Panthers' Josh Norman pretends to be movie characters during games

Each week as he takes the field, Carolina Panthers cornerback Josh Norman imagines himself as a different Hollywood action figure.

"It comes down to what movie I'm watching that week and the night before," Norman explained to Kevin Clark of the Wall Street Journal.

The key for Norman is not to break character.

"For the Tampa Bay game, I was Maximus," he said, referring to Russell Crowe's character in the 2001 film "Gladiator." "When I do this, my job is to go out there and be that guy. With Maximus, it's to go out there and win the crowd, win the day. That's what he did."

In between studying game film, Norman makes time to watch Hollywood blockbusters and figure out which character to portray next. He also listens to the soundtrack and memorizes lines, poses, and sequences to re-enact during games.

His roles include Achilles from "Troy," William Wallace from "Braveheart," and Batman. He decided on the Dark Knight before a game against the Indianapolis Colts, during a rainy night in Charlotte.

"It was dark. It was rainy. It was misty," he said. "You had to come out of there and hit, fly around. You got a couple of bad guys out there you’re defending."