Antoine Fuqua's vision for boxing drama Southpaw is the subject of a new behind-the-scenes featurette from The Weinstein Co. featuring interviews with the filmmaker and his stars, Jake Gyllenhaal and Rachel McAdams. The movie opens in theaters Friday.
"Boxing is something I love. I train every day and am with boxers all the time. I find them to be the most vulnerable athletes of all because they leave a piece of themselves in the ring every time. That one punch in the right spot, it 's a wrap, go home early," explains Fuqua (Training Day, The Equalizer). "And you can die in the ring."
Fuqua said he wanted to capture that intensity by making Southpaw, starring Gyllenhaal as the Billy "The Great" Hope, a light heavyweight champion whose life crumbles around him after tragedy strikes his family.