Penn State wrestler Mitchell Mesenbrink might be a two-time All-American and a national champion on the mat, but he also has an artistic side.

Mesenbrink frequently posts videos of himself singing or playing guitar on his Instagram page, not only to show off his talent and passion, but also to promote himself as a wrestler.

He is now moving his talents over to the big screen as he landed a role in the upcoming Dan Gable biopic, titled “Gable.”

Gable is one of the most accomplished wrestling coaches ever, with 15 national championships under his belt while at Iowa. Gable also won a gold medal at the 1972 Olympics.

Mesenbrink will play Ben Peterson, a wrestler who trained with Gable in college and went to the Olympics with him.

“There were a lot of really, really good actors in there. Mireille Enos, Finn Cole, Ben Foster, and a lot of really good supporting actors,” Mesenbrink said at Penn State wrestling’s media day. “I was lucky to be one of them.”

He also said that the film’s director, Jon Greenhalgh, reached out to the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club looking to talk to him.

Mesenbrink went through the same process as anyone else, memorizing lines, studying the script, and attending several callbacks before landing the role.

Mesenbrink also touched on how much he enjoyed being on a film set and talking to other “real actors.” He said Geenhalgh gave him a lot of creative freedom in how to play the character.

While the film doesn’t have an official release date yet, Mesenbrink filmed his scenes over the summer on the Illinois campus in Champaign, Illinois.

“There’s also the idea of being an actor and improving, and things that you’re enacting your own person in that portrayal of that person,” Mesenbrink said. “I think that was a really cool part.”

While he may have been the only wrestler in the cast, he wasn’t the only wrestler working on the film. Mesenbrink had the chance to talk with both Peterson and Gable to learn from them for the film and his wrestling career.

“It was really cool to be on set with all those people,” Mesenbrink said.

In addition, Zack Esposito, the current associate head coach for North Carolina State, and Austin O’Connor, an assistant coach for Illinois, also helped with the film.

Mesenbrink said that he is confident in his acting abilities even though it is his first time on screen. He said that he enjoyed the experience and hopes to get the opportunity to act again someday.

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