♪ faith. by definition, it's something that is felt with strong conviction without tangible evidence of its existence. many claim to have it, but how do we attain it? it can't be held. it can't be sold. but it can be passed down. faith is invaluable to those who feel it. how is it that this belief can unite us, regardless of our differences? it's because of conviction. that feeling inside that links

so many from the far corners of the earth to the closest reaches of our neighborhoods. faith is all around us. >> everything hanging in the balance now. >> faith springs from a glorious past forward to a promising future. the faith that those who not so quietly defeated rivals and redefined record books would inspire their breatherin to reach such accomplishments. this their minds, they envision. in their hearts, they believe. and because of that, they're certainly known as "the faithful." >> i remember being on the red carpet. we premiered the movie "american hustle" in new york. i said i couldn't go to the game, i'm on the red carpet, supposed to be taking pictures,

promoting this movie. but i had this game i had to watch. it was the last five minutes. ♪ >> meet jeremy renner, born in modesto, california. he's as faithful as they come. at times, maybe too faithful. his passion for the 49ers, hike the passion he exudes on acting, leaps off the screen at viewers. but before the bright lights and hollywood accolades, jeremy was one of the many millions who loved the team and his fandom grew in a far way. >> '79, '80s, it happened to be a good time pause that's when we started doing very well. my dad wasn't into football. he was too busy working. but my stepdad, he played sports with us, and we were all very

athletic growing up. he is a big niner fan. he's the one that kind of shoved me in that direction. and being close to the bay, it was the football team. so then, you know, montana was on the team. it was amazing. >> here's montana throwing towards the end stone. he's got it. he's into the end zone! >> back to throw, montana. steps up, throws. touchdown, 49ers! >> it was all the guys in the '80s that i grew up and sunk my claws into the nfl. how is rice always open? >> montana tosses it. jerry rice, oh, what a catch by rice! >> it was pretty easy to love a

team at that time that was doing well. >> it wouldn't be long before jeremy would do just as well. he attended junior college where he was bitten by the acting bug. over the course of his career, he rose to great heights and continues to do so. from humble beginnings, he worked, honed his craft and is featured in block buster films such as "the hurt locker," "the town," and "american hustle." his fame has made him a household name. although he can be seen on the koefrs of countless magazines and silver screens, he's still the same guy who grew up a bay area native and a true faithful to his 49ers. >> we went to the nfl honers a couple years ago in new orleans, it's literally like we're sitting next to the manning brothers, there's jerry rice, steve young, joe montana. i'm like dude, there's joe montana, and he's like, i don't know if i can talk to him.

i'm sure joe montana is like, who is that actor trying to big time me? i'm in the tunnel, i'm 6 years old and i want his autograph. >> i couldn't say anything to him. he's like hey, how are you doing? i'm like, hi. it was the silliest thing. i love to have that experience. i feel like a lot of people get that. i don't get starstruck or i don't get to have that a lot of times. but when it comes to sports figures, especially guys it grew up with, they were on my tv every sunday, it's a wonderful feeling to have. i am glad i have that. >> jeremy is one of the most approachable guys ever. he will comes from humble beginnings, so he's just interested in talking to the janitor as he is talking to a

movie star. because of the persona he plays, people think he's a little more standoffish than he is, but he's really down to earth. >> i still have a house in modesto, and my father lives across the street and my mom lives there. it's home. always will be. coming up on "the faithful," jeremy shares his love for the red and gold and brings his talent to levi stadium.

for me, i can't talk about how other fans are. all i know is i'm terribly loud and offensive. to not anybody in particular, but i have tourettes. i don't feel proud. i can only speak to my sort of fandom and neerdiness and geek out on the gladiators on the field. >> you've seen him on the screen. you may even feel like you know him from his roles. but surprisingly, though, jeremy renner is a normal, unbalanced, insane faithful. just like you. jeremy never misses a game. and off has to go through great lengths to get a glimpse of the team he calls his own.

