In a career spanning four decades Dolph Lundgren remains one of the legends of action cinema. As part of a club of European action stars and strongmen led by Arnold Schwarzenegger, and including Jean Claude Van Damme, Sven-Ole Thorsen и Mathias Hughes, Lundgren shaped his career after his debut role as Ivan Drago in "Rocky IV" , with numerous roles that are simply iconic.
Whether he was in big screen blockbusters such as "Masters of the Universe", "Dark Angel" (with Mathias Hughes), "Universal Soldier" with Jean-Claude Van Damme, or in independent action films such as "Showdown in Little Tokyo" (with Brandon Lee) and appearance as Konstantin Kovar in the television series "Arrow" Lundgren never stopped working to bring us great characters, gripping stories and great action that cemented his status as an action hero.
In his last film "Castle Falls" (where he also directed) Dolph plays Erickson, a prison guard desperate for money for surgery to save his daughter's life, who searches an abandoned building (Castle Heights Hospital) slated for demolition in search of three million dollars hidden somewhere... then there.
However, Erickson isn't the only one looking for the hidden stash, as former fighter Mike Wade (Scott Adkins) and an armed gang led by Deacon (Scott Hungter) are hot on his trail.
The clock is ticking for all three sides in a race to see who can get the money first and leave before the building turns into a pile of rubble.
Kung Fu Kingdom had the honor of meeting with Dolph recently to talk to him about his most famous breakout role with the release of the director's cut "Rocky IV" и "Castle Falls", the release of which should take place in a few days on December 3. So, without further ado... please welcome Dolph Lundgren!
Hello Dolph! Welcome to Kung Fu Kingdom, it's a pleasure to chat with you! How have you been holding up during the coronavirus pandemic?
Thank you! Well, I was in Los Angeles for basically a year, over a year to be exact, and then I didn't really go anywhere. But I was working on a film "Castle Falls", so it was really good timing because I had a lot of time to prepare for it and also publish because there wasn't much else going on.
But, yes, I got vaccinated, I suffer like everyone else from not seeing my children, and some other things like that. Overall I'd say it was pretty good.
Dolph on KFK's mission: his passion for martial arts philosophy and how it helps youth
Our mission at Kung Fu Kingdom is to inspire 100 million people around the world to take up martial arts because of the positive benefits it brings to people, physically, mentally and socially - what do you think about this goal?
I think this is a great goal. Listen, I started martial arts when I was 14 because I was insecure and had low self-esteem. I was sick as a child and had asthma and allergies. I was drawn to martial arts because of the rigorous training, but there is also something about the philosophy.
I realized that this is related to self-development and self-improvement. In modern society, ancient qualities such as courage, self-control and respect, spiritual qualities, have become lost in our lives these days.
I think that's why martial arts is so good, because it can lead young children and teenagers to focus on things that will help them not only in the dojo, but in life.
Dolph's background in karate and work with Sylvester Stallone on "Rocky IV"
I agree 100%! Your most famous role is that of Russian strongman boxer Ivan Drago in Rocky IV. Now, the role is seeing a resurgence with the recent release of Rocky IV: Rocky vs. Drago - Director's Cut. Given your background in Kyokushin karate, how difficult was it for you to limit yourself to boxing techniques while filming fights with Sylvester Stallone?
Well, it took a little effort on my part, even though I boxed both in college and in New York.
While I was auditioning for "Rocky IV", I was training at a local gym and thinking about becoming a professional fighter. It was a little crazy, but someone offered to represent me as a professional.
I also did some fights with WAKO when I was younger, so it wasn't that hard for me. With Sly you had to take punches and things like that, and I had some boxing experience.
When you watch the film, you see that Drago has a certain style, he has this fairly long stance, which is a martial arts stance, maybe longer than boxing, so I thought that was interesting. I found that adapting was not that difficult and I was well suited for the role.
Sly could withstand Dolph's crushing blows: he hit as well as he took!
Definitely! Your karate training meant you could take and throw powerful punches, and Stallone was known for encouraging you to “make it” in the ring. How impressed were you that he could withstand your crushing blows? Did he hit as well as he received?
