IR Interview: Robert Kolodny & James Madio For “The Featherweight” [MTuckman Media]
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.
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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,
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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!
09:00Get 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.