Joshua Felder's Still Got Next

Josh Felder is still getting the hang of his superpowers.

He’s starred in a feature film, sure. Danced alongside The Weeknd, yes. But if you talk to Felder, this is only the beginning.

The Tampa native’s abilities were born out of out of hardship through a life with high-functioning autism. A complicated lifelong condition that, through Tampa’s award-winning Best Buddies program, he’s parlayed into a Global Ambassador position and one heck of a resume.

In 2023, Felder starred alongside Woody Harrelson and Kaitlin Olson in the sports-comedy drama Champions, in which he plays Darius—the best player on a team riding their down-on-his-luck coach to the Special Olympics. Champions is feel-good and endearing. And Josh is good in it. For all the fun-loving hijinks you’d expect from a team of goofballs coached by Woody Harrelson, Felder’s Darius steadies them with a tangible gravity in every moment he arrives on screen.

Before his stint in Hollywood, Felder became the first known person with an intellectual and developmental disability to take part in the Super Bowl halftime show. He was tapped by The Weeknd to, well, become The Weeknd for his memorable elaborate performance at Raymond James Stadium.

When Felder isn’t flying high, his conceptual "Clark Kent" lies as an office assistant at Holland & Knight law firm, a gig he landed through the Best Buddies Jobs Program. And needless to say, my meeting with him draws my curiosity. It's the Lightning's Neurodiversity Night and Felder is the guest of honor. Sometimes, initial interactions can be delicate—you only get one first impression. But with Josh, it’s an affirmative "Hell yeah."

He arrives to AMALIE Arena in a customized Lightning home jersey embroidered with the No. 24—his uniform number from the movie and an homage to Kobe Bryant. On the back in all caps:

"SWAGMAN."

It’s the kind of jersey that makes you wish you wore one yourself, if only in hopes of an inevitable jersey swap situation down the line. We immediately get to talking about sports, our embedded high school rivalry (Plant vs. Hillsborough) and how quickly Tampa has changed through the years. And after a quick trip to the ice, Felder settles in further to dish on his epic journey and explain just how he got here in the first place.

Thompson Brandes: For those who may not know what highly functioning autism entails, could you speak a little bit to your experience growing up?

Joshua Felder: Okay, so I'm going to tell you the real truth. When I was a kid growing up, I did not know what autism was. I didn't even know there was such a thing as a word called autism. When I was growing up in elementary, I used to be told I was special needs, rather than autistic. And I was always wondering how I was different. I thought I was regular and all that, until it came to the work. It was difficult for me back then.

Plenty of challenges. Were there ways you think autism may have helped you see things in ways other people couldn't?

Yeah! When I got older, that's when I started to understand more about my autism. And I just learned to accept it, rather than be ashamed of it or feel embarrassed from it. I just used it as a superpower, which I describe it as all the time.

How did you get involved with Best Buddies?

I’ve been involved with Best Buddies for 15 years. It started sixth grade at Coleman [Middle School]. It was around the month of September. I was in my ESE classes and we all met up in the cafeteria for club day where we were introduced to Best Buddies. (Best Buddies is a program that promotes friendships between those with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities.) At first, I thought it was just a club to hang out and all that. I didn't know it was about inclusion and accepting people with IDD until I got to high school. That's where I learned more about it and about leadership.

And now you’re a Global Ambassador.

So in Tampa, I consider myself to be a State Ambassador, because I do stuff locally. For Global Ambassador, that's when you get to travel to other states to speak on behalf of Best Buddies and share your story to other people, like businesspeople, sponsors, or even celebrities, because we have a lot of celebrities involved with Best Buddies.

I watched Champions recently and I enjoyed it. And you're good in it!

Thank you. A lot of people didn't like me in the beginning of the movie, I'll tell you the truth.

Oh, like your character?

Yeah. They didn't like my character. They thought I was a jerk. But I just tell them, you just got to watch the rest of the movie.

You got to wait for the plot twist.

You got to see the plot twist. Exactly.

What was your experience like playing Darius?

Playing Darius was amazing, because I liked that my character was described as one of the best basketball players. [laughs] I just liked the storyline that I had in the movie. My favorite scene from the movie is when I forgive the coach. And that really brought a message that you can forgive everyone and you shouldn't hold a grudge forever.

Did you learn anything else about yourself playing Darius?

It's helped me become a better person. I definitely connected with new people and friends—the cast became my second family. Besides Best Buddies, that's my second family.

Yeah? You keep in touch with them?

All the time. Woody Harrelson, the castmates, everyone. Even the directors and producers. Shout out to Bobby Farrelly, by the way.

Do you have a good Woody Harrelson story?

Yeah…I already knew him as one of my favorite actors. [Here's where we spend an obligatory five mintutes talking 'White Men Can’t Jump,' 'Hunger Games' and 'True Detective']. He’s just a very great guy. Off the screen, he’s just a humble sense of humor type of person. That shows that he doesn't let the fame get to him.

And then you also took part in maybe one of the most insane halftime shows…

Oh yeah.

Ever.

Three years ago. Yes.

What was that like?

Spot on. No one knew about this at all. Not Best Buddies, not my... Well, my mom knew, but other family members did not know nothing about it. I had to go MIA for a while from Best Buddies. I just had to make up a lie and say that family's in town. But then the night of the Super Bowl—and I get these dance skills due to my photographic memory that I was born with—I made history… I put in my social caption that I believe to be the first person with a disability to do something this big. It turns out it was legit. The Weeknd himself, because he retweeted the story and all that, called my autism a superpower, too. That was one of my biggest spotlights in 2021.

That's awesome. Did you have to rehearse for that?

Yeah, yeah, we had to rehearse for two weeks. It had to be secret. It was mandatory to keep a secret. We couldn't post about it or nothing because we would've been kicked off, no second chances.

Is there anything you haven't done yet that you still want to do?

That's funny you mention that. So I already danced in the Super Bowl. I already did a Champions movie.

Just typical checkmarks in one's life.

Yeah [grinning], it's the biggest resume I’ve ever had. But there is one thing I want to do. Well, I actually did something already with Best Buddies—I was one of the first Global Ambassadors to have a clothing collaboration.

Oh, cool.

It was an online shop. Sold out. The only thing that's available right now is the fanny packs. It's part of my nickname, Swagman, which you saw behind my shirt. But my next goal I really want to do is a clothing collaboration with Best Buddies and Nike. If it's possible, I'll do anything. I'll do whatever it takes to try and make that happen, because I love Nike and I have a passion for fashion.

Are you excited for tonight?

I've been to the games, but this is my first time ever doing the puck drop.

Why are awareness nights like the Lightning’s Neurodiversity Night important to you and the neurodiverse community?

I think that it’s important because it just shows that we're all about inclusion and diversity. They didn't want no one with IDD to feel left out, feel isolated, or feel like a nobody. It encourages them to go out more, to gain self-confidence and to just be themselves, rather than feeling the opposite.

Does it feel more open and inclusive today than it did maybe 20 years ago when you were growing up here?

I'm talkative... If you didn't know [laughs], but I was never like this before. I was a very quiet person. I didn't want to be bothered. I just wanted to just stay to myself. Until I was introduced to Best Buddies, and then I started to understand their mission. That's what made me want to become an ambassador myself. So I can inspire other people.

And now you're in movies, talking all over the place.

That's why I consider my autism a superpower. It's definitely helped me achieve a lot of things, and accept a lot of these opportunities, and never take nothing for granted.

You can follow along Joshua’s journey on Instagram @swagmanfelder.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.