Keith Jardine beat Forrest Griffin and Chuck Liddell within the UFC Octagon and now he’s seeking to stun cinema audiences with Kill Me Once more, his first full-feature directorial debut. However whereas he could also be retired from MMA, the person they known as “The Dean of Imply” nonetheless makes use of the teachings he realized as an athlete to ace his film profession.
“As a fighter, except you win, you learn to fail: the best way to get off the mat and struggle once more, and appearing is identical means,” explains Jardine, who retired with a 17-11-0 document in MMA. “I gained greater than I misplaced in preventing, and in appearing, imagine me, I’ve failed far more than I’ve succeeded.”
Little doubt, within the ultra-competitive world of showbiz, Jardine has realized that he should financial institution on himself simply as he did as an athlete. “You gotta rise up off that mat after that failed audition. They didn’t such as you, no matter, you’re taking it as a failure. You misplaced. You didn’t get it. You’re attempting to pay your lease, and also you didn’t get that job, ? In case you don’t get away from bed and make issues occur, nothing’s occurring. In order that fighter’s mindset helped me quite a bit, and simply the work ethic. I simply put the hours in day-after-day, no matter how I’m feeling.”
Luckily, issues are undoubtedly occurring because of Jadine’s warrior-like work ethic. His first forays on-screen included a task reverse Jason Statham in Crank 2: Excessive Voltage and credit in Breaking Dangerous and John Wick. Now, he’s constructing a stable fame behind the digital camera, too. In 2023, Jardine gained an unbiased Quick Award for his crime story, El Paso:1155, and now he’s taking over his first full characteristic as a director.
Kill Me Once more follows Charlie (performed by Brendan Fehr), a serial killer who turns into trapped in his personal nightmare. It’s a psychological horror that has many twists and turns, and was additionally written by Jardine, who’s love of tales from completely different genres influenced the plot. “It’s The Batman’s, the blockbusters, and all that motion of the 80s,” remembers the renaissance man.
“I used to be in highschool within the early 90s and my buddy made me watch Clerks (1994) Among the best motion pictures I noticed.” Jardine tells M&F that he additionally attracts from motion pictures like The Huge Lebowski. “I bear in mind simply laughing out loud all through the theater,” he remembers. Jardine additionally has a fond place for Lifeless Man, starring Johnny Depp, a film he watched along with his dad. “This pertains to Kill Me Once more quite a bit, as a result of there’s a variety of huge twists on the finish, and there’s a variety of little Easter eggs in there,” he teases.
How Keith Jardine stays match for making movies
“Each morning, I work out, eat my large breakfast, and the remainder of the day appears to fall in line after that,” says the person who reached the semi-finals of The Final Fighter, Season 2 again in 2005.
Jardine nonetheless units his alarm for 5am and both hits the gymnasium or takes his canines out for a dash. The massive breakfast that Jardine speaks of contains six eggs, together with tortillas. “I attempt to begin off good with actually clear meals,” he says. “I bought these tortillas which are solely plantain and baking soda mainly because the components. So, I wish to make these and eat them with my eggs and a few avocado. I don’t actually fear in regards to the energy within the morning. I simply attempt to attempt to really feel good after which, relying on how intense my exercise was, I’ll have two extra meals within the day. One huge one, one small one, and I’ll do my finest to not snack… as a result of I’m a hell of a snacker!”
Jardine, who was additionally a private coach at one time, says that being match isn’t about having the right exercise. “Simply go have enjoyable,” he encourages. “Simply go transfer some weight round and learn to be make your physique succesful. It shouldn’t be one thing you dread. In case you go to the gymnasium and also you solely contact the leg press machine, and do 4 units and go residence, that’s a hit!” You possibly can’t take the struggle out of this filmmaker, nevertheless. “Every single day, I attempt to get to a degree the place I lose my breath,” says Jardine. “Which means I do max pull ups, or I dash up a hill or I do some energy cleans. , if I do that after a day, I really feel I’ve carried out quite a bit.”
Keith Jardine’s Kill Me Once more shall be launched in theaters and VOD platforms corresponding to Prime Video and Apple TV+ on August 8.