TAMPA, Fla. — You could say the month of October has been Miller Time in Tampa, and we aren’t talking about the beer, we’re talking about the brothers. While Bucs wide receiver Ryan Miller has been playing football at Raymond James Stadium, his younger brother, Keaton, has been acting across town at The Straz.
Growing up in Tennessee, the brothers never could have imagined one day they would both be in Tampa, fulfilling their dreams together.
“It means everything, it really is such an incredible moment for both of us seeing each other do what we do best in the same city,” said Keaton.
The Millers are used to performing under the bright lights, in front of lots of people. However, this month they decided to see what it would be like to step into the others' shoes, or in this case, cleats.
First, Keaton visited Ryan at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers practice facility, where he caught balls, ran routes and worked on his touchdown dance.
He said what surprised him the most was how hard the ball was.
“When it first hit my hands, I was like 'wow,'” said Keaton.
Whether it’s a chorus line or an offensive line, Keaton says football and theater have a lot of similarities.
“This is just like rehearsal, games are just like shows, it’s a really cool parallel that we have,” said Keaton.
Running the wrong route or flubbing up a line, there’s always pressure.
“You have to figure out how to recover, you have to figure out how to keep going and not let it show to the audience, you know,” said Keaton.
Next, the brothers stepped off the field and onto the stage, as they traded in their helmets and jerseys for costumes and makeup. Keaton is currently starring in "Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors at The Straz," running through Oct. 26.
“It’s especially fun to put on the cape, put on the teeth, probably my favorite part of the day,” said Ryan.
Ryan had the chance to learn how to do an eight count and admitted it’s a lot harder than a touchdown dance.
“He did great,” said Keaton. “He just has to point his toes.”
“Yeah, the toes, it’s all in the toes,” agreed Ryan.
The Millers say they are enjoying all the recognition throughout the community, but they will always be each other's number one fans.
“It’s pretty incredible the things he does, and he can do a lot more dance-wise,” said Ryan.
“It’s everything, he comes to as many shows as he can, I come to as many games as I can,” said Keaton.
The highlight of the year was when mom and dad flew in from Tennessee to see a game and a show on the same day.
“It really is crazy, they told everybody that they know about this Miller Double Feature,” said Keaton.
“We’re from a small town too, so it’s all the rage back home,” said Ryan.
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