How did you get involved in the cast of the sequel to “Never Back Down”?
Scott Epstein: Michael Jai White boxing at Legends with former world heavyweight boxing champion Frankie Lyles. I met him there a couple of times. Then, while I was resting, I ran into him in a restaurant. At first he recognized me, then he couldn’t remember, then he recognized me again. I decided to settle everything and give him a stupid phrase right in his face, like, “What? You do not remember me?" Michael Jai White is an extremely muscular black guy, and I, a little skinny white guy, say to him: “You don’t remember me?” His friend was completely perplexed. It was funny. Then Michael started telling me about his upcoming movie that he was going to direct and asked me if I knew any actors who could fight? I told him that he would probably find someone in the hall (Legends). Then I mentioned that if he needed any help with the choreography of anything jiu-jitsu-related, I would be a good fit for him, so we swapped contacts. I guess Michael looked me up on IMDB and found out that I have a few movies under my belt. I played for years, but never really talked about it. My stage name is Scotty Epstein, and this is a separate topic, because I am just as crazy! (note: Epstein is a dog lover, and Scottish terriers are called Scotties)
What happened next?
Scott Epstein: He called me and said, “Yo! I want you to read the script and look at the cast list.” I went and met with Michael and the producers and reviewed everything. They didn’t consider anyone else for this role; they already decided then that only my candidacy was suitable for this role. Michael also wanted to cast me in the role, but everything depended on the decision of the producers. From that moment on, he began to consult with me regarding the actors who should be chosen for the roles of other characters.
Wow, damn cool! Did you attend the auditions?
Scott Epstein: He would give me audition tapes and ask me what I thought about it, like whether they had enough martial arts skills to work as a team. It is difficult to work with those who have absolutely no experience, and I know this because I was previously a choreographer at photo shoots and worked with models who have zero experience in these matters. They didn't even know how to hold their hands correctly. It's quite difficult to work with such people on a film that contains fight scenes. The guys who were chosen for the roles had something like a fighting background, training them and doing choreography was not very difficult. I co-directed the fight scenes with head choreographer Larnell Stovall. As for the work on the ground, this was mainly done by me.
Tell us about your character.
Scott Epstein: I'm one of the main characters, a negative character. His name is Justin Epstein. This is such a funny story. The makeup artist constantly covered up my “Epstein” tattoo on my back, but when you’re filming for 13 hours in a cage and sweating, the makeup doesn’t last. In the end, they sent everything to hell and changed my last name to Epstein.
Where did you film and how long were you there?
Scott Epstein: We shot in Baton Rouge, in Los Angeles, I think for about 6 weeks. Plus, I spent about 4 weeks in Los Angeles working on the choreography.
“Bad” guys always have love interests. Have you “recaptured” a girl from the “good” guys?
Scott Epstein: No, nothing like that. There are 4 or 5 main characters and each has their own storyline. In fact, each character could have its own movie. This is not a formulaic movie. Definitely darker than the original. I can describe the difference this way: the first part is more like “Beverly Hills, 90210”, and the sequel is more like “The Dark Knight”.
What makes this MMA film special in your opinion?
Scott Epstein: The fight scenes are believable, with a lot of leg holds, armbars or armbars, things you rarely see in films. Unfortunately, I wasn't present during the editing, so some scenes may be missing transitions because the video editors have no idea how important it is to show them. But I can confidently say that the fight scenes will set this film apart from other action films of this genre.
Do you know the exact release date? I read somewhere that it will be released in June.
Scott Epstein: I wouldn't be so sure. Negotiations are still underway with distributors. Initially, I thought that the film would be released straight to DVD, but when the studio saw the final result, they realized that it was much better than the first part, so they are working on a theatrical release.
...
Posted by Jessica Martinez
Source: wfighter.com
Translation: EvilDollaR
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Tags: Never Back Down 2: The Beatdown, Michael Jai White, Scott Epstein
Tags: Never Back Down 2: The Beatdown, Michael Jai White, Scott Epstein
Ahh...I'm looking forward to it!)
I think part 1 is better, I liked the actors better Sean Faris and others, in the film in part 2 the actors are already different so stupidly, I understand the actors are the same and the new ones, part 1 is the best!
Hurry!!!
Fuck cinemas!!! We want DVDs!!!!
HORROR, there are so many films and by the time they reach Russia you’ll go crazy, it’s a pity I don’t know English, I would write something like this for them...
Phew, I barely sent it. The speed is bad, and the computer is old. In total, 21 images.
Offtopic: The official premiere of the film My Kingdom took place. There are already photos from the premiere. Evil, should I send them to you? They are now only on Chinese film microblogs. Exclusive for now, so to speak. I’ll also send you the second trailer now.
I would love to see it in a theater, but I'm afraid at best it will be shown in limited release in America
when will it finally come out... I just can’t... I waited for June 10th, I don’t know how) I can’t read all sorts of reviews and articles for the film anymore... I watched the trailer 100 times))) I wish it was soon...
Enough chatting, post the movie already!!!
:) By the way, how are things going with the subs, did you manage to connect?
Enough talking, let's go to the movie! AAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!
)))))))))