Gavin O’Connor has no shortage of successful film and TV projects in recent years – whether it’s “Mare of Easttown” (which he serves as Executive Producer), “The Way Back,” or “The Accountant” – all have been embraced by critics and fans alike. But perhaps his most overlooked film, “Warrior,” starring a then-unknown Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton, is seeing a groundswell of appreciation. And on this episode of The Playlist Podcast, O’Connor joins the show on the film’s tenth anniversary to deep-dive on the film.
For the uninitiated, “Warrior” follows a pair of estranged brothers (Edgerton and Hardy) who both separately stumble their way into an MMA tournament only to wind up on a collision course with each other, both physically and emotionally.
“The movie, for me, if I had one movie to point to that I’m most proud of and was also the most personal and was the most invested in and everything else, I don’t think anything will ever compare to [‘Warrior’],” O’Connor said when looking back at the film after a decade.
During the wide-ranging conversation, O’Connor mentions Tom Hardy nearly backed out of the film after fighting to get the part.
“Tommy didn’t even believe he was the right guy. Once he got the part, there was a moment where he didn’t want it anymore. I remember calling him up and practically begging him to be in the movie. He kept saying to me, ‘Gavin, I didn’t come from a working-class background, I’m not a fighter, I’m not American, I don’t know anything about wrestling,’” O’Connor said. “And then I walked him through the psychology and emotionality of the character, and the emotional line to his father and I said, ‘Can you relate to that?’ and he said, ‘Yeah.’ So I said, ‘We’re going to be good.’”
And the rest was history. Hardy went on to build his career as a bankable leading man and O’Connor has had a series of successful projects. But that doesn’t stop O’Connor from potentially making more “Warrior.”
“I just closed a deal with Lionsgate to do ‘Warrior’ as a TV series,” O’Connor revealed. “It has the spirit of the movie. It’s dealing with social issues that are important to me. ‘Warrior’ [the movie] took the working class reeling from the one-two punch of war and recession. The realities of contemporary America back then that really angered me. I’m taking my same rage and anger that I’m feeling today about social issues, whether it’s poverty, incarceration, addiction, or mental health, and I’m infusing that into four characters – two men, two women – they’re getting into a tournament also called Sparta.”
Before the conversation was over, O’Connor was very open and honest about his time developing a “Suicide Squad” film for Warner Bros. before James Gunn took over.
“I made a deal to write a script and they knew what I was writing, because at that level – with those kinds of movies, with that budget – no one is going off and writing something without walking them through what the movie is going to be,” the filmmaker said. “And everyone was cool with it. And what happened was, during the latter part of writing the script, there was a whole kind of regime change over at DC and when that happened, they wanted it to be a comedy and I’m like, ‘Well, I’m not writing a comedy – it’s fun, but it’s not a yuck-fest. I’m not writing that.’ And the new regime wanted a different movie than I was writing, and they went and got [James Gunn]. And I never saw it – I just had no interest in seeing it, to be totally honest.”
“Warrior” is available on Apple TV and everywhere else you rent or buy movies. In celebration of the anniversary on September 9, there will be a price drop on Apple TV that begins today.
As always, The Playlist Podcast is part of The Playlist Podcast Network—which includes Be Reel, Deep Focus, The Fourth Wall, and more—and can be heard on iTunes, AnchorFM, Soundcloud, Stitcher, and now on Spotify. You can stream the podcast via the AnchorFM embed below or up top to listen on this page. Follow us on iTunes, and you’ll get this podcast as well as our other shows regularly. Be sure to subscribe and drop us a comment or a rating, as we appreciate it. Thank you for listening.