For Pierson Fodé, the function of The Man From Miami was a no-holds-barred journey into the world of a villain. Initially, Pierson’s function in The Man From Toronto was a lot smaller within the unique script, however the character was expanded upon within the revised imaginative and prescient. HollywoodLife spoke EXCLUSIVELY with Pierson about why he was all-in with The Man From Miami.
“He’s type of just like the Terminator. He simply stored going,” Pierson advised HollywoodLife. “After I initially learn the script, his half was a lot smaller. He had a really cool entrance, and he had his three-piece swimsuit on and was able to rock and roll. However once I noticed the revised script after I booked the undertaking, he simply acquired much more badass. I simply couldn’t assist however actually dive into it. I feel one of many issues that was most fun was, truthfully, the motion and diving into a personality that’s type of like American Psycho in a variety of methods.”
After reserving The Man From Toronto, Pierson was put in a coaching routine and started working with Phil Silvera, who did all of the stunt choreography and was a second unit director. He ended up coaching for 4 months.
“So for a month, we educated for anyplace from 4 to eight hours a day doing stunts and choreography and battle choreography. However then he additionally introduced in an Military Ranger by the identify of Jack Nevils, who’s an actual American hero. I performed the dangerous model of him within the film,” Pierson revealed. “He’s the actual man that may exit to literal terrorists and get rid of targets and shield America and the world and a number of the issues he can’t discuss. It’s actually superb all of the issues that he did. However between that coaching, all of the weapons coaching, studying easy methods to kill folks in 450 other ways, and easy methods to make it look cool on display and ensure that the digital camera caught all of the actions, I educated for 4 months. From actually a month earlier than we began taking pictures to the final day of taking pictures, we have been doing battle choreography.”
When The Man From Miami makes his grand entrance within the movie, Kevin Hart and Woody Harrelson are additionally within the scene. Pierson unintentionally acquired punched within the face by Woody throughout one of many last takes of the scene.
“On the final takes, your strikes begin to get a bit sloppy, and Woody is available in with a tough proper hook over one in every of these moments and simply completely clocks me within the face,” Pierson admitted. “We’re nonetheless within the second. My eyes simply water instantly, and we’re ending your entire sequence since you don’t need to break. You’ve acquired hundreds of thousands of {dollars} taking place proper now. They lastly referred to as reduce, and I’m like seeing a bit little bit of stars second. He simply actually laid it in there. He was like, ‘Dude, you okay?’”
In direction of the top of the movie, The Man From Miami additionally has a brutal battle scene with Teddy the place he beats Teddy with a golf membership. Whereas filming the wild scene, Pierson revealed that Kevin advised him to not maintain again by any means.
“He got here out like a trooper,” Pierson stated about Kevin. “I feel it was like, one or two levels that day in Toronto. We have been in a small city. I’d completed most of my stuff with the stunt group, however then when he got here out to ship his strains and get his protection, he was like, ‘Man, simply go for it. Let’s simply get it in. Don’t be afraid to put a pair on me if it occurs.’ He was superior. He was an animal.”
Pierson famous that he admits Woody and Kevin’s work ethic. “I feel the general theme that I acquired from it was these guys present as much as set day by day they usually give it 110 % identical to all of us have been,” Pierson advised HollywoodLife. “And I spotted, too, they simply need to have enjoyable. We’re all on this trade as a result of we like it. We admire it and need to inform tales that folks take pleasure in watching, whether or not it modifications their life or it’s only a good popcorn film that folks can watch and veg out for a bit bit. That’s what we talked about very often, easy methods to make profession modifications and technique modifications. Finally, it was like, that is the best job within the frickin’ world.”
Subsequent up, Pierson will star within the movie Dope Queens, which the actor stated was “the most effective scripts” he’s learn in a very long time. Much like The Man From Toronto, Pierson underwent a serious bodily transformation for his function in Dope Queens. “I went from 215 kilos to 167 kilos, roughly talking. I ended retaining observe by the top of the shoot as a result of he was addicted to hurry and heroin and the whole lot on the road that you just get hooked on,” Pierson stated.
He continued, “I feel 6 months after Man from Toronto, and I used to be simply coming off the top of one other film. Midway by that film so I didn’t change an excessive amount of of my character’s aesthetic, I began lowering my calorie consumption and doing intermittent fasting. I had a few month and a half to lose all that weight. So I actually simply stopped consuming for a few week and went straight to the total water-only quick and was doing two hours of cardio within the morning and two hours of cardio at night time. As I used to be operating on the cardio machine, I used to be watching a documentary YouTube video referred to as Gentle White Underbelly, which was interviewing homeless folks on the streets that have been hooked on various kinds of the whole lot.”