Sylvester Stallone (SS)<\/strong>: Actually, I had no intentions of doing this. It was something I thought was absurd. No one wants to see another boxing film, especially when you\u2019re 160-years-old. (laughs) But then Robert called me, and we talked a lot about it with the studios heads, and they convinced me that I was completely wrong.<\/p>\n
Robert De Niro (RDN)<\/strong>: I liked the idea of us doing it. That was it. (laughs) But we had never talked about it. The idea came from Pete Segal, who I met at a party around a year earlier. Then it started, and then we started talking about it.<\/p>\n Peter Segal (PS)<\/strong>: What attracted these guys to it was, obviously, we are winking at their iconography. I\u2019m always attracted to stories that straddle comedy and drama, and I knew that this was, obviously, going to be a funny movie. But I also knew the fight had to be taken seriously for it to work. There were really only two people who could do that-these two guys.<\/p>\n There was good and bad aspects of getting this green-lit. The good part was we knew who had to be in this movie. The bad part was if we didn\u2019t get those guys, there would be no movie. Bob has had a little more experience lately, winking at \u2018The Godfather\u2019 with \u2018Analyze This.\u2019 So I had to convince Sly this was a way to do a really interesting story, without holding a gun and killing someone.<\/p>\n Q: The storyline centers on aging as well as staying in shape. What are your thoughts about that?<\/p>\n SS<\/strong>: I\u2019ve always enjoyed working out, but this thing was pretty extraordinary. We got to prove that you don\u2019t have to be crawling around at a certain age, or that you\u2019re obliged to start winding down. Plus I think a lot of people, as they reach 60 and above, think, I have some unfinished business.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, life does not afford you the opportunity to go back and right the wrong. So this is the beauty of fantasy and imagination-to be able to have these guys go and correct the moment in their life that will make their life feel somewhat fulfilled. That\u2019s the fantasy, and I think that\u2019s where the empathy comes in with the audience.<\/p>\n Q: Sylvester and Robert, back when you made \u2018Rocky\u2019 and \u2018Raging Bull,\u2019 if somebody asked you if you thought you\u2019d still be doing this at this age, what would your answer have been?<\/p>\n SS<\/strong>: I would have punched him. I would\u2019ve said, \u201cAre you crazy?\u201d (laughs) No, when we started out, there was \u2018Rocky,\u2019 and that was it. I didn\u2019t know \u2018Rocky\u2019 would just keep going. So the answer is no. Q: Sylvester, what did you think of \u2018Raging Bull,\u2019 and Robert, what did you think of \u2018Rocky?\u2019<\/p>\n SS<\/strong>: I never saw his movie.<\/p>\n RDN<\/strong>: I never saw his, either. (laughs)<\/p>\n SS<\/strong>: \u2018Raging Bull\u2019 is probably one of the most brilliant biographies of all time. It\u2019s just incredible and timeless, and Bob gave a great perfect performance.<\/p>\n RDN<\/strong>: They\u2019re two different styles of films. \u2018Rocky\u2019 was very well done, and in all honesty, with the ones I saw in the series, I was impressed with what Sylvester had done as a craftsman.<\/p>\n Q: What kind of training did you go through for \u2018Grudge Match?\u2019<\/p>\n SS<\/strong>: The training was hard.<\/p>\n RDN<\/strong>: I worked with the same trainer Sylvester has worked with for about 10 years, and he was great, and a big help. In fact, we also used him in \u2018Hands of Stone\u2019 (in which De Niro has been cast as Robert Duran\u2019s trainer, Ray Arcel).<\/p>\n Q: Was there any rivalry in the training sessions?<\/p>\n SS<\/strong>: Oh, I couldn\u2019t wait to fight Bob. I thought, since \u2018Raging Bull,\u2019 he\u2019s crossed the line!<\/p>\n But the way we trained here, it was like if you were casting the lead in the \u2018Nutcracker Suite\u2019 or \u2018Swan Lake,\u2019 and you don\u2019t get to see your lead dancer until the curtain goes up. He had to train on the East Coast and I had to train on the West Coast. We couldn\u2019t get together, so by the time we finally got in the ring together, I was thinking, \u201cOh, God, I hope he looks good, I hope he can punch.