10 tips from Scott Adkins

03.11.2010EvilDollaR

To become an international action star, one must master many disciplines, from physical aspects such as martial arts training to more business skills such as acting, advertising and communication. If an action movie star managed to take the time to study all these different disciplines, what can we learn from her?

Briton Scott Adkins today, undoubtedly, is one of the brightest “stars” of action films. Born and raised in the West Midlands, from childhood Scott was a passionate film fan and drew inspiration from his screen idols: Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan и Sylvester Stallone. Having started practicing martial arts at an early age, he gained impressive physical abilities and soon realized his dream of acting. Since then, he has appeared in many action films and his credits include "The Bourne Ultimatum", “Danny the Chain Dog” с Jet Li, “Undisputed 2” and 3, and recently he played the role “Weapons XI” в “X-Men: Origins. Wolverine". Scott just finished filming with Jean-Claude Van Damme in film "Weapon", which is due out in 2011.

And even though Scott has been busy honing his craft, he believes there are things people can learn from him and then use that acquired knowledge in their daily lives. Here are ten so-called “life lessons” from the action star.

1. Never give up

Scott Adkins: Try to do something every day to advance your career. This way you will get fit, famous and able to do whatever you want. Talent can help you with this, but I believe that the most important characteristics are perseverance and hard work. When it comes to acting, you can learn almost anything. They say about charisma: “You either have it or you don’t.” But without hard work and the necessary motivation, you are unlikely to achieve the desired result.
Constant serious motivation propelled my career and I never allowed myself to give up. If you maintain the same attitude and continue to work hard, the results will not take long to come.

2. Surround yourself with like-minded people

Scott Adkins: Surround yourself with worthy, like-minded people who can inspire and guide you in terms of what you truly need. Personally, this may be friends, family or work colleagues, however, I greatly appreciate the support I receive from those around me.
If you have friends with similar interests or career goals, it makes sense to be close to them so you can work together and support each other. I enjoy working with more experienced actors - it pushes me to improve my own acting, and the same principles pay off when you're on the same page with others.

3. The importance of communication

Scott Adkins: Communication is important in almost any job, particularly in the film industry. I owe the majority of my films to people I have worked with before, those who recommended me, or those who have seen my work. Trust plays a significant role, you also should not be afraid of your newfound popularity, be proud of your achievements.
Be confident in yourself, identify your best qualities, know your worth - this will make it easier for others to notice you. Work hard, but remember to treat those you work with well, and you will have good luck, especially in the film business. Nobody wants to work with unpleasant people.

4. Never stop there

Scott Adkins: If you treat every opportunity that comes your way as if it were your last, it will truly motivate you to achieve your own goals. With each of my films, I try to constantly improve the quality of not only my own work, but also the project itself as a whole. I am proud that I had the chance to star in several well-received action films, I am trying to maintain this trend and move forward towards my goal with the next film I choose.
It’s like in training – all repetitions or sets of exercises are taken into account, so you shouldn’t restrain yourself. Don’t save your energy for later, because there may not be another chance. It all comes down to maintaining the momentum and energy that is necessary for constant development.

5. Raise the bar

Scott Adkins: From project to project, I try to improve as much as I can. I treat every film I make as if it were my last, and I try to make sure that I give my best in all my films, because if I don't strive to improve, someone else will do it for me. Sylvester Stallone is still acting at 60 years old and I love his dedication to his art. Tom Cruise does all his own stunts, he doesn't have to do it, but he wants to entertain us, and I approve of his desire.
This is what I try to achieve in my work. Regardless of the path you choose, you must consciously strive to reach the next level, and the only correct way to do this is to overcome all existing barriers.

6. Learn from others

Scott Adkins: The film industry tends to try to continue what others have started, and I'd like to think that the influences of Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Sylvester Stallone and Jean-Claude Van Damme are evident in my work. It's been great learning from these guys' films, and I've even been lucky enough to act with some of them. I also learned a lot from director Isaac Florentine, who, unlike others, gave me more than one chance to prove myself.
Learning from others is a very important step in educating yourself and improving your own work skills. I've taken all the important advice from the people I've worked with, and it covers everything from martial arts to acting. You'll be surprised how many people around you can learn from their skills and experience.

7. Decide what you are doing

Scott Adkins: Whatever you do, you have to stay true to yourself. In my opinion, most of the greatest action movie stars of the past generation had their own merits. When Bruce Lee appeared, no one had ever seen anyone like him before. Jackie Chan did the best job of mixing kung fu and comedy. Thanks to Steven Seagal, the action genre introduced aikido, which had never been shown before, and Jean-Claude Van Damme looked like a Belgian version of Bruce Lee with the physique of Sylvester Stallone.
Once upon a time I hesitated and could not decide what niche to occupy in the film business, but even then I knew for sure that I would always remain true to myself and my chosen goal. My fighting style is somewhat different from other “stars” that we are used to seeing on screens, but I remain true to myself and I hope others notice this too.

8. The importance of rest

Scott Adkins: When I'm preparing for my next action movie, I realize that I won't be able to rest properly during filming. If I'm lucky enough to have any time to prepare, I'll focus all my attention on training and build it up to two sessions a day, not only for the sake of my future role, but also to prepare my body for the punishment that will soon come my way. will have to tuck. The necessary rest subsequently ensures that in preparation for filming I can restore my own strength in between training sessions.
For the role of Yuri Boyk, the character I played in Undisputed 2 and 3, I put on a lot of muscle, so I had to change my workouts to get used to doing all the flips and kicks I wanted to do with the extra weight and size. . This puts a lot of stress on the body, so proper training and rest are vital.

9. Take your diet seriously

Scott Adkins: When I'm filming away from home, one of the easiest ways to overcome food temptation is to get rid of everything I shouldn't eat. So, wherever you spend a lot of time, be it work or home, avoid all tempting snacks. When it comes to food, you can eat carbohydrates or proteins for breakfast and lunch, but one of the best ways to lose body fat is to cut down on carbohydrates at night, except for vegetables, which are fine. It will take a week or two before you get used to it and won’t even think about it.
In addition, I usually mentally picture myself in my next film and take into account what I hope to achieve. Since I will most likely have to strip to the waist and engage in many fights, this becomes a serious incentive to maintain my personal diet. You are free to do this for any purpose of your own.

10. Train to achieve your ideal physical shape.

Scott Adkins: Whenever you're looking for new ways to get fit, you first need to decide what you're trying to achieve. Do you want a more muscular appearance or do you want to lose weight and look more toned and defined? I tailor my workout and diet for each role depending on the character I want to portray on screen.
Essentially, it comes down to listening to your body and experimenting with what works for you. If you want to build muscle, there is a very high chance of overtraining, but I consciously focus on only a few serious sets of weight training exercises. Keep the intensity high and don't hold back on anything. Typically, if you're training with weights using a pyramid system, you'll save energy for the last set, but every set should count. To get leaner and more defined, you can increase the number of repetitions and exercise more intensely to improve your outline and shape, rather than just increase size.

Author: Scott Adkins :D
Source: uk.askmen.com
Translation: EvilDollaR