Aaron Dean Eisenberg explains his approach to playing Ric Flair.
"The Iron Claw" opened to strong reviews from critics and fans, both who knew the story going in and those who didn't. One of the biggest criticisms from wrestling fans who saw the film was Aaron Dean Eisenberg's portrayal of Ric Flair.
Speaking on Man Cave Chronicles, Eisenberg explained his position.
"It's been interesting. I feel Flair is definitely an idol for some people, so they really hold him in high regard and sort of expect a certain thing for him. I've gotten a lot of love, but also a lot of hate, which is very new for me. It's certainly a polarizing performance," he said.
Eisenberg previously worked with "Iron Claw" director Sean Durkin on "Dead Ringers."
"When I read the script, my first thought was, 'this is a hell of a lot of work for not a ton on the page. I'm going to have to put on a lot of weight in a short amount of time, and I'm going to have to study a lot for not that much.' I did some research on Flair, I watched a bunch of his promos, and I jumped on the phone with Sean. I said, 'I know this is your baby. You've been trying to get this made for ten years. Feel free to tell me to fuck off, but I have an idea that would make this role feel more worthwhile.' 'What is it?' I've watched a bunch of this guy's promos, maybe we could throw a promo in there.' He was open to the idea. I gathered a bunch of links, I sent him a bunch of links to late 70s, early 80s promos, and he fell in love with it. He ended up incorporating that into the film. It's cool because he added other promos to the film," said Aaron.
When asked how he approached the role of Ric Flair, Aaron replied, "My first initial thought, which I stuck with and Sean agreed with, we weren't going to go for an impersonation. I just felt like there was so much out there on the internet impersonating him in a really great way. It didn't feel like a mimicry of him would fit into that moment of the film and into that world of the film. My approach was, how do I get down this guy's essence and his energy and understand him and what he's doing, in and out of the ring? Just figure out his energy and reasons for things. Stay away from doing any kind of impression. A lot of it, for me, was about the stakes for the Von Erichs because of their relationship to their father and what it meant to the family to get this belt. It felt like the stakes were so high for them, that my take on it became a more serious thing than Flair was in real life. It was a darker take on him."
When asked if he ever spoke to Flair about the role, Aaron said the timing never worked out for them to connect.
"We never got ahold of each other. When we were doing some of the wrestling training with Chavo [Chavo Guerrero Jr], Chavo reached out to Ric, and I think he was, in typical Flair fashion, literally flying on private jets all over the place. It was probably in the thick of promoting stuff. We had such a small window. When I got the offer for the role, I had eight weeks and I didn't meet Chavo until a couple of weeks before we were shooting. How am I going to access Flair otherwise? Via the movie was the only possible way to get to him, and by the time we were there, it was too late," he said.
Asked what his biggest challenge was, Aaron replied, "I had to eat a lot of food. I had to put on a ton of weight. It's his energy. It's exhausting. I wouldn't be surprised if I never play another role with as much energy as him. This guy was doing hundreds of matches a year, pouring double digits amount of alcohol all the time. Hypersexually active, and was in a grueling and physical sport. He did this non-stop for decades, thrusted out hundreds of those promos at a 12. By far, the most challenging part of that was, how do I get an ounce of this guy's vigor?"
Aaron said that the physical aspect of wrestling in the film was easier than the promo aspect.
He then addressed backlash from wrestling fans.
"I've had a decent amount of wrestling fans reach out very aggressively and they seem furious with the portrayal. I've been doing my best to try to understand their perspective. I think at the end of the day, they really wanted a very accurate impersonation. When they saw this guy that they hold in such high regard portrayed in a way that is different than their idea or their memory of him, they became furious. I understand that to a degree. I wish they understood that it's not an impersonation, it's a dramatization of a historical character. I did what I thought best served the film and would best honor Ric. It's been challenging. It's been challenging that, not all of, I know Chavo was a big supporter and I know a bunch of other big wrestlers have come out and supported it also, but it's been a bummer that a subsection of the wrestling community has been like...it made them mad. It feels like it pissed them off. I just wish they understood what it was as opposed to thinking I went for a mimic of Ric Flair and I missed," he said.
Aaron said that the studio, directors he respects, and his peers loved his portrayal of Flair.
He closed by saying, "I'm really proud of it. I worked really really really hard. At the end of the day, I'm an artist. A lot of the times, good artists are polarizing and divisive. It's certainly new. Some of it is funny. It doesn't make me doubt myself or change my opinion of what I did, but it saddens me that they are upset. You want to honor the wrestling fans. Of course you want them to be happy about it. At the end of the day, I wouldn't change what I did. I wouldn't change it. I stand behind it. I love what I did.
"I'll say this to the wrestling fans. I hear you. I'm sorry it's not an impersonation. I'm sorry that you didn't like what I did. I stand behind what I did. I respect the hell out of Flair. All I wanted to do was honor the dude. I'm sorry I missed the mark for you, but I stand behind what I did."
Ryan Nemeth, who played Gino Hernandez in the film, defended Eisenberg's performance. You can find his full comments by clicking here.
"The Iron Claw" opened in theaters on December 22 and has grossed over $13 million at the box office.
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