(Left) Ving Rhames as “Elliot” in the Thriller ‘Uppercut’, a lionsgate release. Photo courtesy of lionsgate. (Right) Luiii as “toni” in the thriller ‘uppercut’, a lionsgate release. Photo courtesy of lionsgate.
Opening in theatersOn Digital and on Demand February 28th is’Uppercut‘Directed by Torsten Ruether, and Starring Ving rhames, Luise ‘Luiii’ grossman, Joanna cassidyand Jordan e. cooper,
‘Uppercut’ is an English-Language Remake of the German Film ‘Leberhachen,’ with the original movie’s writer/director, Torsten Ruether, and Star, Luis’ Luiii ‘Luiii’ Grossman, Joined in the new Version Legendary Ving Rhames, Star of ‘Pulp fiction,Dawn of the dead‘And all eight’Mission: Impossible‘Movies.
Moviefone spoke with rhames and grossman about working together, the differences between the two films, their characters, and how grossman prepared for the role physically, as well as well as rhames ,Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning‘And working with Tom Cruise on the franchise.
Related Article: ‘Mission: Impossible 8’ will move from June 2024 to may 2025 in New delay
Ving rhames as “elliot” in the thriller ‘uppercut’, a lionsgate release. Photo courtesy of lionsgate.
Moviefone: Ving, Had You Seen The Original Movie? How did this come about for you?
Ving rhames: They approached my manager. I read the script. It touched me, and I realized in America, we don’t make films about the human condition, the human experience. This film has a boxing backdrop, but it was about the human condition, the human experience, so that drew me towards the film.
MF: Luiii, you played the role in the original German version. Aside from this one being in English, how is this version different from the original and did you approach it any differently?
Luise ‘luiii’ grossman: I think it’s different in almost every way if I Regarded this as a totally new project. I mean, not just just trust I was working with someone like Ving Rhames, which was also different than in the German movie when I was with a German Co-Star. Of course, there parts we took from the original movie to this one. My Character Still Wants to get trained by a boxing legend and so on. But we were shooting this as a new york city story. My character developed also with the addition of the second time layer. So for me, this was a totally new approach compared to the German original.
Luiii as “toni” in the thriller ‘uppercut’, a lionsgate release. Photo courtesy of lionsgate.
MF: What is interesting for you to play a character at two ends of her career?
Lg: I think this was pretty interesting to me, to have this strong female character in the first part where she’s wild, impatient and sometimes even over the top. She’s trying so hard to get what she wats. Then Later She’s this young businesswoman in a male-dominated boxing industry. This was something really interesting to me, to have this strong lead and these two time layers that was so different. To be able to bring this togeether and show the development of the character – that she’s not getting a professional boxer as you would expect, but regumping a boxing manager, was for me the more interesting approach.
Mf: Ving, what attracted you to the character of elliot in particular, and how would you descibe Him and his history as this boxing legend Who’s in this very different part of his life?
VR: Well, as my father would say, there’s nothing like an older black man. He has noting to lose, he can be Himself, He Can Say What He Wants. So Elliot Gave Me a Lot of Freedom and A Lot of Understanding of My Dad Really.
Luiii as “toni” in the thriller ‘uppercut’, a lionsgate release. Photo courtesy of lionsgate.
Mf: You’ve done your share of movies that have boxing as a background. What do you think makes that backdrop of the boxing world so compeling and altar to tell such a wide variety of stories?
VR: Like People, Sports is Universal, So I Think Having That Backdrop, There’s a Certain Amount of Fear in Sports. You’re eater good or you’re not. You either win or you lose, in all sports. So I think something about that elements adds to the human experience.
Mf: Luiii, how did your background as an athlete help you prepare for doing the movie and for the training portions of the movie?
LR: I was a professional athlete in my youth. I did track and field, in particular, and i think having this background helped me beCause I know my body my body Quite well. I know what I have to do to get in shape. I’m still now working out almost every day. I’D Never Done Boxing Before these boxing movies, but I really like the sport and how complex it is. It’s not just about power – it’s so complex and you need your whole presence in this very moment. I found it really interesting. I worked in Germany with a former world champion and she trained with me two weeks and we had really intenses training sessions.
(L to r) Ving rhames as “elliot” and luiii as “toni” in the thriller ‘uppercut’, a lionsgate release. Photo courtesy of lionsgate.
Mf: Ving, what was it like doing these very long takes, where it almost see you who was doing a play, especially as opposed to many modern movies that are cut, cut, cut all the time?
VR: Well, I think a lot of American movies are cut, cut, cut. But whenever i’ve done something international, it’s more about taking your time, getting to know the characters, finding a natural flow, and that that’s what i think we did in this.
MF: Luiii, I think I undress that there was a lot of improvision between the two of you. Can you talk about that and also working opposite ving?
LR: Yes, of course. It was a great honor for me to work with a joy, to be honest, because when we first met, there was this openness and this curiosity about each other, I think it for us for us for us for us to work. But then we also had the time, really, on set to talk about the scenes beforehand. We talked with torsten, the director, so there was no pressure. Although we had a lot of pages a day, we could take time for every Scene. To have these long takes is a great opportunity to really dive into the moment, into the character. It Gave us a lot of freedom to really [connect] With each other.
(L to r) Tom Cruise, Ving Rhames and Simon Pegg in ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ From Paramount Pictures and Skydance.
Mf: Ving, you have another movie coming out this year a bit different from this one. What can you say about ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’? Does it feel like it’s the last one?
VR: It does. I had a very good time, enjoy the full experience. It’s the first time i’ve ever don eight movies with the same crew of actors, so that helped me as an actor.
Mf: You and Tom have been the corners of the franchise – the only actors who have been in all eight movies.
VR: I’m going to have to hand it to Tom because Tom is willing to take a risk. He’s willing to break norms. When I first read the first script, I died in the first 10 pages. I said, “Tom, why is the black man always dies in the first 10 pages?” He said, “Yeah, why is that?” So now I just finished number eight, so I Thank Him.
“Two worlds collide. Two fighters unite.”
What is the plot of ‘uppercut’?
A young female boxer named Toni Through a long night of geting to know each other – with toni Evently embarking on a much different future.
Who is in the cost of ‘uppercut’?
- Ving rhames as elliot
- Luise ‘luiii’ grossman as toni
- Joanna cassidy as rita
- Jordan e. cooper as payne
‘Uppercut’ opens in theaters on February 28th.
