Joel Kinnaman talks the tone & physical rigors of playing Robocop

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Jose Padilha’s ROBOCOP doesn’t come out for over a year, but that isn’t stopping the early promo onslaught. Like the poster we saw this morning, expect to see more goodies from the flick yielded at Comic-Con. In the meantime, star Joel Kinnaman had a few insightful things to say about the bold rehash, touching on everything from the tone to the physical rigors of playing the titular cyborg. If interested, peep what he had to say below!

While speaking to The Playlist, Kinnaman addressed many a topic:

“[Director] José [Padilha] is an actor’s director. When I met with him, I was already a big fan of his because of ‘Elite Squad,’ but I wasn’t one hundred percent sure what the remake would be like. It could go any number of ways. But when I heard his version, his take, I knew it would be realistic. It would be grounded. If you look at his movies, they’re serious and gritty, so it will have that quality, but it won’t be deadly serious. It will have a satirical quality, and it will have throwbacks to the original. It’s going to have that wink in the eye, but we’re not looking to replicate the Verhoeven tone.”

About the physical aspect of the role:

“I can’t gain that much weight, because they already took measurements for the suit. It would be very snug if I gained too much. I mean, I gained a bit because I’m getting strong and working on balance, and doing boxing and martial arts, but it’s more about finding a center where I can be in control of my body and open up my movement. So I need to be in very good shape for that.”

And about doing his own stuntwork:

“I would like to be able to do as many of my own stunts where I can. Alex Murphy has one level of skill, but RoboCop handles situations differently, so I need to do both…I actually hit a 190-yard shot on film.” Good shite!

Sounds like Kinnaman and Padilha are on the same page, always a key to success. Stay tuned for more out of Comic-Con.

Co-star Abbie Cornish