Exclusive: How Beast star Daniel MacPherson’s unique Russell Crowe relationship shines in MMA film

Doing movies with friends is cool, but doing them with a mentor, as Beast stars Daniel MacPherson and Russell Crowe have done several times, is even better.

Speaking with ClutchPoints about Beast, MacPherson discussed his friendship with Crowe. In Beast, Crowe plays Sammy, Patton’s (MacPherson) former trainer. After years apart, Sammy is reluctant to help Patton prepare for his comeback fight.

In real life, MacPherson and the Gladiator star share a true mentor-pupil bond. Beast is now their third film together, and MacPherson feels that he owes Crowe “a great debt of gratitude.”

“The real-life dynamic is a great friendship, but he [has] also been a great mentor and a great advisor of mine throughout my career,” MacPherson said. “And particularly now, we’ve worked [on] three films together [with] three very different dynamics. This one [Beast] was very much as you saw in the film — we were going toe-to-toe, and not in a fight sense, but in an acting sense.”

MacPherson is especially grateful for Crowe’s “support” of Beast, which he described as “extraordinary.” His support goes beyond promoting or being in the film.

“He elevates every scene, every moment, and every set that he steps on,” MacPherson raved.

Taking on a fighter’s mentality in Beast

Even though he’s acting, stepping into the cage as an MMA fighter in Beast is “surreal.” MacPherson explained, “When you walk inside, and that gate shuts, and it’s just you, and you’re watching [your] opponent walk out, it goes from being this Colosseum to this isolating [place]. There is no one [that] can save you, and the person that’s stepping in there is there to kill you.”

MacPherson recalled filming some of the fight scenes in front of a crowd of 10,000 in Bangkok, Thailand, at Impact Arena during the ONE 170: Tawanchai vs. Superbon 2 event. It’s an experience he’ll “never forget.”

“I will never forget what it was like in Bangkok, Thailand. Walking out in front of 10,000 screaming MMA fans in the biggest arena in Bangkok,” MacPherson recalled. “And, you know, the cage looks so tiny compared to the size of this, essentially this Colosseum, and you walk out through these fans.”

What helped pump him up was having Rage Against the Machine play as his walkout song, though he conceded that he’ll “never be able to listen to that song again without feeling that adrenaline rush.”

Music played a big role on the set of Beast. Tyler Atkins, who directed the film, made a playlist for the cast and crew. Of course, this playlist included Rage Against the Machine, but other artists like Tool made the cut.

Surprisingly, some calmer, more ethereal music made it as well, like Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds’ “The Assassination of Jesse James.” This created a sense of “calm” that helped MacPherson channel a “focused meditative state.”

He explained, “There’s a time for Rage Against the Machine, but there’s a time for calm and stillness.” However, Beast is still meant to be “played loud” in movie theaters due to its “big, thumping soundtrack.”

How Daniel MacPherson prepared for his role in Beast

At the end of the day, MacPherson didn’t face the same stakes as a real MMA fighter. However, that doesn’t mean he didn’t prepare like one.

“I’m playing pretend, but even in that, I got a sense of what that’s like, and I [have] got [an] even greater respect for fighters, having gone through the prep, the training, the weight cut, and that experience [of] actually stepping into the Octagon. I’ve got the utmost respect for what they go through.”

Previously, MacPherson has competed in Ironman, another physically demanding sport. Despite this background, training for Beast was, for all intents and purposes, a different beast (pun intended).

“I started from scratch [because I wanted to look] completely authentic for fight fans. The whole movie falls [apart] if we don’t sell what we’re doing,” he explained. “Thankfully, we had Bren Foster to come with us and elevate the MMA.”

His preparation included weight training and “high intensity interval training.” MacPherson was also doing boxing, jiujitsu, Muay Thai, and MMA training.

To get an authentic training experience, MacPherson traveled to Thailand on a couple of occasions to prepare for his role. He was also eating around 2,200 calories a day.

“Other than that, it was easy,” MacPherson said, months after filming wrapped.

What made Beast unique among other sports movies

The story of Beast is simple. Patton was once a star in MMA. However, he left the sport years ago before being dragged in due to his brother’s debts.

It’s a tale that has been told across a variety of sports in movies for decades. What set it apart for MacPherson was the familial aspect. Not only is Patton’s relationship with his brother (played by Mojean Aria) explored, but his relationship with his wife (played by Kelly Gale) and daughter is too.

To MacPherson, Beast peels the layers back of “modern masculinity,” which resonated as a middle-aged man himself. That attracted him to a project that could’ve otherwise been a standard sports drama.

“The heart of this story was the family dynamic,” he revealed. “It was the husband, the wife, beautiful daughter, and it was those themes of fatherhood and of exploring the responsibilities of modern masculinity in its many forms, but particularly guys around my age, and they’re going through their early 40s or late 30s and dealing with the pressures of that time of life.

“It could have been any background — it could’ve been a football story, it could’ve been, if we were in Australia, a cricket story, but whatever it was, it was a man fighting for his family and fighting for his identity and purpose. It’s just so much more visceral when you put it in the fight world, particularly in the cage. Suddenly, those punches mean so much more, you know? MacPherson added.

Ultimately, the hard work paid off. MacPherson has been basking in the positive reactions Beast has been getting, saying, “It’s been overwhelming and exciting, and everyone’s been incredibly supportive.”

Beast will be released on April 10 – get tickets here!

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