IR Interview: Robert Kolodny & James Madio For “The Featherweight” [MTuckman Media]

The Inside Reel

Director Robert Kolodny & Actor/Producer James Madio talk to The Inside about approach, details and characterization in regards to their new docu-drama: “The Featherweight” from MTuckman Media.

Transcript

00:00I was ready to die in that ring, or kill.

00:20Hear me out, Dick.

00:24I'd like a fight.

00:29Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick,

00:36Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick,

00:43Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick,

00:50Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick,

00:57Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick,

01:02Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick,

01:07Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick,

01:12Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick,

01:17Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick,

01:22Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick,

01:27Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick,

01:32Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick,

01:37Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick,

01:42Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick,

01:47Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick,

01:52Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick,

01:57Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick,

02:02Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick,

02:07Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick,

02:12of guys with similar personalities as Willie

02:15that want to hold court, that want to hold a room

02:19and, you know, speak and walk that way

02:22when they step into a room and at the same time

02:23knowing that there's something behind them as well

02:26that may be monstrous or self, you know, deprivation

02:29like just trying to get through and just holding on

02:32to something that knows no longer there

02:35or time is going to take that away from you, right?

02:37I think that's what's going on with Willie

02:39and actors can sort of relate, at least I can

02:42with the ups and downs of a career or something

02:45then losing it.

02:47So there was a lot of stuff that I could pull from

02:50and then sort of incorporate that into the performance

02:53and just knowing that I got this flexibility

02:56on the camera and around camera to interact with the lens,

03:01interact with Robert, to be free inside that room

03:04to move around, to say something that may stick

03:07or may not stick, to try something that may work

03:09that may not work.

03:11So there was a huge freedom to that at the same time,

03:14you know, I mean, you're hoping that it's not costly

03:16but Willie was a very complicated man outside the ring.

03:21He was a winner inside the ring.

03:22I say this a lot.

03:23I know I sound like a broken record.

03:24He was a winner inside the ring, a terror,

03:27a complete one in a lifetime generational talent.

03:31And then outside the ring, you know, a lot of failures

03:34between his money, his family, his marriages.

03:37I mean, all of that, his friends.

03:39Willie says it all the time, right?

03:42First, your legs go, then your money goes

03:46and then your friends go.

03:48And that's-

03:49I thought he was going to say one more thing actually, Dave.

03:51Yeah, well, I mean, yeah, that's off camera.

03:54Yeah.

03:56You got to think about how you want to be remembered.

03:58Well, that's your shit, Bill.

03:59Well, I remember it.

04:00You reckon it speaks for itself, huh?

04:02It's going with you to the grave.

04:03It's etched in stone, 220 and 10.

04:06Ain't nobody going to touch that.

04:07Not now, not ever.

04:10But really, how are you feeling, champ?

04:11I've had 231 professional fights.

04:14231 professional fights.

04:16I've been around, just trying to make a living,

04:18you know, get through the day.

04:20I know I ain't father, but here, okay?

04:22But he has so much joy.

04:23I mean, even into like the final shot, the smile,

04:26the smile says so much about what he loves, you know?

04:31Could you talk about that, finding that joy?

04:33Because you also had to direct him, Robert, in that way.

04:36I mean, documentary is one thing,

04:38but getting sort of that emotion out of those scenes

04:41is so important.

04:42And obviously, that's a discussion between you two.

04:46I mean, that smile is the thesis of the whole film, right?

04:49Willie's going through all these tribulations

04:53with his family.

04:54You know, his wife hates him, his kid hates him.

04:56His dad is dying.

04:58His mom is trying to figure it out.

05:00His manager can't get him any money.

05:02His trainer is fed up with him.

05:04What Willie really cares about is being in the ring

05:08and hearing people chant his name

05:11and feeling the heat of the spotlight on him.

05:14It doesn't matter if he's winning.

05:16It doesn't matter if his life is totally in shambles.

05:19He wants to do the thing that lets him feel

05:21like he's Willie Pepp.

