A Unique Journey into the World of Beast
Daniel MacPherson, known for his dynamic performances on screen, is a character who radiates warmth off camera. Speaking from a Miami hotel, the actor maintains his Australian roots, often using phrases like “mate” in conversation. When a gift arrives at his door during their chat, he ensures the audience is included, proudly informing the hotel staff: “I’m on the phone to Australia!” before expressing deep gratitude and returning to the discussion about his new film, Beast.
The movie features Daniel alongside Russell Crowe and Luke Hemsworth. In Beast, he plays Patton James, a character who reluctantly returns to the MMA cage to earn money and support his growing family. At 46 years old, Daniel reflects on the intense preparation required for this role, the pressures that drive his character, and why Beast cannot be faked.
Training for the Role
When asked about his training as an MMA fighter for the role, Daniel shared:
“It took no deliberation at all. It’s an absolute no-brainer. It was the end of 2022 that I got the role, so I started training then. Because it’s an indie film – and with securing finance and scheduling, and Russell’s availability – thankfully, the film was on-again off-again for almost three years before we got started. And so I was able to train throughout that entire period.”
Real Fights, Real Pain
Daniel also discussed the authenticity of the fight scenes:
“They were! Bren Foster, who plays champion MMA fighter Xavier Grau, is an extraordinary actor, but also an extraordinary martial artist. We sat down prior to starting filming… we wanted to make the most intense and realistic and authentic MMA action ever seen on cinema. And that was a pretty ambitious statement from a couple of guys from Sydney, one of whom wasn’t a fighter. It was one of the few movies where every day I had to go in and get my real bruises and my real cuts covered up, and then put on the fake ones for continuity. You can’t fake it – it wasn’t that kind of movie.”
The Primal Story of Family and Identity
The film tells a very primal tale of wanting to fight for your family. Daniel explained:
“Tyler [Atkins, the director] and I really wanted to tell a story of a man fighting to reclaim his identity and his purpose. I think that’s something that was really relatable to myself and a lot of friends. And we felt particularly relatable with friends of ours transitioning out of life in sport or life in the military, or where they’ve had this real sense of identity earlier in life, and then can get a little bit lost and wayward – you know, a little bit later with the pressures of life and family.”
Embracing Anger and Motivation
Daniel also spoke about the emotional journey portrayed on screen:
“There was a great synergy of this sort of being a breakout or breakthrough role into a new area of my career. So there was a time to exercise any kind of frustration or angst or prove any doubters wrong. And any of that is simply motivation for me, whether it’s right or wrong, whether it’s all in my head or not. But, you know, ‘F–k you’ is a great motivator!”
A Memorable Scene
When asked about a scene he was proud of, Daniel highlighted:
“My favourite moment, I think, is the scene opposite Russell in his office. I mean, the opening four minutes of the film was when we all realised we had something really, really special, and the film pretty much sold around the world in the opening four minutes. But, for me, the heart of the film is Patton and Sammy (Crowe) sitting in that office reconciling their differences in an emotional moment. I still get quite emotional watching that scene. It’s a father-and-son scene. It mirrors a little bit of mine and Russell’s sort of mentee-mentor kind of relationship.”
Beast is now in cinemas from Thu., Apr. 23.
