Never Back Down–The New Karate Kid
With the release of Summit Entertainment’s Never Back Down, 80’s nostalgia lovers finally get a Karate Kid for the IPod Generation.Never Back Down centers on the main character Jake Tyler (Sean Farris), a former star football player until he moves with his family to Orlando, Florida. Now an outsider Tyler must quickly defend himself and lunges deep into the world of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) where he meets his mentor, Jean Roqua (Djimon Hounsou) who teaches him not only to fight properly but the priceless lesson of finding himself.
Djimon Hounsou, who learned English from watching documentaries on the A&E and Discovery Channel says his intense “love of the sport and story” attracted him to the film.
“To be honest it came from the love of the story [and] the love of the sport that drew me to the project at first,” Hounsou explains.Although fans of Hounsou are used to his more dramatic films, especially after his role as a poor African Farmer in the emotional Blood Diamond, Hounsou clearly wanted a more lighthearted film and he got just that with Never Back Down.
“I was definitely looking for a change [and] for something less grueling,” he says. “[Never Back Down] was quite refreshing because it was a lighthearted movie.”
“The love of the sport that drew me to the project”
Djimon Hounsou
Despite the film being lighter in tone it was still very demanding as the actors all received a lot of training for the bevy of physical conditioning they endured. They even played with fighters who helped them better understand the sport which doesn’t have a exactly positive perception in the public eye because of it’s no holds barred fighting style.
Despite its public persona, Mixed Martial Arts is the fastest growing sport in the world and is currently legalized in 33 states across the United States. Never Back Down will be among the first wave of film’s to present the sport in a positive light in an attempt to bring the sport to the mainstream the same way Crumping was bought to the mainstream by Rize. Because of the grueling aspect of the sport, Mixed Martial Arts is a difficult art to portray authentically.
“It was difficult for me,” Hounsou says. “It’s a combination of so much more. It was very difficult to play a fighter like that.”
“The mental discipline,” is what Hounsou wants audiences to take away from the film.
“I think if they have [MMA] training it’s a great mental conditioning [because] you gain certain spirituality from understanding certain rules about it…from the sport in general,” he says.
Sean Farris who plays Jake Tyler in Never Back Down is a very humble and youthful not letting Hollywood taint
him. He describes himself as not wanting to be “a big huge star.”
“I’m not famous now,” Farris says. “When asked how does he deal with fame at such a young age. “I’ll talk to you again in a month and we’ll figure it out,” he jokes.
“I hope I can do my best to stay normal,” he later adds.
Farris was also attracted to the film because of an infatuation with MMA. He says it his love for the sport of Mixed Marshall Arts which attracted him to the film he calls “the Karate Kid for the internet age.”
“I can do my best to stay normal”
Sean Farris
“I’ve been a huge fan of MMA for 8 years,” Farris explains. “I grew up watching , it was one of my favorite movies when I was a kid, why would I not want to try to do the of the internet age?”
“It’s not a movie encouraging violence or ending things by violence,” Farris later says when asked what he wants audiences to take away from the film. “I hope [people] will not be distracted by the eye candy of all the fight scenes and the girls running around and to have discipline and only fight as a last resort to defend yourself and those you love.”
For the young actor who’s star is just blossoming, working with Hounsou was a great experience.
“I think he is one in a million,” Farris says about Djimon Hounsou. ”He’s humble, and down to earth and very grateful I learned a lot about being a leader by observing.”
Although this film is just being released the two actors are already working on new work. Hounsou will be seen in the film Push in theaters soon and waiting for a film for Warner Brothers to shoot called A Message from The King while Sean Farris is producing and acting in The Glass Eye and acting Forever Strong and Brooklyn to Manhattan.
Whether or not Mixed Martial Arts will become as common in American culture as boxing is up for debate, but, one thing is for certain Never Back Down is destined to become an instant hit and can only propel the already blossoming career of Farris and star power of Hounsou to new heights.
Never Back Down is in theaters March 14th. Please visit www.neverbackdownthemovie.com for more information.
By: Kendrick Daye
