The Sandlot'sPatrick Renna Recalls Wild Behind-the-Scenes Moments, Including a Cast Member Caught withPlayboy(Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Patrick Renna in 1993’s ‘The Sandlot’ and in the 2020s.

Patrick Rennahas an endless supply of memories from filmingThe Sandlot. But the actor, 45, says the moments that stand out most to him from the 1993 classic aren’t the ones you see on-screen: they’re from behind-the-scenes.“We all lived in the same apartment complex because we only filmed for about eight to 10 hours a day," Renna tells PEOPLE in an exclusive interview for his debut children’s book,A Little Slugger’s Guide to the Unwritten Rules of Baseball and Life, out now.“After that, we had 14 hours to fill. We weren’t just sleeping during that time — we were raising hell in the building, swimming in the pool, running around, watching movies, shopping together, and playing video games,” he recalls. “I think Nintendo had just come out around that time, and we all had it in our dressing rooms. It was such an exciting time.“The cast of “The Sandlot” in 1993.20th Century Studios/everettThe Sandlot, a coming-of-age film, centers on a boy named Scotty Smalls (Tom Guiry), who befriends a group of boys playing baseball at his new neighborhood’s sandlot during the summer of 1962.Alongside Renna and Guiry, the movie also featured Mike Vitar, Marty York and Chauncey Leopardi, whom Renna says he shared many fun off-set moments with. Many of his memories involve the cast getting into mischief together.“The director — he should win a Nobel Peace Prize for dealing with all of us,” Renna jokes. “He wrote, directed, and narrated the movie and somehow made it through three months of chaos with us that summer.““We had this treehouse. There were oldPlayboymagazines in it because, you know, it was the ’90s, and that’s just what we found,” he adds. “One of us disappeared, and they found him looking at thePlayboyin the treehouse. We were 13-year-old boys — so they had to be careful about what they left around.“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Patrick Renna in 2024.Amanda Edwards/GettyAlthough more than 30 years have passed since the film’s release, Renna says he and the cast are still in touch. From time to time, they get together, reminisce and talk about how the movie has stood the test of time. Currently, they’re discussing plans for a reunion BBQ for their families.“We’re like brothers,” Renna, whoshares two young children(andone on the way) with his wife Jasmin, says. “It was kind of like our junior high or high school. We’ll always remember each other, we’ll always be important to each other, and we’ll always fight in a good way.“Looking back, Renna adds that while each actor was fun off-camera, the casting process seemed to perfectly capture the personalities of the young actors on-camera, too.“They found the character in all of us in real life,” he says. “Sure, we were good actors, but we didn’t have to act too much. I definitely was Ham, and Chauncey was Squints, and Tom was Smalls, Mike was Benny, he was the leader, he was the coolest, he was the best baseball player, true to life. So they kind of just found all of that, and we got along real good.”

Patrick Rennahas an endless supply of memories from filmingThe Sandlot. But the actor, 45, says the moments that stand out most to him from the 1993 classic aren’t the ones you see on-screen: they’re from behind-the-scenes.

“We all lived in the same apartment complex because we only filmed for about eight to 10 hours a day,” Renna tells PEOPLE in an exclusive interview for his debut children’s book,A Little Slugger’s Guide to the Unwritten Rules of Baseball and Life, out now.

“After that, we had 14 hours to fill. We weren’t just sleeping during that time — we were raising hell in the building, swimming in the pool, running around, watching movies, shopping together, and playing video games,” he recalls. “I think Nintendo had just come out around that time, and we all had it in our dressing rooms. It was such an exciting time.”

The cast of “The Sandlot” in 1993.20th Century Studios/everett

20th Century Studios/everett

The Sandlot, a coming-of-age film, centers on a boy named Scotty Smalls (Tom Guiry), who befriends a group of boys playing baseball at his new neighborhood’s sandlot during the summer of 1962.

Alongside Renna and Guiry, the movie also featured Mike Vitar, Marty York and Chauncey Leopardi, whom Renna says he shared many fun off-set moments with. Many of his memories involve the cast getting into mischief together.

“The director — he should win a Nobel Peace Prize for dealing with all of us,” Renna jokes. “He wrote, directed, and narrated the movie and somehow made it through three months of chaos with us that summer.”

“We had this treehouse. There were oldPlayboymagazines in it because, you know, it was the ’90s, and that’s just what we found,” he adds. “One of us disappeared, and they found him looking at thePlayboyin the treehouse. We were 13-year-old boys — so they had to be careful about what they left around.”

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Patrick Renna in 2024.Amanda Edwards/Getty

Amanda Edwards/Getty

Although more than 30 years have passed since the film’s release, Renna says he and the cast are still in touch. From time to time, they get together, reminisce and talk about how the movie has stood the test of time. Currently, they’re discussing plans for a reunion BBQ for their families.

“We’re like brothers,” Renna, whoshares two young children(andone on the way) with his wife Jasmin, says. “It was kind of like our junior high or high school. We’ll always remember each other, we’ll always be important to each other, and we’ll always fight in a good way.”

Looking back, Renna adds that while each actor was fun off-camera, the casting process seemed to perfectly capture the personalities of the young actors on-camera, too.

“They found the character in all of us in real life,” he says. “Sure, we were good actors, but we didn’t have to act too much. I definitely was Ham, and Chauncey was Squints, and Tom was Smalls, Mike was Benny, he was the leader, he was the coolest, he was the best baseball player, true to life. So they kind of just found all of that, and we got along real good.”

source: people.com