NEWS: Mick Foley Starring in New Movie; New Foley Book to Be Released Soon
NEWS: 3-Time WWE Champion Mick Foley will star in a new dramatic wrestling film entitled ChokeSlam. Foley plays the role of Patrick in the recently released dramatic comedy. Patrick is a veteran regional wrestling promoter that helped to launch the career of Sheena DeWilde (Amanda Crew). Foley recently sat down with Postmedia Network and gave the following interview regarding ChokeSlam:
Chokeslam is a romantic comedy centred around the world of professional wrestling. How did you get involved in this film? Nattie Neidhart (WWE Superstar Natalya) reached out to me. She said she was familiar with the production. So you can thank Nattie for my involvement.
There are a lot of different roles on your professional resume: wrestler, New York Times best-selling author. Is acting a new to add to the list? Acting isn't new. I've been doing it since 1998. I've just been waiting for fun projects to come up. I did get tired going to casting calls to basically play the redneck bouncer or the redneck bodyguard. I just got to wait for something to come along where the production actively wants me to be part of what they're doing.
You're used to performing on a stage in front of a large crowd. Does acting come natural to you, coming from a pro wrestling background? It's not that much different. You have to learn to corral in your expressions. I have very expressive eyebrows that works well in wrestling. Not as well on a big screen. So, you have to rein things in. That's a lesson that (WWE Hall of Famer and Haven star) Edge taught me. All of us are used to projecting to the upper rows (of an arena). We have to rein it in for motion pictures.
The cameras are there in your face, so you don't have to play up facial expressions as much. It's a study in minutiae. I did a role with Willem Dafoe. It didn't look like he was doing anything. Then you'd watch it back and he had all these amazing, intricate expressions. I contrast that with Vince McMahon who displays fear with a huge gulp. Both styles work, they just work well in their own worlds.
Amanda Crew mentioned in an interview recently that you were involved in training some of the actors. Besides portraying Patrick, how actively involved were you with the film? I was only on set for a few days. I wouldn't have been actively involved in Amanda's training. Each day I was there, she gave up her lunch hour to work in the ring and really absorbed everything she could. I can't tell you how much I respect that. She wanted to know as much as she possibly could. I spent every lunch hour talking to Amanda and giving her pointers in the ring.
The character of Patrick has a lot of similarities to Mick Foley. How much of that character is similar to you, aside from physical characteristics (such as wearing red flannel and having a missing ear)? Patrick is a shady (wrestling) promoter with a heart. I was very happy that the Chokeslam team was open to improvisation. I would just say, "Hey, would you mind taking this in a different direction?" They were always open to ideas. I think that makes for a great atmosphere. I was impressed with the depth of the cast. There were some really talented people there. Every scene I did, I was working with people that were much better at what they did than I was. (laughs).
There was one scene when Patrick is sitting around the table and telling a story about how he was in the main event of a sold-out show with the strap (championship belt). Was that an example of improv? That's a long-standing joke. If I get together with Steve Austin and a few guys from my era (of wrestling), we'd almost immediately talk about the time we worked on top (of the card) and we sold out (the show) and we had the strap. No one ever says, "Yeah, I remember working in front of a small crowd on the bottom of the card." I think stories are always best when they're slightly, if not greatly, exaggerated. Tip of the cap to the guys that paved the road in wrestling. I'll go on record as saying the very first thing (wrestler) Kevin Hash will say to me when he sees me at Wrestlemania this weekend is: "Yeah, I was working on top. I had the strap. We sold it out."
ChokeSlam is currently screening in select Canadian theaters. Foley is a very busy man and also putting finishing touches on his latest book entitled Saint Mick. Saint Mick is set for release on October 17th; but, is currently available for pre-order on Amazon. A picture of Foley's new book appears below, as does an official press release from Mick's publisher: Polis Books, and a trailer from his new film ChokeSlam.
Polis Books is proud to announce the upcoming publication of Saint Mick by beloved author and wrestler Mick Foley. Jason Pinter at Polis acquired World rights for publication in October 2017. Featuring many never-before-seen photos, Saint Mick is part jolly memoir, part whimsical ode to a lifetime love affair with Christmas, and part tribute to the power of finding the best part of oneself in the unlikeliest of places. After a lifetime of putting his body on the line to entertain his dozens (and dozens!) of fans, the Hardcore Legend is paying the price—physically and emotionally. When the final bell on Mick's career tolls—in a neurologist's office rather than the ring—the future is far from merry and bright. Until hope and redemption come when Mick is given the chance to become Santa Claus—not dress up, not pretend, but become Santa. Mick takes us inside the secret world of the Santa subculture, where "real-bearded Santas" and "traditional" or "mystical" Santas are often at odds as to who makes the better red-suited ambassadors. Along the way, Mick worries that he will be excommunicated from the Santa world for everything from his Santa character being run over on Christmas Eve on television, his intentional breaking of "The Santa Claus Oath" by promising toys to families in need, to his participation in a controversial Santa Claus documentary. Mick learns valuable lessons about the real power and responsibility of the red suit, and that success as Santa comes not by appearing in front of millions on TV, but by touching hearts and creating "Santa moments" for the young and the young at heart. Mick Foley is a #1 New York Times bestselling author, a WWE Hall of Famer, and the author of numerous books for children. He has appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Good Morning America, Fox News, and The Today Show. He was featured in a story on ABC's World News Tonight for his work as an online volunteer with RAINN, the nation's largest anti-sexual assault organization. Foley was also recognized for his work with RAINN at the famous "Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear" – where he was awarded the Medal of Reasonableness from Daily Show host Jon Stewart. Follow him at @RealMickFoley.