>> gosh, i've been in really dark areas where i just had to do highlights or someone facetimed the game and i had to watch it on facetime on my phone. i've done that. sometimes i would have to record it and just turn off my phone so no alerts came up. nowadays, you have apps, so i turn my phone off. sometimes a week will go by, i don't like watching things recorded. pause then i have to be a hermit from the world. >> by any means necessary, that's the way jeremy renner consumes his 49ers. but facetiming the screen from a remote location or dvr'ing the game doesn't rank as the most interesting place he's viewed a game. >> he's on the red carpet for

"american hustle," this premiere is supposed to be something where he's talking to reporters and as he was going down the red carpet, he was on his ipad watching the 49ers' game because he was more interested in that. so it made a lot of news feeds. >> if anybody saw what i was really doing, it's like, is this guy literally doing that? >> just as the team means the world to jeremy, it was pretty important for the 49ers to do something meaningful for the faithful. something as indelible as the team prepared for its move from candle stick park to levi's statement. that preparation began over a year ago and materialized in a chance encounter. >> about a year and a half ago, i started with the 49ers.

from the very first day that i started, i was thinking about one of the biggest tasks, which was opening the stadium properly, and the thought process was to create some epic film that was showcase the history of the team and sort of take the team through this journey to now. i was sitting on the bus with my 49ers studio crew at the nfc championship, pulling into the tunnel at seattle. i thought to myself, one of the people that would be great if they could be the host of this epic film would be jeremy renner. i heard that jeremy was a huge fan. was just really into the team. and low and behold, in front of me about three seats on the other aisle was jeremy renner. we talked about what could happen in nine or ten months and they were hooked. >> we thought it would be a great experience and we started talking about it, starting trying to fit it in the

schedule. you know, he's very selective and picky about what he does. this is one of those things where it was like, yeah, i want to do it. >> it was just a great feeling knowing that they were working around their schedule of shooting movies in london and they were going to find the time to come back here for "the faithful" and do some really cool things that were going to translate into this epic film on the boards. that's how the project was created. >> there's something historical and magic about these spaces. to see one that's going to be someone that you look back on and go what a legendary place, it's special. >> i can't wait to see all those seats filled. it's a beautiful, beautiful stadium. >> before the deafening roar of over 68,000 people could fill the stadium and the season could get under way, there was a shoot that needed to happen. with some of the best in the movie business locking arms with

the 49ers studios crew, it was time to get to work. under the cover of darkness, the production team unloaded their gear, took the field, and set the stage. >> we brought in a great dp from los angeles named crash who shot some amazing stuff. it's been a coordinated effort between the 49ers organization and the company. so it's been a great experience. >> any time you work for the 49ers, my favorite team of all time, the pressure is on. >> whatever you produce has to live up to the standards of montana, steve young, bill walsh, all those greats. so this isn't a small project. this is a huge project. to do it with jeremy and the niners makes it even better. >> the shoot just had this hollywood feel. and then in walks jeremy renner with the same jacket that he had in the "borne" movies and a

49ers weathered t-shirt. it really came together. until i saw him walking on that field and looking at the lights and the cameras were going to get set, but when we started to roll, we knew it was going to be a really good piece. >> here we are tonight, ready for that chapter. >> jeremy said that he was willing to do this for us and come down and be a part of opening levi's properly, we were blown away. he's not just an actor, he's an actor at another level but he's also a fan. i wanted someone from this area who truly loved the team enough that he was like, what, the 49ers are calling me, they want me to be part of this? absolutely. you could feel that he truly is faithful and had a lot of passion for the team. >> it's a great honor to be here. this is my hood. this is where i grew up. this is my team i've been following for too many dang

years. for whatever reason, it makes sense to me and i'm so glad to be doing it. >> when we return, the film that set a new chapter in 49ers' history told by one of the most faithful. >> they know who we are. there are millions of us. they don't call us fans. they definitely don't call us the nation. they know our name. they know what we're about. we're the 49ers faithful. and we've been doing this for years.

