Michael, I loved Creed. I thought it was really exciting, really moving and I was emotional
for two reasons. One, the brilliant script but also because I'll never be in the shape
of Michael B Jordan.
Because I've spoken to your director, I know what you to do.
And you're not up for that?
No! I'm not doing what sounded like two things, learning how to move like a boxer but also
having to look really, like, shredded. Because you're doing both at separate times right?
It was at the same time. It kinds of went hand in hand. Once you change your diet up
your body will start to change a certain way. And you compare that with working out, two
or three times a day and you do that six times a week for a year and a half, your body's
going to change, really fast. Ergh
Yeah man.
That sounds awful, how do you have time to learn the script?
Well the script is something I've been involved with since the beginning, so there was so
many drafts and versions of it, honestly you don't even worry about the lines so much,
it's about the moments and the character stuff. So once you embed that and tie the emotions
to feelings and moments, then the words just kind of come.
Now, the film itself is brilliant at being to take, what Sly did and take the nostalgia
you feel when you see him onscreen but also transition into it being modern, very contemporary.
And you must have been pleased that you knew that was going to happen?
As far as?
The way the story unfolds, the way it looks, the way it feels becuase you've got a lot
of brilliantly talented young cast, then you've got Sly. What i mean is, the balance is perfect
between those two things.
Thank you. I mean that's a testament to Ryan. I'm just a tool in this. Honestly I'm being
used to kind of convey his vision and his message so, that nostalgic feeling, all that
stuff, that's after we've finished the, I guess we're just in the moment we're just
trying to do the best job we can. And then have everyone try and tie it together and
music, editing and the montages, they kind of layer it up and it turns out to be this
kind of complete project.
You must be so thrilled that you're in a film with a training montage, that's like the best thing.
It really is man. I guess when you see all these training montages and you're like that
would be kind of cool to kinda have your own. So, when you do have it and when you have
one that's based off one of the most famous montages of all time of the Rocky franchises
it's pretty special.
One of the lines I really like is the "One step, one punch, one round" Which I think
is a kind of nice metaphor for what it must be like when you work with Sly, that it's
like just take every day as it comes, try not to let anything get to overwhelming.
Yeah, no.
Wasn't bothered?
I mean you know, you spend so much time in the process, it's not like when we first showed
up on set, it's the first time we met. It's not that, oh hey guys, go make a movie. You
know we've been doing this for about two years. So you spend enough time with each other and
you're working out the script and the characters and stuff like that, when it's time to get
on set, it's almost more work trying to act like you don't know each other. So, yeah.
It's just fun man we're just having a good time.
And you did get knocked out in training?
I didn't get knocked out in training, in the film I got "knocked out" but I didn't lose
consciousness it was just one of those things were I got, you know, I saw stars.
Well, I saw the video.
Yeah.
And you hit the deck and that looked nasty and I was thinking when you're training with
real guys. I'd be going, just not my face! Just hit the body, don't hit the money maker.
Nah, for me it was, you know, it comes with the territory bro.
But getting hit in the face is horrible.
I'm p-laying a boxer, so it's not that horrible. It's one of those things where I'm like?
Do you have headgear on? I can't remember?
It depends, I got knocked down a couple of times. There was a guy called Andrew Warden
who won in the last fight with Tony Bellow, one with headgear, one without.
Well, you know I can't see, there's no lasting effect on that face.
No, no, I'm good. My memory is a little hazy now and again but I'm good.
Lets move on, what have you got coming up this year? How busy are you or do you just
get to promote this and take a bit of a holiday?
I mean right now I'm just promoting this film ad trying to figure out what I'm doing next.
I'm working on directing my first short, so I'm in pre-production for that, it's kind
of getting that thing finalised and put together. So, I'm really excited about stepping behind
the camera and really trying to get this vision that I have out on screen. So, we'll see how
that goes and as far as acting's concerned, I'm still trying to figure out what my next projects going to be.
What about another one of these? Because I think it's going to be a massive hit.
I mean if it gets there, I don't think you could do Creed 2 without Adonis.
You said it.