Josh Duhamel Is a Diehard Vikings Fan – But Hopes the Rams Can 'Get Back on Track' This Season (Exclusive)
Duhamel's production company has partnered with the Los Angeles Rams for a star-studded video to kick off the NFL Draft
Josh Duhamel is ride-or-die when it comes to his Minnesota Vikings.
The 50-year-old actor tells PEOPLE that "growing up in North Dakota" forced him to choose between becoming a Packers fan or a Vikings fan, and Duhamel felt strongly about the latter.
"You have to be partially brain-dead, I think, to be a Packers fan," Duhamel laughs. "And I mean that as a direct shot at any Packers fans out there."
The actor recalls Vikings games being "the only thing that was ever on TV back home" and despite having never won a championship, "I love my Vikes," he says.
Duhamel's diehard fandom made his production company, Dakota. Media, the perfect collaborator for the Los Angeles Rams's Draft Lab video spot, which showcases the loyal fandom behind the Southern California NFL team.
"We started this process several months ago," Duhamel says of the video, which features A-list talent like Diplo, Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul.
Related:Super Bowl Superfans: The Biggest Celebrity Fans of the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals
Aside from the celebrity aspect of being Los Angeles's football team, Duhamel says he wanted the project to focus on the fans so dedicated to the team.
"That's what I really wanted to bring to this — the hardcore Rams fans — and we're really proud of it," he tells PEOPLE.
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The story is driven by the Breaking Bad stars Paul, 39, and Cranston, 67, Duhamel says.
"They're in the back of a vehicle we don't know where," possibly as a nod to Cranston's infamous RV in the series opener for Breaking Bad, "and you'll find out as it all kind of culminates in the end," he says.
Related:Paris Hilton and 'Forever Teammate' Carter Reum Show L.A. Pride in Matching Rams Jerseys
Also featured in the video are the team's general manager Les Snead and Raheem Morris, the defensive coordinator.
"They're all brainstorming what they're going to do in this year's draft, and we sort of reminisce about past drafts."
Duhamel explains, "This year, the Rams didn't have such a great year, so it's about going back to the lab and going back to the drawing board to reimagine what it's like getting back to the mountaintop."
Duhamel may be loyal to his Vikings, but the multi-talented producer says he's been a big fan of Rams coach Sean McVay for years.
McVay, 37, according to Duhamel, is "a captain of the industry" who became "a top dog in his position at a young age."
Before filming the video, Duhamel and McVay had met once before during a 2017 dinner at Spago in Beverly Hills. At the time, McVay told NBC that Duhamel had come up to his table at the restaurant to greet Rams owner Stan Kroenke, but McVay had assumed the actor didn't know who he was.
However, Duhamel tells PEOPLE that he remembers the night exactly — and the two even spoke about it while filming the Draft Lab spot.
"When we shot with him one morning, I asked him exactly that," says Duhamel. "It was a really funny moment where I was like, 'Hey do you remember when we were at Spago and I got to meet you,' and I remembered it really well because I remember him sitting there with Kroenke."
In fact, Duhamel says he felt a bit starstruck when seeing the NFL stars in person. "This was before he was even hired as the head coach and I think we stopped and said hello at the table. I felt like I had the inside scoop before anybody else did," he says. "I was thinking like, so this is who Kroenke's going to hire."
"He totally remembered me coming by but I didn't think he would," Duhamel admits.
Related:L.A. Rams Coach Sean McVay and Veronika Khomyn Had a Wedding Cake Shaped Like the Lombardi Trophy
Despite his loyalty to the Vikings, Duhamel would be happy to see McVay's team take home another Super Bowl win.
"There's a reason why they were able to win it two years ago," Duhamel says of the Rams. "And I feel like if my Vikings don't win it this year, I have every reason to believe that the Rams are going to be back on track."
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