Uploaded August 2022 | Updated September 2026, 6 minutes ago

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In one devastating blow, dreams are shattered. Although this week’s Team Never Quit guest, Cesar Perez, went from rising Hollywood star to miraculously surviving a head-on collision with a drunk driver, he shines brightly with the resilience of the human spirit. Cesar starred alongside Daniel Ratcliff (Harry Potter) in the action thriller Beast of Burden for which he also did graphic design work. He was also cast as a major lead character Javier in the action thriller Blind Trust. Despite his severe brain injury, having his face shattered, and learning how to breathe, walk, and talk again, Cesar lives a life of courage and shows us firsthand that even in the darkest of moments, life has meaning.

In this episode you will hear:

I did a video tape audition that got me a role with Daniel Ratcliff {Harry Potter}. My life was really on the rise.
I was driving to see my girlfriend when a drunk driver hit me head-on going over 70mph. He spun me around and then a big rig hit me – also going 70mph, and then I don’t remember anything for the next 2 weeks.
If life had a reset button, I must have pressed it.
I was making a statement with my life and then it got cut abruptly.
I thought if I can get out of this, there’s nothing I can’t do.
The first thing I said to the guy that hit me was “the last thing I ever wanted to see is someone from my country behind bars.”
I wanted my life back and no one could give me that back.
Talking and facing that demon helped me put the period at the end.
My family never left me – they showed me what true love actually is. That was the love that got me through it.
My family’s sacrifice gave my life meaning when my life felt meaningless.
Once I could finally run, I thought “I’m gonna do more”, and that’s what got me back to where I am.
The drive I had as a kid is more intense now. It was running hot, but now it’s running with a different fire.
Putting my experience down in words helped me heal.
As long as there’s breath in me, it’s still possible to live a beautiful life.
If, in the end, I helped save a life, it was worth it.
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Special Thanks / Credits

Executive Producer & Artwork - Andrew Brockenbush
Audio Engineer - Joey Garza
Video Editor - John Fritzsching

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About TNQ Podcast:
Each week join Retired Navy SEAL and Lone Survivor Marcus Luttrell, Morgan Luttrell, and Producer Andrew Brockenbush as they’ll take you into the “briefing room” to chat with incredible guests who share their greatest never quit stories. This humorous, heartfelt, and entertaining podcast is changing lives and has become a beacon of hope and resilience to those who are facing the impossible. One of the best ways we can support our community is to share their stories so that we might inspire others to Never Quit.

We’re bringing you real-life stories of men and women who took life’s toughest challenges and met them head-on, radically changing their own lives and inspiring others to do the same.