05:23That's the only thing that matters.

05:25Look at him.

05:26Look at his face.

05:27Have you seen Willie?

05:29He's gonna miss the show.

05:30Can you go shoot Willie, please?

05:32That's what we're here for, okay?

05:34I don't know what you're doing.

05:36You probably want some Willie Pepp stories.

05:38I respect Willie as a fighter.

05:40I was only 19 when we met, but he was very respectful.

05:44Yeah, he was tense.

05:45Best fighter I ever saw.

05:46He's not no kid from Hartford, Connecticut.

05:48Sports sensation.

05:50Could you talk about, James, going from that,

05:53talking about the detail, the importance of those things,

05:56those little looks.

05:57I mean, that's probably like jazz for an actor,

06:01those little moments to do,

06:02but also like the Bob Hobart.

06:04Do you see what this says?

06:05I mean, those little moments, they have such humor in them,

06:08but they show such a devastation

06:10of what's going on behind his head.

06:13Well, look, that's actually well put,

06:16and I'm glad that you picked up on it.

06:19And that's a credit to Steve Loft, who wrote the script,

06:23who spent a lot of time tailoring that dialogue

06:25and working with Robert Kalani and Steve James,

06:30who was supposed to direct this

06:32and then put us onto Robert Kalani.

06:34You know, that's sort of what we wanted to get across,

06:37is those moments.

06:38And I was raised in a place where you had to speak up louder

06:43and be grand and just be the person in a room all the time

06:49in Italian-American culture.

06:50So for me, I loved any time.

06:54You know, when you say it was jazz to an actor,

06:56that was jazz for me.

06:57You tell me, oh, it's all yours.

06:59The floor is yours.

07:00Try and keep up with me.

07:01Let's go.

07:02As long as I'm Willie and I'm in character,

07:03you keep up with me.

07:04You said I can go?

07:06Go.

07:06And that's where we found some of those special moments,

07:09and that's when I felt like I was Willie,

07:11is when I was able to sort of caress that a little bit.

07:16What do you want, Willie?

07:16A story of mine.

07:20I can't believe I had to pick up that tab.

07:21I thought Marciano would do it.

07:23No, no, Ben won't.

07:24If you need more cash, you gotta swallow it.

07:26Pride, take a regular job.

07:28But what are they gonna think of me?

07:30I care because it's my hometown.

07:33I'm the champ.

07:34Was it hard to dip into Willie

07:36in terms of those moments of just,

07:39like, as you see, he has his blinders on.

07:41He has his pride.

07:42He has his ego.

07:44Was it hard to sort of dip into that,

07:46or was it something that you sort of organically found

07:49as you were shooting, or did you find it before?

07:54Well, you know, Tim, that's a good question,

07:56because a lot of things run in parallel

07:57at that time with me.

07:58I'm hitting mid-40s.

08:00Willie was mid-40s.

08:03I need to get a big splash in my career.

08:07I got a family to take care of.

08:08I wanna act all the time.

08:10It's what I'm passionate to do.

08:12I wanna at one time be recognized for what I'm doing.

08:17And the ups and downs.

08:19So it wasn't difficult to kind of feel him emotionally

08:24inside of what this man is going through.

08:26I didn't find that as difficult.

08:29I was just so entrenched in it,

08:30and just wanted to make sure that I was honoring Willie

08:34and his legacy, so people who knew him and understood him

08:37can see Willie in sort of cinematic history

08:40to some degree, you know?

08:43And I just wanted to honor the man.

08:44But I felt him.

08:46I felt his presence.

08:48I felt like I could be Willie,

08:49and I was Willie at times, for sure.

08:51Shit.

08:53Shit.

08:58Stand right now.

08:59Stand back!

09:00Get away from me!

09:01I quit.

09:02I think you're better than me.

09:04This is the best job I know.

09:06I'll apologize now.

09:10You cannot buy my forgiveness, Willie.

Category

Transcript

Recommended