Starring alongside Jake Gyllenhaal in Doug Liman’s Road House, Conor McGregor has garnered praise as the standout element in the action flick. The remake of the 1989 film of the same name marks McGregor’s acting debut, transitioning from dominating the Octagon to the big screen. His performance in the newly released film has been widely acclaimed.
However, his acting trajectory could have diverged significantly had he not missed a prime opportunity to star in the renowned TV series, Vikings. In a recent interview, he revealed that he was slated to feature in the historical drama but ultimately lost the opportunity.
Conor McGregor Opens Up About Missed Opportunity on Hit TV Show Vikings
Conor McGregor has recently revealed that he was set to make his acting debut in the acclaimed TV series Vikings but ended up losing the significant opportunity. In a conversation with Joe, the actor shared that he was offered to star in the historical drama.
“I was supposed to be in Vikings,” he said before adding, “I was teed up to do a full season.” He shared that he had a few offers but ultimately missed the opportunity due to prioritizing his career in the fight business over potential opportunities in film and television. McGregor said,
“I just kept pushing it along down the line, but I just stayed in the fight business. I always said ‘I’m in the fight business, not the movie business. Ultimately I ended up letting people down over that—and it just never happened.”
The UFC champion has earlier shared that despite having enough experience and confidence being in front of the camera, he ultimately withdrew from the show at the last moment, leaving the showrunners disappointed. “I apologized over that,” the Road House star told Extra TV in an earlier interview.
Originally airing on The History Channel, Vikings swiftly captured the audience’s attention, attracting over six million viewers in the US alone during its premiere. Its popularity led streaming platforms like Amazon Prime and Netflix to acquire rights afterward, with the latter even producing spin-off Vikings: Valhalla.
Conor McGregor Discusses His Future in Hollywood
Conor McGregor has shared that he had been avoiding the offers to star in movies, even claiming that his involvement in Road House was not intentional but rather an opportunity that presented itself unexpectedly.
“I was not trying to do this. It just presented itself and with the injury and everything just aligned with it,” he shared in a conversation with Adam Catterall on talkSPORT MMA. And the MMA star has also discussed his potential future in Hollywood.
As per The Independent, he said, “I’m not sure if I will go through it again,” hinting at uncertainty about his future in the film industry. Despite his dedication and perseverance, the actor shared that he’s “unlikely” to act again due to the demanding schedule of the film production.
“It was hard work, and I’m used to hard work, but the schedule was intense,” he said before adding, “But it’s in the bank, it’s in the history books.” McGregor has taken on the antagonistic role of Knox in Doug Liman’s Road House.
Vikings and Road House is available to stream on Prime Video.
