The action film Strait Undercover, starring lead actor Race Eberhardt, who has Down Syndrome, launched for free on YouTube on March 21, in honor of Down Syndrome Awareness Day. The film represents the first action comedy starring a hero with a disability with no mention of his differences.
The film’s premiere is also significant because of Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, which is celebrated every year in the month of March. It has been observed in the country since 1987, according to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum.
Eberhardt is 38 years old and he lives with his parents. He is the eldest of three boys, and has two younger brothers—one is 30 and one is 28. His family also has several animals, including two dogs and one cat.
During the week, he works at Paychex, which is a payroll company. Though his job always changes, Eberhardt said his colleagues are really supportive of him, and he’s been working there for 17 years.
Discussing what his life is like outside of his weekly job, he said, “I like to work out. I have a trainer, and I do treadmill workouts several days a week. Before the movie, I lost 45 pounds. It was a lot of work, but it makes me feel great. We also work on strength training, which is important. Sometimes my support staff bring me to the track to run or walk. Some days I play pickleball with friends. On Thursdays, I do indoor golf, which is great for learning new skills.”
Some general things to know about him: He loves to eat, and he likes all kinds of food. His favorite food right now is Chinese. His favorite show or film, besides Strait Undercover, is Newsies, streaming on Disney+. He has seen the show live on Broadway in New York City with my mom and my aunts, which for him was awesome.
Something people may be surprised to know about Eberhardt is that he’s been knitting for 13 years to raise money for Artists Unlimited, a theater group he’s been part of for 20 years, for which he has raised over $10,000.
Eberhardt sees his mother as one of his greatest influences on his acting career, because she always encouraged him to do things and get out of the house. Other great influences for him included his teachers who inspired him when he was about 10 years old.
“They introduced me to acting through stage performances and lessons when I was young,” he shared. “All of those experiences together made me interested in acting.”
He described his experience working on set with the other cast members of Strait Undercover as great because he learned so much from them, and they were also very patient and helpful to him, thus helping him become a better actor.
Discussing what this film means to him, Eberhardt stated, “It’s amazing to be the lead actor in a movie. I feel proud to represent others with Down Syndrome and disabilities. This film has been a dream come true for me. Being in a movie is part of my legacy, and I am very proud of it.”
For those in the disability community who watch this film, Eberhardt hopes everyone finds the movie funny, and they see that they can make their own dreams come true someday. The message he wants the disability community to understand from watching it is: “We can do this! We have a lot of talents the world should know about so we need to show them.”
In the future, he will star in a documentary made by his childhood friend, Chris Powers. The filming of the documentary is going slowly, but it’s really good, according to Eberhardt. He adds that Powers spoke with his mom and Artists Unlimited, and it will be about not just Strait Undercover, but also people with disabilities making their dreams come true.
