With the guest appearance of internet personality and actor Noah Beck at Saturday’s USC versus UCLA rivalry game, the 29-10 win wasn’t the only thing Trojan fans were cheering about.
Beck originally rose to fame in 2019 on TikTok, gaining popularity for his looks, lip-sync dancing videos and dating Dixie D’Amelio, TikTok star Charli D’Amelio’s sister. More recently, Beck resurged in pop culture with the “not my name, quarterback” scene from his first “Sidelined” movie.
Beck’s TikTok fame, combined with the buzz surrounding the iconic scene from his first movie, had fans excited to see him on the sidelines and grab photos with him. Caylin Mobley, a junior studying environmental studies, saw Beck as a good omen and is looking forward to watching his upcoming film.
“I’m so happy that we won the game, but my highlight of the week was Noah Beck,” Mobley said. “I really couldn’t take my eyes off of him. I love Noah, and I’ve followed him on TikTok since 2020 and never stopped.”
For other fans, Beck’s appearance was a unique surprise. Business administration sophomores Isabella Jacobs and Nina Paguio attended the game together and left with a new movie on their watchlists.
“I was very confused why he was there until I remembered his movie,” Paguio said. “I didn’t realize he was a serious actor, and I wasn’t going to watch his movie, but I keep seeing a lot of people excited for it, so I probably will now.”
“Sidelined 2: Intercepted” follows fictional USC star quarterback Drayton (Beck) and a CalArts dance major named Dallas (Siena Agudong). As both characters enter their first year of college, they try to grapple with a 32.4-mile long-distance relationship while pursuing their own paths.
Both Beck and Agudong stayed for the rivalry game, where they showed the movie trailer, shot merchandise out of t-shirt cannons and took part in the field goal kicking competition to give away “Sidelined” merch to fans. These interactive moments alerted even non-fans to the guest appearance
“I didn’t really recognize who he was, and then people started saying the ‘not my name, quarterback’ guy, and that’s the only way I recognized him,” biochemistry freshman Michael Kawan said. “This was the first celebrity I saw on campus, and I think that’s cool because you don’t really get that at other places.”
“Sidelined 2: Intercepted” was released on Thanksgiving and is available for streaming on Tubi for free with ads. A portion of the Trojan Marching Band performed for the film premiere on Nov. 13 as escorts to the after-party.
“I was really happy when the drum major got a picture with him because he was in one of my classes last semester, so that means I’m one person away from Noah Beck now,” Mobley said. “Noah is basically my close personal friend now, and I’m ecstatic. He really was a sign that I’m going to get through finals.”
