In our final interview for Uppercut, we chat with Jordan E. Cooper about his role as the boxer Payne and working with director Torsten Ruether.
Today we’re going to be discussing your latest movie, Uppercut, where you play Payne Harris. What was it that appealed to you about the script?
It was really the chance, especially as an actor, to be able to stretch myself and to do something that I’ve never done before and really be able to stretch my body. And really, I love action films. So, to be able to jump in and be able to train in that way was something that I just lived for. And then also, specifically the story that Torsten was telling and this kind of reimagining that he’s doing for an American audience. I just thought it was a really, really nice story of persistence and self-determination, which is something that I think we all need today in the world.
Oh, that’s for sure, yeah. How would you describe Payne as a character, and do you see any of yourself in him?
Oh, absolutely. I think Payne is kind of hard-headed and he’s also very persistent and he’s never going to take no for an answer. I think I’m very similar in that way. If something drops inside of me and it’s a yes, then it’s going to stay a yes, no matter how many no’s I hear. And he’s very much that. And his whole thing in the film in the beginning is really to get this character, to get Louie’s character to see him and to be like, no, notice me. You know, the same way that she wanted to be noticed by Ving Rhames’ character. And you really get a chance to follow her journey of not only her falling in and out of love with the form, but also, you know, her being able to take people under her wing and try her best to make a new name for herself in a new level.
How was working with director Torsten? It was great. It was great.
Torsten’s awesome. He’s very clear in his vision, but also, very flexible and allows the storytelling to breathe, you know what I mean? To realize that there’s real people occupying this thing. And so that’s really all you can ask for as an actor, as a director who listens and also pushes and also can get exactly what they want while also allowing you to find your own paintbrushes within it.
Yeah. So you’re able to improvise?
A little bit in some areas. Yeah, a little bit. It was cool to be able to really feel it in my bones and be able to move how paint would move and how he would feel.
I was hearing that the production had all kinds of complications with the strikes. How did that affect you?
Yeah, it was a crazy time because it was delayed for such a long time because of the strikes. And then finally we were able to, you know, go back in and make it happen, which was interesting because I was training for like six months before we started shooting. And then when the strike happened, it was like, oh, okay, I can take a, you know, I don’t have to go to the gym two times. And maybe I can eat this chocolate cake. And maybe, you know what I mean? And then you get that email, it’s like, oh, we’re starting back in a few weeks. It’s like, all right, time to snap back into it.
So, every day is a cheat day.
(laughs) Yeah, right, right.
How do you prepare mentally to step into Payne’s shoes just before you start playing him?
Yeah, I think I would prepare by getting back into that I’m in the corner of the ring move. My goal is to box myself out literally and figuratively and to really jump into this, like, this kind of determination. But also he likes to show off or like showmanship that sometimes his showmanship can overwhelm his actual ability to stay focused. And that’s the thing to carry in mind as well in the middle of it.
I understand that Torsten likes to do long takes. How do you handle the long hours on set? Are you just constantly going over it in your head?
Yeah, going over it in my head and then also I come from theatre. So that’s one long take the whole night, every night, you know what I mean? It’s also refreshing too, because that’s kind of what I mean when I say he allows the humanity to enter, because the camera keeps going. You have to stay present, you have to stay real. How would this person react in this moment? Also in that fight scene, that big fight scene that I have, it was a doozy. My body was so over me after we wrapped. My body was cussing me out. But it was so beautiful to be able to challenge myself in that way. And because the thing about action film is you’re choreographing, but you’re slowly choreographing when you do it, right? So it’s like, okay, uppercut here, duck here, move here. All these things. But then the minute Torsten says action, it’s bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah. So, if you don’t duck when you’re supposed to duck, you definitely gonna get hit and it becomes very real.
By the time you’d finished this role, did you learn anything about yourself from playing Payne?
Oh, yes, absolutely. I learned what my own determination can do, and how I can stretch myself. The stamina that that role required was something that I’ve never had to unlock before. So, to be able to unlock it just told me that, oh, I could do a lot of other things if I wanted to do this.
Are there any real life inspirations for Payne?
Growing up where I grew up in Texas, it’s a very athlete centered state, being able to grow up around a lot of men like that, a lot of young men who the world felt like it was against them. And it’s like the only way that I can truly prove that I’m worthy or that I belong is through sports. For a lot of young men, that’s the thing that shows them their worth. And I think Payne is a character who’s kind of searching for his worth in the sport. I really tried to pour a lot of that into the character and we see the results of that when we watch the film.
Generally, what do you look for whenever a script comes on your desk? What do you look for to be interested in a project?
I look for how is it going to stretch me? How’s it going to challenge me? How’s it going to feel like something that I haven’t done before? And feel like a story worth telling for me, and I think this was one film where I really got a chance to stretch and I really got a chance to challenge myself and see if I can be that disciplined and see if I can be that determined to tell a story like this. It just whet my appetite to do more action for sure.
How would you like the film to resonate with audiences?
Yeah, I think just reminding people to go for it. You’re going to have your ups and your downs. You’re going to have people looking at you crazy when you say, “I want to do this thing and this is what I’m meant to do”. But it’s just always, if it’s dropped inside of you, you have to see it to pass. You have to see it come true and ultimately, it’s up to you and nobody else around you to approve of you or to say, “I like you” or to say, “I believe in you”. You have to believe in yourself, because once you do that, you teach other people to believe in you.
What do you have coming up next?
Yeah, now I have Freaky Friday. I’m in Freaky Friday 2, which is now Freakier Friday with Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan and that’s coming out on August 8th. So definitely be on the lookout for that.
We’ll keep an eye out for you in any more action roles as well.
Absolutely.
All right. Well, pleasure chatting with you and best luck with the upcoming films as well and chat to you again.
Yes, sir. Thank you.
UPPERCUT will be in Theaters, On Demand and On Digital February 28, 2025