Mike Tyson is a former heavyweight champion who won gold at the 1981 and 1982 Junior Olympic Games. He then went on to become the youngest heavyweight champion by clinching the title at 20 years (and 4 months) old. Over the years, he continued to dominate boxing. In fact, out of his 50 wins, 44 were by knockout.
As such, if there’s one person in the world who certainly knows how to throw a punch, it’s Tyson. However, the director of a famous film, that birthed a film trilogy that went on to gross $1.4 billion at the box office, said that he had to teach Iron Tyson how to throw a punch. Suffice it to say, the legend wasn’t pleased.
Todd Phillips Had To Teach Mike Tyson How To Throw A Camera Punch On The Hangover
In the 2009 film The Hangover, director Todd Phillips had to teach Mike Tyson to do the one thing he should know already- how to throw a punch. In an interview with James Corden, the Joker director revealed that the former boxer was unable to throw a movie punch so he had to step in to give Tyson instructions.
As expected, he didn’t like that at all. Phillips said:
“There’s a particular way to throw a punch in a movie. He (Mike Tyson) was kind of doing it wrong for the camera, in fact, he was sort of pulling it back too far. I’m sort of showing him how to throw a punch, and without missing a beat, he goes ‘Oh this is great, I’m getting boxing lessons from the captain of the Jewish debating team.’”
Tyson once revealed that he wasn’t actually interested in doing The Hangover film. So why did he ultimately star in it?
Read More: Mike Tyson Said Robert De Niro Would Beat Him in a Fight, Why Did the Boxing Phenom Say So?
Mike Tyson Revealed Why He Starred In The Hangover Even Though He Didn’t Want To
In an interview with the ESPN radio show, Mike Tyson revealed that he had no intention of starring in The Hangover. The former boxer said that he only agreed to the cameo because he wanted money to fuel his addiction. He said:
“I was doing that to supply my drug habit.”
The legend had no idea that the film would go on to be a mammoth box office success, bringing in $465 million on a $35 million budget. However, he joked that even if it hadn’t done well in theaters, he knew how to turn a profit by selling the film. He said:
“I thought this was going to be really good, we’re going to sell this stuff at 42nd St. on bootleg, and we’re going to get a lot of money. This is my best thinking on drugs.”
Over the years, the former boxing champion has credited the film as the changing point in his life because it convinced him to clean himself up and free himself from addiction.
The Hangover films are available on HBO Max.
Source: James Corden
