SOUTHPAW Cast Talks Training and their Characters’ Journeys in LA

By Carlos Aguilar.

Seeking authenticity is the fundamental reasoning behind most regimens and strenuous learning experiences actors undergo when they are preparing for a role. To feel and look as close to the real thing as possible is what they pursue when giving up their regular appearance and lifestyle. Undoubtedly, that palpable transformation elevates their performance and contributes to the audience’s response. The most recent example of such commitment is Oscar-nominated actor Jake Gyllenhaal in Antoine Fuqua’s latest feature Southpaw, a boxing drama that demanded a lot from the talented thespian. “It was kind of a dream. You get to learn a skill and you get to be taught by people who are experts and who really want you to be good,” said Gyllenhaal about the intense training at a press event last week in Los Angeles.

Arduous work resulted into an incredible physical transformation that caused shocking reactions since The Weinstein Company released the first images a few months ago. Ripped and looking like a rage-driven warrior from another time, the actor plays Billy Hope, a successful boxer who went from being raised in the infamous foster care system to earning astronomical paychecks as an undefeated champion. But to look that way some unglamorous sacrifices had to be made, “There were time when I was puking where I went, ‘This sucks.’ But a weird thing about throwing up while working out is that if you give yourself like 30 to 45 seconds, afterwards you feel great, you can go again. It’s a very odd thing that you’d never expect, “ said Gyllenhaal while laughing at the ordeal.

To become a believable boxer on screen the actor trained twice a day for about five months in an effort to work as much as possible on his body, but mostly on his boxing technique, “I was just terrified that I would look like an idiot in the ring. I really was. I didn’t know how to box when I started, “ he explained and added that shadows boxing was the trickiest part of the process. But while he admits it wasn’t an easy task, Gyllenhaal puts things in perspective and reminded us he is doing what he loves unlike others out there, “It’s very hard for me to use words like ‘hard’ or ‘miserable’ when you are talking about making a movie, when I look out in the world and see what’s happening.”

The brutal amount of physical work is visible on screen from the first sequence, but what makes this role an outstanding and significant achievement for Gyllenhaal is the way he portrays a broken character who’s lost everything overnight: his wife, daughter, and his career. “Everything is a struggle. Everything is hard for this character. I think that’s why I wanted to do the movie though. I wanted to make the movie because it’s a story about a guy who is always being told that what he does is less than.  Always being told he can’t do it. Always being beaten up for it. “ These psychological inadequacies were even more appealing to the actor than the flashy muscles he needed to sport, “He gets this success based on this rage. He is allowed to release this rage of being misunderstood and it brings him all of these trappings that we consider success. That same rage destroys all of it. It destroys his relationships. He has to relearn this. That emotional journey, that was miserable at times.”

Regarding the early awards talk and praise he has received for his work on “Southpaw,” he prefers to be skeptical and focus on the film. “I think that awards excite the child in all of us. But then you gotta wake up the next day regardless and go back to work. That’s what I love more than anything, my work. The idea and the talk about [awards] is intoxicating for all of us for all sorts of reasons, but I think ultimately the thing that brings me the most joy is when a movie works, and it’s a complete miracle when a movie work.” Still, it wouldn’t a surprise to see his name appear on awards contenders list in the upcoming months. His performance is worth the buzz.

However, unlike the seasoned Hollywood A-lister, who will also be seen in the film “Everest” in the fall, his co-star Miguel Gomez is enjoying his time in the limelight. The actor, who is also part of Guillermo Del Toro’s “The Strain,” mentioned how incredible it was for him to partake in a film that involved boxing, “I’ve been a fan for a long time and just seeing the HBO cameras there and the referees was an incredible experience. “ That realistic feel was certainly memorable for Gomez who plays “Magic,” Billy Hope’s enemy in and outside the ring. When asked about training with Jake Gyllenhaal, the rising star of Colombian descent said, “We hit each other all the time. Never on purpose, but I think it was important for the film to take it as far as we can and go for it. Sometimes accidents happen. We learned the choreography, but as soon as you get punches in the face that all goes out the window and you just gotta roll with the punches so to speak.”

Gomez also commented on Fuqua’s request that they do it “for real” and pushed it “to the limit.” The actor took the director’s desires to heart. He changed his diet, stopped drinking, and even abstained from sex for a couple months while making the film, “I abstained from sex for two months because I know a lot of fighters that do that and wanted to understand why they did that. “ Gomez cites Puerto Rican boxer Miguel Cotto as his favorite boxer and as an inspiration, and added that after being part of “Southpaw, “ he has even more respect for pro-fighters like Cotto.

Though it’s easy to categorize Miguel’s character as the negative force against Billy, Gomez doesn’t see it that way, “I had to change my way of thinking as far as he is not a villain. To me he was just a young fighter who is trying to get a chance and get a shot at the title. In boxing the only way that anybody is going to pay attention to you is if you make a spectacle. It’s a marketing tool. You have to speak up and make yourself known or nobody cares about you. In my mind it was Magic trying to fight for his family.” He believes so much in Magic’s potential to change, that he even gave us some ideas about what a film focused on his character could be about, “ In ’Southpaw 2’ you follow Magic’s story back up to the title. If not a rematch, then maybe Billy is teaching Magic some things and maybe they, somehow through a tragedy, can find something about one another through which they can respect each other or help each other out.”

Unfortunately for Rachel McAdams is unlikely that her character will return if there is ever another installment in the “Southpaw” saga, but she did find the experience of making the film rewarding. Her knowledge of boxing was minimal before Fuqua’s film, but that doesn’t mean she didn’t learn to throw a punch. “It was a real crash course in what this sport really is. I have a lot of respect for it. It’s not an easy thing. With the amount of skill and artistry involved, I think is really a graceful sport. I got to box a little bit to understand it even better. It’s really hard. You have to be in peak physical condition. It’s asking everything of your body and your mind,” said McAdams.

As Maureen, Billy Hope’s wife, the actress delivers a colorful performance. Even if she is only on screen for a quarter of the film’s running time, her character is the Gyllenhaal.’s driving force and anchor. “Antoine was very adamant about making sure that you felt her throughout.  I just loved that she was such a vibrant character for even a short period of time. Sometimes it doesn’t really matter. You could be in the whole film but if the character isn’t appealing or enticing, who wants to do that for two hours?” [Laughs]. For her it was a matter of using the time given to leave her mark on the film. “I loved her on the page instantly. I thought she had a lot of fire. She was feisty and yet loving and kind of sweet too. I didn’t think much about how long she was in it. I was always aware that it had to make a splash. It had to make an impact because it did dictate so much from there on out.”

Divided between the impressive athletic feats the actors pulled off and the heartfelt struggles that surround the characters, Antoine Fuqua’s “Southpaw” attempts to tell a story about falling from glory into a vicious circle of failure and then finding your back in triumphant fashion. To achieve that objective the director surely gave himself a fighting chance by casting these devoted transformation artists.

“Southpaw” opens in theaters on July 24th.