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long-time faithful jeremy renner dpru grew up in the bay area. his love for a place he calls home remains. in 2014 he returned to the bay to put a signature stamp on the grand opening of levi's stadium,

forever linking himself with the 49ers and the millions that bleed red and gold. ♪ >> they know who we are. they don't call us fans or band wagoneri wagoners. they know our name. they know what we're about. we're the 49ers faithful, and we've been doing this for years. ♪ >> the time is now! >> faith for this football team started back in the 1940s. your grandparents can tell you about it. >> the story goes a little something like this. 68 years ago, two ambitious

brothers made this a reality when they opened up shop in san francisco's north beach district and worked their tails off to create the city's first professional football team. their vision spawned the faithful movement. the faith in this team began with the likes of ale in dollar backfield. those men strapped on leather m helmets. their legacy also never be forgotten. before this team became championship caliber, you were there. faith matters to this team. some doubted, though. they doubted that a team run by a young man from youngstown, ohio, could break through in northern california. but we had faith.

>> and i'm so proud. i don't think that anything could top this. ♪ >> let's go, let's go! >> let's take it home. let's go! >> after planting the flag at candle stick, the 49ers hoisted five trotrophies. we watched the best players in the nfl earn their way to the hall of fame. we also saw the doubters fade. but all the while, the 49ers faithful remained. names, faces, coaches, players, they all changed. but our faith never wavers. we don't want to be great. we expect it. >> we want nfl history to be written and our players and coaches to be the authors of those chapters. >> let's all come together and

unite. >> our faith made a strong love with the colors of red and gold. our faith became a reality when a catch became a sports highlight for the rest of eternity. our faith was strengthened when one drive culminated into a world championship. our faith was never ending. we have enough servings of rice to last a lifetime. we carry these memories like a walking niner album. we know, if we could, that we would strap on a helmet and play just one down for a team that we have loved and prayed and worked so hard to be a part of. as the torch is past down the line and leadership changed, the goal never did. nor does the desire to write a new chapter for our beloved 49ers. and raise the sterling silver trophy above our heads once again.

so here we are tonight, ready for that chapter. as the lights go down in the city, they do so reflecting incredible moments in recent history. where tears were shed and blood was bled. where warriors rocked the very foundation of candle stick. and how fitting that just recently those warriors not only ran into the end zone in the history books one final time closing a chapter, only to open another. >> running it all the way for the touchdown scham! >> upon opening a new chapter, they in essence opened the doors to this. this won't be a stadium for the wave. or for fair weather fans who just bought their jerseys last week. no. this is our new home. it's where the faith never ends. it's where history will be remembered. celebrated. where it will be bottled and then uncorked every game day.

this will be the hallowed place where the ghosts of the past connect the united heart pete of everyone in these seats tonight to create an environment, an advantage, that makes it difficult for even the most mightiest of oppositions to overcome. so look around, our heroes are everywhere. they're next to you. they're on the field. they're hooking down on us. but as parent as the greimporta are, it is the faithful that make this team what they are. the faithful set the tone for every season. for every game. and for each and every snap. ♪ ♪ are you ready, are you ready

♪ are you ready for a good time ♪

i've never given birth to a child, but every game to me is like four quarters of pushing and grunting and hating and cursing. so i just feel like i'm glad

it's over, no matter win or lose. it's like, all right, yes! it's a painful experience for me. i don't like to sit down and grab a beer and watch the game. i have to be up and pace and concentrate and focus. when your team loses and it ruins your week, it's not a good thing. i wouldn't speak to nibble for a week. i was so hurt and upset. us faithful are psycho, i don't know. but yeah, i don't do well. i still have problems. i got problems.

nbc bay area news starts now. >> right now, hundreds of thousands of people demanding action on climate change, from the bay area to europe. their message to world leaders today. >> and the first football sunday after the man in charge of the nfl broke his silence. new details on the domestic violence that's testing the loyalty of some fans. also --