I was impressed by his physical form, I remember that. I was 10 years younger, and you know when you're 27, someone who's 37 seems like someone of "advanced age." There shouldn't be anyone over 30 in the game, that's what you think when you're a fighter.
So I was impressed with his physicality and the fact that we were both getting hit to the body and even to the head a lot for some of those slow mo takes. We both took hits, but I was impressed with him for sure.
Dolph's latest film Castle Has Fallen
Cool! Let's now talk about your latest film, Castle Falls. How did it happen?
Well, I had a short project with Scott Adkins, which got cancelled, so I was looking for a movie with the duo, found the script and decided to beef up the security guard character to make him more or less equal to (Scott's character) "Mike Wade."
And then the fact that it takes place in a building almost in real time made me think that I could probably shoot this in a short amount of time because we don't have to move around 50 locations.
I thought it was time to get into directing since the last time I did it was 10 years ago and I was busy "Unstoppable", "Creed 2" и "Aquaman". I didn't know it would be as difficult as it turned out to be, but I took it on and I'm glad I did.
Clear. So, what do you love about being a director, what are the challenges of balancing the roles of actor and director?
Well, being a director means you're the boss; this is your vision, you are the artist.
It's a visual medium and you have to put all those pieces together with the story music, lighting, performances and action, and I realized it was a challenge to do something that involved more multitasking.
Being an actor is fun, but it can also be challenging. As a director, you have the chance to show other sides of your own spirit, and you can put that into film. You can show your taste, your outlook on life, humanity and the like, which I really enjoy.
About working with Scott Adkins
Well noted. Scott Adkins co-stars with you, and you've worked with Scott several times over the years. What do you think of him as a fighter? And were you guys tempted to have a little friendly backstage sparring and compare notes, considering you've both been martial arts practitioners your whole lives?
You know, if I had more time, I would spar with him! However, I was super busy and we needed the choreography for all the fights to be ready. We had one fight together in the film, which was very difficult for me because he is younger and has more recent experience, but I think he held up pretty well.
Scott contributed a lot to the film because of the choreography, the way he shot the fights, and the way he helped edit the fights; he even helped set up the trailer. He's a smart guy, easy to work with, and perfect for the job. So I really enjoyed myself, but maybe next time we can do a little sparring too!
Dolph's pulled biceps tendon and one-arm fight
Sounds great! So what was the most physically challenging action scene or fight in the film? Were there any injuries or accidents on set?
Well, I would say the highlight for me was the Scott fight because I pulled my biceps tendon, I tore it, so I had to fight with one of my arms down. There's a tendon attached here in two places [points to his biceps], and I tore one of them, so it hurt a little. This was hard. I think that fight was tough.
Rigid 17-day shooting schedule
In general, you understand, as a director, you are always on the go and filming in a building. We had 10 seats, some things were filmed, and there was no elevator! So everyone had to walk, the crew, everyone had to walk up and then come down for lunch and then back up again.
Some days it was about 40 spots a day, not that it was very difficult for me, but it was a tough shoot in that regard, plus the fact that we had four COVID stoppages in what was already a short time schedule. This brings us to 17 days. Compare this with "Aquaman" Happy 110 days!
Dolph's message for KFK followers and for his fans around the world
Noticeable difference! So Dolph, what special message or warrior wisdom would you like to share with Kung Fu Kingdom followers and your fans and followers around the world right now?
Well, I would say: a warrior never gives up, he goes forward no matter what. It's not how hard you get hit, it's how hard you get hit and can still get up.
Cool! I think we all strive to live this way... Thank you so much, Dolph, for taking the time to talk to us today at Kung Fu Kingdom. It was a real honor and privilege. Good luck with the film, stay tuned!
Thank you!
The text was translated by Aidos Nurgazinov
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Tags: Castle Falls, Dolph Lundgren, karate, Sylvester Stallone, Scott Adkins
Tags: Castle Falls, Dolph Lundgren, karate, Sylvester Stallone, Scott Adkins
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