browns into coming out ahead on NFL draft day.

If only life truly imitated art, then Cleveland fans could pop champagne corks instead of aspirin.

Instead, they are left to watch movies like Major League and now Draft Day, which opened yesterday, in which Cleveland teams actually come off as champions � or at least competent � for a chang e.

The Dispatch recently caught up with Draft Day star Kevin Costner, who plays fictional Browns general manager Sonny Weaver Jr. The GM shrewdly wheels and deals the Browns into coming out ahead on NFL draft day.

Costner likes the New Orleans Saints and grew up rooting for the Los Angeles Rams but also considers himself something of a Browns fan, even if he does not totally understand the depth of the city�s pain and suffering.

Q: Do you sympathize with Browns fans?

A: A little bit, but a lot of cities suffer. Nobody wants to put Seattle�s success in reverse, but years ago they were kind of on the ropes. You just watch their progress, just like with the Saints. The Saints suffered infinitely more than the Browns have. The Browns have been a pillar of this league for a long, long time. I don�t know about suffering. People go, they boo and they cheer. They have their beer, and they go home. But what they are is, they�re loyal. I love that they fill that stadium, so yeah, I would love to see them win. Just the way I loved seeing the Saints win.

Q: Did making the movie make you more of a Browns fan?

A: I don�t think anyone is not affected when they go meet somebody. You can�t help be changed. It may be for the negative. It may affirm what you thought. Or it may debunk what you thought. I�ve watched the Browns since I was little. I remember watching Leroy Kelly run and I remember that team, so I�ve never equated Cleveland to the joke it�s been made out to be. Three or four of my very close friends in Hollywood are from Cleveland. They all went to St. Ignatius High School. So yeah, I do root a little bit.

Q: In researching the part, what did you conclude makes a good GM?

A: You have to have a complete understanding of the game and understand that statistics aren�t the only thing that a man is measured by. There is third down. The fourth quarter. There is a lot of stuff involved in the way you look at an athlete. I think you have to have a level of empathy for the guys who are going to come and the guys who are going to go. At the same time, you�re living with a sort of sword of Damocles, because if too many of these guys don�t produce, the way the business works now, you�re probably not going to have a job.

Q: So if you were the real Browns GM, who would you draft with your first pick?

A: I like Johnny (Manziel) because you feel like you�re watching flag football, so that�s a lot of fun. How he manages to stay unhurt is going to be big for him. But the thing you hate to play against is someone who is really tough defensively, so I like the idea of (a defensive pick).

Q: How much of an organization�s success is the front office, and how much of it is the players?

A: Players make up their mind what�s going to happen. I feel like, in football, if you beat the man in front of you the majority of the time, you win the game.

Q: With the sudden changes the Browns have made over the past six months, are you worried you might get replaced in the movie by George Clooney?

A: The movie already is out. I don�t care how good special effects are these days; I don�t think it�s going to happen.

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