Chester County Native Stars In New Film, 'Bleed For This'

CHESTER COUNTY (CBS) -- Chester County native Miles Teller stars in the movie 'Bleed For This', out Friday in theaters around the country.

Teller plays champion boxer Vinny Pazienza, who, in 1988, suffered a broken neck after a car crash, but fought the odds to a comeback career.

"People are going to watch this movie and feel like there's nothing that's impossible," said Teller, who was born in Downingtown, and moved to South Jersey years later.

"I moved to Cape May - Wildwood New Jersey," he said. "A lot of my family still lives in Wilkes Barre, and Malvern and alot of my cousins, and aunts and uncles went to Penn State and Drexel."

Teller had been working his way up the Hollywood latter, in 'best friend' roles, before the script came along.

"I met the Director and felt like he was just kind of doing my agent a favor."

But Teller says Director Ben Young picked him as the leading man, who spends much of his time in a halo brace around his head.

"It was definitely the most uncomfortable, problematic prop that I've ever had to work with," he said. "To think how this guy felt like he could still work out with this thing on -- talk about determination. Nothing was going to hold him back."

Teller says while studying Pazienza (also known as 'The Paz'), he learned of another connection.

"He saw Rocky in theaters, and went home and told his parents that he is going to be a world-champion boxer," he said, calling the film a testament to the human spirit.

"People are going to watch this movie and feel like there's nothing that's impossible."

The film debuted at the 25th Philadelphia Film Festival this past October.

For more information: http://bleedforthisfilm.com/