In BLEED FOR THIS, Miles Teller takes on the role of real life boxer Vinny Pazienza. It is a true tale of near tragedy leading to triumph, and that’s the kind of story I love to hear. Directed by Ben Younger, there is much to appreciate including a number of terrific performances. Aside from Teller really stepping up and making us care about Vinny, you also have Aaron Eckhart and Katey Sagal, both are truly talented and add a level of class to this biographical sports flick.
We recently had the opportunity to speak to this great cast. When it comes to the leading man, I’ve always dug Miles Teller; and this may be one of his best performances. The actor takes on Vinny and is perfectly believable as a boxer facing near impossible odds. Miles talked about training for the film, and whether or not he ever saw himself playing a sports figure early on in his career. Of course, after his work in WHIPLASH, I’m not at all surprised to see him taking on even more challenging roles.
Katey Sagal may once again be playing a mom, but the fact is, every mom role she takes is far more layered than what audiences usually see from other actresses in similar situations. During our conversation she discussed the differences between her work here, as opposed to Gemma in Sons of Anarchy. The actress gives Louise Pazienza a level of unexpected strength, and it is a far different role from what we’ve seen her take on before.
Now the second I stepped in to talk with the incredible Aaron Eckhart, he had some fun with the name JoBlo.com. Hell, he enjoyed the name of our site so much he even told another journalist friend of mine that he got to talk to a guy from JoBlo! Here is the deal with Aaron, the guy is so very talented, yet he comes across as shockingly down-to-earth. During our conversation, he discussed playing a trainer, and working with Miles. The actor is especially convincing here, and it is always a pleasure chatting with Mr. Eckhart.
Finally, we finished off the junket with director Ben Younger. It was nice to once again chat with Ben, and this is certainly a good film to talk about. The director discussed the real Vinny, and just how he worked with Miles to realistically bring the iconic figure to life on the big screen. The filmmaker clearly had a lot of love for this tale. And he did one hell of a job on recreating some of the real life fights portrayed in the film.
BLEED FOR THIS opens this Friday at a theatre near you.
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