Known as much for his violent on-set confrontation with a certain George Clooney as his critically acclaimed, darkly comic ventures like Three Kings and I Heart Huckabees, director David O Russell is anything but boring. He tells YOLANDE D'MELLO he has no words to describe how he feels that The Fighter has received seven Oscar nominations, and why Mark Wahlberg had a boxing ring in his backyard for the shooting of the film
Known as much for his violent on-set confrontation with a certain George Clooney as his critically acclaimed, darkly comic ventures like Three Kings and I Heart Huckabees, director David O Russell is anything but boring. He tells YOLANDE D'MELLO he has no words to describe how he feels that The Fighter has received seven Oscar nominations, and why Mark Wahlberg had a boxing ring in his backyard for the shooting of the film
Mark Wahlberg plays Micky Ward, a welterweight boxer in 1985.
Welterweight is a weight category that rates between a light
and middleweight boxer.
How did you feel about making a film that would inevitably be compared to Raging Bull and Rocky?
I knew that my film would be compared to these iconic films but once you see it, you'll realise that it's not really a Raging Bull or a Rocky. Boxing is just a backdrop; it's a story about a family, their adversities and their triumph. It is a real story based on Micky Ward's (an Irish boxer born in 1965) life and his determination to overcome difficulties and emerge a winner.
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What spin did you want to give Micky Ward's story?
My only aim was to make it as original as possible, since it's a film based in real life. Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale had to undergo rigorous training under Micky and Dicky Ward for almost one-and-a-half years to look and fight like real boxers. Earlier, we were supposed to shoot the film in Toronto, but we ultimately shot at Lowell, Massachusetts, where the original story took place.
What kind of research and training went into it?
Micky was our Bible. We had to sit with him for days to understand every aspect of his life. Mark and Christian had to train to look and act like the legends of boxing. Micky and Dicky Ward moved in with Mark. They set up a boxing ring in his backyard, where they would practice regularly.
How did you cast Mark Wahlberg?
I knew Mark was always interested in doing a boxing film and he knew Micky Ward very well and had seen his life unfold very closely. So there couldn't have been a better actor to play the title character.
Any interesting anecdotes while shooting?
In the film, Amy (Adams) plays a loudmouth sexy bartender, who abuses a lot. After a point, she ran out of all the bad words she knew! I would tease her, telling her that she needed to do better and was very poor at this.
Apparently, you used cameras from that era to give the scenes a certain look?
Actually, Mark had some connections with the HBO guys, who shoot pay per view boxing matches and had shot few of Micky's matches as well. So they knew exactly how to go about it.
What was the experience of shooting the fight scenes like? What was the toughest scene to shoot?
Mark trained himself for one-and-a-half years to fight like a professional boxer, so he was obviously more than willing to do his own stunts. Shooting for the fight scenes was great, but also tough, since you have to cover each and every move from all possible angles to give the feel of a real fight.
There is a scene where Mark takes on real life fighter, Alfonso Sanchez, who was number 2 middle weight in the world, while we were shooting for the film.
How was it working with Micky Ward?
Obviously there is certain kind of pressure associated while telling a real life story. Micky was always with us while shooting and corrected us whenever required without ever trying to interfere.
What do seven Oscar nominations mean to you?
No words can describe the feeling. All I can say is that it feels like a dream.
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