After that shocking Dancing With the Stars results mix-up, Vernon Davis, 36, and Peta Murgatroyd, 34, are still in the running for the season 29 mirrorball trophy. The pair will be hitting the ballroom with a tango to “Livin’ on a Prayer” by Bon Jovi for ’80s Night. This will mark Vernon’s first tango of the season, and he spoke with HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY about tackling the tough dance.
“It’s not an easy dance, and I say that because this one’s totally different,” Vernon told HollywoodLife. “Because you have to bend your knees and stay low as you’re moving across the ballroom floor. All the other ones, I didn’t have to bend as much. I could stand tall. But you really have to make sure that you’re bending at the knee to pull off a good performance.”
Vernon is no stranger to intense training because of his 14-year career in the NFL. He broke down to HollywoodLife what a typical day looks like for him as he competes on DWTS. “My day-to-day leading up to an episode, it’s just rehearsal every day,” he said. “You don’t really get a break. I get up, grab breakfast, and go to rehearsal. We’re in there rehearsing. It’s all repetitions, so that’s the quickest way to really get it. But then when I get home after, later on that night, I still put time in just on the little steps, the details, just cleaning everything up. And that’s the way you have to do it.”
The Super Bowl champion continues to get stronger every week in the competition. He credits a lot of that to Peta. “She’s a great teacher,” Vernon told HollywoodLife. “She’s really patient. I know it takes a lot to be able to work with someone who doesn’t really know what they’re doing. I’m not familiar with the world of dancing, so when I learn a new routine, it’s kind of takes me a little time because I have to familiarize myself with all of the new steps, and she’s very patient. She’s a leader. She wants to win. She wants to go out and do her best each and every week. So I love it. The synergy’s there.”
Vernon and Peta teased their ’80s Night performance with a series of Instagram photos. When asked whether or not he’ll be rocking the curly wig, Vernon said. “Oh, yeah. I’m going big! Go big or go home!”
The former NFL star also gushed about his kids are loving his run on Dancing With the Stars. “They say, ‘Daddy, Daddy, you’re a dancer now,'” he told HollywoodLife. “It’s awesome watching them react to my performance and just being involved with them because I bring them in with the whole process and my progression. It’s been nothing but phenomenal.”
Vernon’s not just an athlete, he’s an actor, too. He’s got a number of projects lined up. “I produced two films, one called Red Winter and the other one is called A Message From Brianna,” he revealed. “I’ve been doing that since February. The last one was filmed in June. Right after that, I had to get myself prepared for Dancing With the Stars. So I’ve been working the whole time. It’s been pretty cool. Then I had a role on BET, and then I worked with Victoria Rowell. She’s amazing. She’s phenomenal. But I had an opportunity to meet her and then she cast me again for another film called The Rich and the Ruthless, so I’ve been extremely busy.”