Actor Jake Gyllenhaal is starring in Doug Liman’s adaptation of the 1989 action classic, Road House. The film follows a former UFC fighter, Dalton, who ends up facing unexpected challenges after he starts working at a roadhouse in the Florida Keys. Sharing the screen with Gyllenhaal is MMA sensation Conor McGregor, marking his acting debut in the film that has received mostly positive reviews since its premiere at SXSW.
The Stronger actor shared his experience working on the film in his recent appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. And the actor also recounted how his co-star almost knocked him out while filming the action movie.
Jake Gyllenhaal Recalled Being Nearly Knocked Out by Conor McGregor
During his recent appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Hollywood star Jake Gyllenhaal shared his experience working with the MMA star Conor McGregor in the upcoming film Road House. When asked if his co-star ever punched him by mistake during the filming, he shared, “He clocked me in the face.”
The Prisoners star further shared that after filming their “fake fighting” sequences, he and McGregor would monitor the shot, after which the UFC champion would offer him some pointers to enhance the authenticity of the scene. He explained,
“And then we’d go watch the monitor to see what worked—He would show me, tell me to do things and like, ‘Oh, you know, turn your head, move a little bit more. This way to try and make it look more real.'”
However, during a late-night shoot, McGregor unintentionally hit Gyllenhaal in the face while discussing their fight scenes, surprising them both. The 43-year-old actor also recounted slamming his co-star’s face with a car door by mistake, prompting McGregor to jest, “That tickled me. It tickled me.” Despite these incidents, Gyllenhaal emphasized that his co-star was always great with him.
Jake Gyllenhaal Had to Remind Conor McGregor to Fake Fight in Road House
In a conversation with LADbible, Jake Gyllenhaal admitted that during the filming of Road House with the MMA star, he had to occasionally remind him that their on-screen fight scenes were simulated, not real. He recalled,
“I had to say to him a couple of times, like, remind him, ‘Remember, we’re in a fake fight, don’t actually punch me’ and he was like, ‘Oh yeah, right, right, right.’”
However, despite that, the former UFC champion ended up suffering brutal injuries while filming some of the action sequences of the film. He also acknowledged that he ended up getting a black eye from the Brothers star.
“I threw him [Jake Gyllenhaal] over the bar twenty times,” he said before adding, “He slammed a door on my head about 20 times and I had a black eye and everything from the doo.” The MMA star is taking on the role of Knox, a mercenary who is sent after Dalton, in the film.
Road House is set to premiere on Prime Video on March 21, 2024.
