Quinton Jackson Turns To Acting
Recently, news sources have confirmed long-standing rumors that Quinton “Rampage” Jackson will be taking on the role of B.A. Baracus in the upcoming film adaptation of “The A Team.” This role should be one of the biggest for an MMA fighter, and will be seen by many people as further evidence of the UFC’s growing popularity.
MMA fighters are no strangers to film or television roles, but the roles given to MMA fighters have been improving.
Rich Franklin and Stephan Bonnar have both had starring roles in their own movies. However, the films “Cyborg Soldier” and “Ultimate Champion” weren’t exactly box office hits.
Other fighters have joined direct-to-video movie king Hector Echevaria in films like “Death Warrior” and “Never Surrender.”
Fans of particular fighters may have been happy to see their heroes in films, but films like those weren’t going to raise the profile of MMA fighters. Nobody saw those films in theaters, and if you were watching the movies at home, you probably were renting them because you really wanted to see your favorite fighter take on an acting role.
If you were buying those films, well, then you must really be a hardcore fan.
Other fighters have had small cameos in bigger budget films, like Keith Jardine’s cameo in Crank 2, or the many small roles filled by Chuck Liddell.
Gina Carano has also had some roles, including a videogame role in Command and Conquer.
The biggest film roles to date for MMA fighters have been ones played by Cung Le, Roger Huerta, and Randy Couture.
Huerta will be featured in an upcoming film adaptation of the videogame Tekken.
Cung Le and Randy Couture have already both had many small film roles, but are about to get a whole lot more exposure.
Le will be in Tekken, but also has had a small role in the Channing Tatem vehicle “Fighting” and “Pandorum,” starring Dennis Quaid.
Couture has been in the art film “Redbelt, the direct-to video release of “Scorpion King 2.” However, Couture’s role in the Sylvester Stalone film “The Expendables” is likely to receive the most public attention, as the film is loaded with action movie stars, and seems destined to be a big money maker when it is released next summer.
The choice to pursue an acting career makes a lot of sense for fighters like Cung Le, and Randy Couture. Both fighters are nearing the end of the age when they can compete in mixed martial arts, and are going to need new challenges.
However, one wonders if they aren’t also a little bit old to be beginning their film careers. Especially when there are already a lot of credible-looking tough guys like Mickey Rourke who have far more acting experience.
Quinton Jackson’s situation is a little bit different.
At 31, Jackson is still in his prime as a fighter. In fact, should he win his next fight against Rashad Evans, he would likely be guaranteed a title shot.
However, the filming of the A Team movie might yet derail Jackson’s fighting career. Rampage was supposed to be fighting Rashad Evans in December. Due to filming, Rampage Jackson will likely have to move the fight to a later date, which would make his layoff from his previous fight nearly an entire year.
Such a long layoff is unlikely to be beneficial for his fight preparation.
Jackson already has a history with long layoffs. Injuries and his stint on The Ultimate Fighter, opposite Forrest Griffin resulted in the longest layoff in Jackson’s career. He blames the layoff for his loss against Griffin.
After the fight with Griffin, Quinton Jackson actually went on a rampage through the streets, resulting in an arrest, and time in a mental health institution for observation.
I hope that Rampage has gained the mental strength required to pull him through the distractions of a film career, and continue fighting successfully.
I can’t really blame him for choosing to take on such a large role though, as it is an opportunity to make a lot of money in a way that is a lot less taxing on the body than fighting professionally. Ultimately it was too good of an opportunity to pass up.
I just hope that other fighters don’t make the same decision, and that Quinton Jackson’s decision doesn’t become a trend. I think it would be a minor tragedy if fighters like Georges St.Pierre walked away from fighting early, in order to pursue acting.
Tags: Chuck Liddell, Forrest Griffin, Keith Jardine, Quinton Jackson, Randy Couture, Rashad Evans, Rich Franklin, Stephan Bonnar, UFC