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Chokeslam is a romantic comedy centred around the world of professional wrestling. How did you get involved in this film? Nattie Neidhart (WWE Superstar Natalya) reached out to me. She said she was familiar with the production. So you can thank Nattie for my involvement.
There are a lot of different roles on your professional resume: wrestler, New York Times best-selling author. Is acting a new to add to the list? Acting isn't new. I've been doing it since 1998. I've just been waiting for fun projects to come up. I did get tired going to casting calls to basically play the redneck bouncer or the redneck bodyguard. I just got to wait for something to come along where the production actively wants me to be part of what they're doing.
You're used to performing on a stage in front of a large crowd. Does acting come natural to you, coming from a pro wrestling background? It's not that much different. You have to learn to corral in your expressions. I have very expressive eyebrows that works well in wrestling. Not as well on a big screen. So, you have to rein things in. That's a lesson that (WWE Hall of Famer and Haven star) Edge taught me. All of us are used to projecting to the upper rows (of an arena). We have to rein it in for motion pictures.
The cameras are there in your face, so you don't have to play up facial expressions as much. It's a study in minutiae. I did a role with Willem Dafoe. It didn't look like he was doing anything. Then you'd watch it back and he had all these amazing, intricate expressions. I contrast that with Vince McMahon who displays fear with a huge gulp. Both styles work, they just work well in their own worlds.
Amanda Crew mentioned in an interview recently that you were involved in training some of the actors. Besides portraying Patrick, how actively involved were you with the film? I was only on set for a few days. I wouldn't have been actively involved in Amanda's training. Each day I was there, she gave up her lunch hour to work in the ring and really absorbed everything she could. I can't tell you how much I respect that. She wanted to know as much as she possibly could. I spent every lunch hour talking to Amanda and giving her pointers in the ring.
The character of Patrick has a lot of similarities to Mick Foley. How much of that character is similar to you, aside from physical characteristics (such as wearing red flannel and having a missing ear)? Patrick is a shady (wrestling) promoter with a heart. I was very happy that the Chokeslam team was open to improvisation. I would just say, "Hey, would you mind taking this in a different direction?" They were always open to ideas. I think that makes for a great atmosphere. I was impressed with the depth of the cast. There were some really talented people there. Every scene I did, I was working with people that were much better at what they did than I was. (laughs).
There was one scene when Patrick is sitting around the table and telling a story about how he was in the main event of a sold-out show with the strap (championship belt). Was that an example of improv? That's a long-standing joke. If I get together with Steve Austin and a few guys from my era (of wrestling), we'd almost immediately talk about the time we worked on top (of the card) and we sold out (the show) and we had the strap. No one ever says, "Yeah, I remember working in front of a small crowd on the bottom of the card." I think stories are always best when they're slightly, if not greatly, exaggerated. Tip of the cap to the guys that paved the road in wrestling. I'll go on record as saying the very first thing (wrestler) Kevin Hash will say to me when he sees me at Wrestlemania this weekend is: "Yeah, I was working on top. I had the strap. We sold it out."
ChokeSlam is currently screening in select Canadian theaters. Foley is a very busy man and also putting finishing touches on his latest book entitled Saint Mick. Saint Mick is set for release on October 17th; but, is currently available for pre-order on Amazon. A picture of Foley's new book appears below, as does an official press release from Mick's publisher: Polis Books, and a trailer from his new film ChokeSlam.
Polis Books is proud to announce the upcoming publication of Saint Mick by beloved author and wrestler Mick Foley. Jason Pinter at Polis acquired World rights for publication in October 2017. Featuring many never-before-seen photos, Saint Mick is part jolly memoir, part whimsical ode to a lifetime love affair with Christmas, and part tribute to the power of finding the best part of oneself in the unlikeliest of places. After a lifetime of putting his body on the line to entertain his dozens (and dozens!) of fans, the Hardcore Legend is paying the price—physically and emotionally. When the final bell on Mick's career tolls—in a neurologist's office rather than the ring—the future is far from merry and bright. Until hope and redemption come when Mick is given the chance to become Santa Claus—not dress up, not pretend, but become Santa. Mick takes us inside the secret world of the Santa subculture, where "real-bearded Santas" and "traditional" or "mystical" Santas are often at odds as to who makes the better red-suited ambassadors. Along the way, Mick worries that he will be excommunicated from the Santa world for everything from his Santa character being run over on Christmas Eve on television, his intentional breaking of "The Santa Claus Oath" by promising toys to families in need, to his participation in a controversial Santa Claus documentary. Mick learns valuable lessons about the real power and responsibility of the red suit, and that success as Santa comes not by appearing in front of millions on TV, but by touching hearts and creating "Santa moments" for the young and the young at heart. Mick Foley is a #1 New York Times bestselling author, a WWE Hall of Famer, and the author of numerous books for children. He has appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Good Morning America, Fox News, and The Today Show. He was featured in a story on ABC's World News Tonight for his work as an online volunteer with RAINN, the nation's largest anti-sexual assault organization. Foley was also recognized for his work with RAINN at the famous "Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear" – where he was awarded the Medal of Reasonableness from Daily Show host Jon Stewart. Follow him at @RealMickFoley.
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