Scott Adkins. Questions and answers. Part three

29.06.2010EvilDollaR

1. Thank you Scott for all these answers!!! It was very cool to hear about your training and your diet, and I was very glad to hear your honest opinion about Van Damme and “The Shepherd”!!!!

And one more question... when did you start doing gymnastics? At what age... did this come easy to you? Did you take a course under someone's guidance or just jump on the mats with other guys?

Scott Adkins: Gymnastics was easy for me. I started when I was 18 years old, but even then I knew how to do somersaults and backflips. I've always had good jumping ability.

2. Hi Scott. It's great that you take the time to answer fan questions. By the way, I think Nathan Jones, who you would like to see in the cast of Undisputed 3, is a good choice. A fight against him, that would be cool!!! I have a couple of questions:

1. Do you have any information on whether “Ninja” will be released in theaters or straight to video? Has any American distribution company already purchased the rights to it?
2. What's your favorite movie of yours?
3. Who would you like to work with in future films?

I wish you all the best and thank you.

Scott Adkins:

1. It goes without saying that we tried to make the film as good as possible. It all depends on whether the distributor is willing to invest additional funds into theatrical releases. We'll see, but this possibility definitely exists, we all want it.
2. “Undisputed 2”. I think it turned out very well, considering the budget we were given.
3. It would be nice to work with Donnie Yen.

3. Hi Scott, I have a few questions if you can answer them:

1. What are your favorite filming moments or films at the moment?
2. Do you know anything about when “The Tournament” will be released in the States? The trailer on YouTube looks amazing!
3. Since you are a person with great talent in martial arts, did you have any instances on set where actors or crew members tried to challenge you? (For example, when the extras challenged Bruce Lee to fight in Enter the Dragon.)
4. And the last question. I read on the forum that you are a fan of the band “Oasis” (good taste!). What other musical groups do you like? I'll give you some advice: listen to “The Classic Crime”, they just released a great album called “The Silver Cord”. And if you like heavier music, especially suitable for work and stuff, check out “Project 86”. All their albums are good.

Thanks again for spending your time on this! God bless you!

Scott Adkins:

1. “Ninja”, “Undisputed 2”, “Tournament” and a fight with Jackie Chan in “Medallion”.
2. The contract for the distribution of “Tournament” in the States has already been concluded. I'm sure the film will be completed this week. The release date will be announced very soon.
3. I haven’t yet and I hope I won’t have to deal with such nonsense in the future.
4. “Third Eye Blind”, “Goo Goo Dolls”, “The Twang”, “U2”. Mainly rock and roll.

4. You were very kind in answering all these questions. We've all got our fingers and toes crossed in hopes that 2009 will be your acting "breakthrough" in the action genre. When will the time come when you have the opportunity to stand out from other action heroes past and present?
:) :)

Scott Adkins: Thanks, man. I try to make sure that every movie I do has exciting action. I think we have succeeded so far, with the exception of “The Shepherd,” with which I was disappointed for only one reason. I want the audience to know that I'm going to do whatever it takes to keep them intrigued and entertained. I'm also not afraid to play different characters, so hopefully I'll always look a little different. Being in my position, I feel very happy and determined to show my best side. Let's see what happens.

5. Have you ever wanted to move to Hollywood and live life at its fast pace or are you a more secluded person?

Scott Adkins: I have too much English blood in me for such things, however, I spent quite a lot of time there.

6. Hello, Mr. Adkins. My name is Denis, I'm from Russia. Can you tell me what you think of Steven Seagal as a fighter and actor? Would you like to work with him?

Scott Adkins: Seagal was great when he first appeared on screen. He was absolutely unique and a joy to look at.

7. Mr. Adkins, first I would like to thank you for answering my question. But Steven Seagal in his latest films uses doubles during fights and disappoints his fans. Do you use a stunt double or do all your own stunts? I know that you were born in England. Do you know Gary Daniels? And what do you think about Fedor Emelianenko? Thank you. Denis, Russia. All Russian fans want to see you in an action movie with Mark Dacascos, with a lot of fights. Is this possible?