\u201d<\/p>\n With the \u2018Rocky\u2019 films, we had about five or six months of preparation, and you\u2019re working every day. But we didn\u2019t have that opportunity on this film, so I have to give Bob a little credit for his professionalism.<\/p>\n RDN<\/strong>: I worked as hard as I could to get to the point where we would meet. Sylvester choreographed it and laid it out, and my trainer would come over and we would work on it. Then we got together and worked for a couple of days, and we worked it out. Sylvester made it all happen. I was just following him.<\/p>\n Kim Basinger (KB): Kevin, why don\u2019t you talk about our trainer?<\/p>\n Kevin Hart (KH)<\/strong>: He was a guy in North Dakota. (laughs) I was pissed off because I actually worked out and I never got to take my shirt off. That threw me for a loop. I was promised a scene. It didn\u2019t happen at all so I wasted my time, with my trainer in North Dakota.<\/p>\n Q: Kevin, you have a supporting role in the film. Can you talk about starring in the movie with the rest of the cast?<\/p>\n KH<\/strong>: I think I\u2019m up here as a student of the game with a bunch of stars, from Sly to Bobby to Alan to Kim. I was in great company, and a kid in a candy store. I starred with people I\u2019ve admired for a long time, and had successful careers. For me, it was about sitting back and watching how they work, and appreciating how they approach the craft. Spending o much time with these guys was a dream come true. It makes you feel good, when you\u2019re in good company. That\u2019s what \u2018Grudge Match\u2019 was to me.<\/p>\n SS<\/strong>: What really made this thing fly is the inspired casting of Kevin Hart. It really brought in a whole new demographic. It\u2019s one thing to see grumpy old men fight. You bring in Kevin Hart and I\u2019s like, wow.<\/p>\n Also, what\u2019s great about Alan is that he can yawn, and it would be funny. He\u2019s yawning now. (laughs)<\/p>\n Q: Kim, the film focuses on the rivalry between the guys. What was the experience of working with these legends, and being the only woman on the set?<\/p>\n KB<\/strong>: I\u2019m the only girl there, so it was great. It was quite a ride because they work differently and they\u2019re both hilarious. So I had a really great experience making the film. Our characters all hated each other in the beginning of the story, so it was fun working out not hating each other by the end of the movie. Stallone\u2019s a jokester. De Niro\u2019s quiet and sneaky. (laughs) He has different layers.<\/p>\n Q: It was great watching all these edgy characters interact with each other. For the cast, what did you enjoy most about your roles?<\/p>\n Alan Arkin (AA)<\/strong>: For the past five years, I\u2019ve been playing characters very much like this. These days I ask, on what page do I go into the adult home, and what page do I die? (laughs) I make it to page 84, okay. (laughs) This guy had a sense of humor, which I really liked. That aspect took away from the other characters who I\u2019ve played, who don\u2019t have a sense of humor.<\/p>\n I also got to listen to this guy (gestures to Stallone) complain non-stop in the make-up chair every morning. People want to go to the movies to see characters who have issues.<\/p>\n KH<\/strong>: I got a chance to play a jackass. I was a fast talking con artist, almost myself (laughs); very close to who I am. So it was a no-brainer for me. I got to cuss Sly, which is good. One take, I got to say \u2018shit\u2019 to his face. In my mind, I felt like I won a fight. I called my dad afterward and said, \u201cI just said shit to Sylvester Stallone.\u201d (laughs) It was good. Dante\u2019s like any promoter in boxing; it\u2019s all about the business and yourself.<\/p>\n
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\nRDN<\/strong>: No, I didn\u2019t even know if I\u2019d be around, but I\u2019m glad I am.<\/p>\n
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