That was just the beginning of what producer Bill Gerber calls “a fantastic cast.” He says, “The great thing about this movie is we got every first choice that we went after for each role.”
In “Grudge Match,” De Niro and Stallone play Billy “The Kid” McDonnen and Henry “Razor” Sharp, two local Pittsburgh fighters whose fierce rivalry put them in the national spotlight. Each had scored a victory against the other during their heyday, but in 1983, on the eve of their decisive third match, Razor suddenly announced his retirement, refusing to explain why but effectively delivering a knock-out punch to both their careers. Thirty years later, boxing promoter Dante Slate, Jr., seeing big dollar signs, makes them an offer they can’t refuse: to re-enter the ring and settle the score once and for all.
Kevin Hart: It is Hart’s character, Dante Slate, Jr., who is the catalyst that sets the story into motion. Hart was perfect for the role of the fast-talking son of the flamboyant, late boxing promoter Dante Slate, Sr. Dante Jr. didn’t inherit any money from his father, but he did inherit his famous name—and hustler instincts.
Alan Arkin: Director Segal says Razor’s relationship with his longtime friend and former boxing trainer, Louis “Lightning” Conlon, played by Arkin, was adjusted to nurture the father-son elements. The director, who had worked with Arkin on the 2008 film “Get Smart,” reached out to the actor to see if he would be interested in the role.
Surprisingly, during his 50 years as an actor, Arkin had never met nor worked with either De Niro or Stallone before. “It’s always a surprise. Every time I think I know somebody from looking at their work twenty times, I end up having my mouth down to my knees. I had no idea what to expect, working with icons like Sly and Bob.”
The veteran actor was duly impressed. “I’ve never seen anybody work so hard in my life,” says Arkin about Stallone. “He’s 150 years old,” he jokes, “and he doesn’t stop! He just doesn’t stop.”
Jon Bernthal: As Kid struggles with his diet and workout routine, he quickly finds no one at the Killshot Gym believes in him. No one is really helping Kid, until a young man comes in and starts offering some advice. When he introduces himself, he tells him, “I’m your son.”
Actor Jon Bernthal reveals that at first, the filmmakers “weren’t exactly sure about what they wanted from BJ. Did his estrangement from his father mean that he couldn’t be like him? I thought it would be interesting to put energy into having BJ be the same kind of a guy as Kid, with the same sense of humor and aggression, and the same way of handling himself. But the fundamental difference between these characters is that, where Kid had a son and bailed, BJ sticks around and raises his son on his own. That’s the role of his life, being a father, and it’s something that he believes in very much.”
BJ proved to be the film’s only casting search. Not only did the actor need to resemble De Niro, but the character had some of the most dramatic scenes in what was otherwise a comedy film.
Bernthal says he was aware of the familiarity. “I had heard a few times before shooting that I looked like him, and I’m just glad the powers that be agreed.”
Opening across the Philippines in Jan. 15, 2014, “Grudge Match” will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.