Scott Adkins: You're right, Seagal uses stunt doubles more often than I eat lunch. Personally, I refuse to be doubled in fights, but the producers simply won’t allow me to do all the stunts. In the “Tournament” I did everything myself except for the jump that broke the stained glass window. In “Wolverine” I did everything myself 100%. I probably did more stunts on Ninja than I've ever done, but sometimes you just can't be in two places at once when you're filming with two crews. Such is the magic of cinema. We do a take where the stuntman is in the foreground and I'm doing a somersault through the gate in the background. You won't be able to tell if it was me. There was no need to do it in person, but I did it anyway. Plus, when I'm in a ninja suit, you won't recognize me, but I did everything myself, but I left the big stunts (jumping through windows, getting hit by cars, jumping from the third floor) to people who can afford to go to the hospital. I have enormous respect for stuntmen, because I almost followed in their footsteps.

Fedor is a beast, I would like to see him get in the ring and fight for the UFC title.

I'm a big fan of Mark and would love to work with him. I wonder why he hasn't worked with Isaac yet.

8. Hey Scott, I don't want to bore you with questions, but I just want to say that Isaac, JJ Perry and you made one hell of a team. I would rather see six films you made come out each year with a budget of two million than one with a budget of twelve million. I know that these are just my fantasies, I just want to remove the stone from my soul. Please tell Isaac I really miss the buzz of his camera. I would also like to thank giangrosso, everyone else involved in the creation, and you for being so kind.
Best wishes from Serbia!

Scott Adkins: Thanks for being a fan of our work, but the truth is, if budgets don't rise, I'll probably end up in a wheelchair. It's not about making more money, it's about having more time. We will always be compared to other martial arts films in the market, and films like “Fist of Legend” or “Hero” are shot in three months. Jackie Chan filmed Operation Condor for over a year and spent three months filming the final fight in Drunken Master 2. I don't know exactly how long it took to make Ong Bak, but I do know that they spent over a week on the market chase scene, and when Tony Jaa got injured, they gave him time to rest until he fully recovered. People will compare our films to others without really understanding how much faster we had to work. If we had been given at least ten weeks to make the film, the difference would have been noticeable.

9. Good night, friends. I have read some of the posts here and I want to thank you Scott for your sincerity... I want to ask you a few questions and I hope you can answer me:

1. Can I achieve your physical shape at home? I do kickboxing, which is a very expensive sport. I'm a student, so I can't afford to go to the gym.
2. This is a more important question. =) I want to repeat one movement that you do when from a lying position you raise your legs and suddenly stand up (sorry, my English is not very good, I hope you understand). In my country, few people are able to do this, and I am trying to repeat it.
3. Last question. Can you recommend any nutrition for me? For example, before training, after training?.. I entered the University of Electrical Engineering and sometimes I get very tired.

Thank you very much Scott, I'll be following your career =)
Good luck.

Scott Adkins:

1. If you have enough free space to place a punching bag, then this is possible. I spent my youth in my parents' garage banging on one of these as hard as I could and it helped me a lot.
2. It’s called a “kip-up,” and it’s not difficult to do, you just have to constantly practice. You lift yourself up using the energy of your legs, but you must remember to arch your back and use your arms to push off the ground.
3. If possible, you should try to eat six balanced meals a day.

10. Scott, seven weeks to shoot “Ninja” is quite a long time. Was this filming time enough for you and Isaac compared to Undisputed 2? I guess Isaac has never shot a movie in seven weeks, unless you count Shepherd, where people didn't really care about the fight scenes. Van Damme is known for filming slowly. Seven months is sometimes not enough to make quality fights.

Scott Adkins: We had two more weeks on Ninja than we did on Undisputed 2, but Ninja is a more complex film. “Undisputed” takes place in prison and nothing more. There are many different locations in “Ninja” and all this took time. However, I have to say that Ninja has about three times as much action as Undisputed 2, which I think you guys will be very pleased with.

11. Hello, Mr. Adkins. In your opinion, which martial art is the most powerful? I'm a fan of Seagal's aikido, Norris's style of karate, and your fights are also very good. My friends watched “Undisputed 2” and said that all the fights were fake. What do you think about the fight scenes in the film with actors like you, Van Damme, Dacascos, Seagal, Gruner? Thank you. Denis, Russia.

