HBO has a new original documentary movie on the way called Tony Hawk: Until The Wheels Fall Off, and it released a trailer showing new sides to the world-famous skateboarder.
Everyone knows Tony Hawk as this loveable and gregarious athletic everyman, but the trailer shows some of the struggles he faced on his way to the top.
“I always felt a little misplaced,” he says in the trailer, “but I found this thing that I loved, and I had so much more to prove.”
We also get to see how he wasn’t always beloved. In the beginning, people apparently had a problem with the way he skated. One person said he looked like a puppet on invisible strings. Of course, things turned out alright for Hawk. But once he became known, he still had a lot to learn.
“I never thought I’d be famous,” he says. “But it’s the worst drug.”
Already well known in the skating world, Hawk shot to worldwide fame in 1999 when he executed one of the hardest tricks in skateboarding – the 900.
This is widely credited with bringing skateboarding to the mainstream, as well as his iconic video game series for Activision. He’s also an avid philanthropist.
The documentary chronicles the now 53-year-old’s life from the beginning to today. Sam Jones directed the feature along with executive producers Mark and Jay Duplass.
“Sam has managed to make a film that somehow transcends the sport of skating and becomes a unique and very human portrait,” executive producer Mark Duplass said in a statement, according to Variety. “Can’t wait to share this thing with the world.”
Tony Hawk: Until The Wheels Fall Off premieres on HBO Max on April 5.