Hollywood star Tom Hardy has won over many with his incredible performances in movies and shows. Throughout his career, he has given remarkable performances, whether it’s as Eames from Inception, or starring as the infamous Spider-Man and Batman villains in Marvel and DC films, respectively. His performance in the 2011 film Warrior also falls under his best work so far. Starring alongside Joel Edgerton, Hardy plays Tommy Riordan Conlon, the former marine who starts training under his father for going against his estranged brother in a mixed martial arts contest.
The film has received high praise from critics despite failing at the box office. One of the most interesting things about the movie is also that it featured several MMA figures, and one of the characters was also inspired by a legendary MMA trainer.
MMA Trainer Inspired a Character For Tom Hardy’s Film
The 2011 action drama Warrior features Tom Hardy alongside Joel Edgerton, Nick Nolte, and Frank Grillo, among others. The film was a hit among critics, who praised the movie along with its cast’s performance. And it was revealed that one of the characters in the movie was inspired by the MMA trainer Greg Jackson.
Grillo’s character, Frank Campana, who trains Brendan Conlon in the 2011 film, is based on the American MMA trainer. According to IMDb, the Captain America actor based his character on Greg Jackson and lived with him during pre-production in order to prepare for his character.
Joel Edgerton also joined him and trained with the MMA trainer at his New Mexico gym until the production started. It is also reported that Jackson contributed to the writing of several dialogues for Grillo’s character. While the Boss Level star’s character was inspired by the MMA trainer, Warrior also featured several real MMA fighters in the film.
Greg Jackson Talks About Working on Warrior (2011)
The legendary MMA fighter Greg Jackson served as a technical advisor for the 2011 action drama. He assisted the makers with the training and fighting sequences so that they appeared accurate and authentic. Jackon has also shared that he wanted filmmakers to share how MMA fighting can help people to come together.
“The movie shows how it can bond people together. People who are angry or troubled,” he shared. The trainer also mentioned that MMA fighters are trained to control their rage and keep fighting for “fighters, not for innocent people on the street.”
He shared that he was highly impressed by Grillo and Edgerton’s dedication to the film and their characters. Director Gavin O’Connor also took notes from him on “technical, psychological and cultural” aspects of the sport. And Jackson seemed pretty impressed with the final outcome, as he said, “They were dedicated to getting it right, and they did.”
Warrior is available on Prime Video.
Source: IMDb