Scott Adkins: I really enjoy mixing it with MMA, although filming Ninja really sparked my interest in Japanese martial arts. If you're good at any martial art, no matter the style, you'll be in good shape heading into the fight, but personally, I'd put my money on a mixed martial arts fighter.

Of those currently filming, my favorite fighters are Tony Jaa and Donnie Yen.

12. Scott, did Van Damme have one of his choreographers, for example, Peter Malota, on the set of “The Shepherd”?

Scott Adkins: No, the fight director was JJ Perry.

13. Scott

1. Do you know when “Undisputed 2” or “Ninja” will be released in Blue-Ray format?
2. Will there be any additional merchandise coming out for “Ninja” like posters or t-shirts? I would love to buy something for myself!
3. Do you feel lack of energy when you are on a protein diet? No wonder you are exhausted after such hard training and filming!

Scott Adkins:

1. It's possible that Ninja will be released on Blue-Ray, but I have no idea about Undisputed 2.
2. I'm guessing there will be some since it's a crazy comeback of ninjas, but I don't know about that. I wouldn't mind getting something for myself.
3. Yes, I never tried to dry myself out like that, but to be honest, it worked against me when we were filming the opening scenes of the film in the last week. I looked very tired and skinny. I'm still learning, like we all are, but I'm learning from experience.

14. Scott, I know that you are only three years older than me and are an avid fan of video games. I assume you (like me) have a Sega Mega Drive? Do you know about the cult ninja and martial arts games “Shadow Dancer” and “Revenge Of Shinobi”? The first game is about a ninja in white and his dog. I've loved this arcade game since the late 80s. =)

Scott Adkins: I enjoy playing on the Xbox 360. I haven't really played a single game since GTA IV. I like first-person shooter games. Anyone who played “Call Of Duty 4” and could once shoot Yuri Boyk, well done! I had a Sega Mega Drive, but other than Sonic, I can't remember what games I played.

15. Scott, have you ever thought about making your own films one day, or do you just want to stay an actor?

Scott Adkins: Of course, I would like to make my own film someday, but I wouldn't want to do it all the time.

16. Hi Scott, have you thought about starting your own dojo where you can train others, or do you already have one? Thanks for your time.

Scott Adkins: I just recently taught kickboxing lessons, so I'm used to this type of class. Maybe I'll think about it in the future. I truly enjoy teaching people.

17. Hey Scott! Thanks for all this detailed information!!! Three more questions about your training... and I'll stop... I swear! ;)

1. When you do martial arts...do you train in regular kickboxing groups or do you have some kind of sensei or coach, or do you just train with some Hollywood team?
2. What are your favorite core strength exercises... ones that you really enjoy doing...?
3. We know about your workouts and your diet... but I just want to know how often and how much time do you spend stretching during a typical training week?...

Thank you very much, my friend, you are the best!!!

Can't wait to see the first footage of you in Wolverine... and the first episodes of Ninja... also hope JJ posts some prep videos for Shepherd soon (to get a look at what you've been up to) and especially videos with your participation!!!

Thank you for being our inspiration!!!

Scott Adkins:

1. I'm a member of the Professional Kickboxing Association, so I just go to the local school and train there.
2. Favorite exercises for the main muscle group are the bench press and pull-ups. I do a lot of squats, but I wouldn't say I enjoy them.
3. I try to stretch after every warm-up, but I recently found out that to avoid frequent injuries, I need to be more flexible in general, not just in my legs, so I have to stretch more often. Especially in my current thirty-something years. Stretching is very important.

Sources: many
Translation: EvilDollaR

Home » Articles » Scott Adkins. Questions and answers. Part three
Tags: Undisputed 2, Undisputed 3: Redemption, Scott Adkins, Tony JAA

Related materials:

Interview with Pavel Belba for Denis Soldatov’s channel

Tony Jaa. Before he became famous

Hardcore action with Philip Ng and the end of filming "Diablo"

Flashpoint sequel with Donnie Yen and... Scott Adkins?

"Another Strike" "Lights Out" in "House of Ninja"

"Skyline 4" (Skyline: Warpath) with shock cast