Keith Jardine beat Forrest Griffin and Chuck Liddell within the UFC Octagon and now he’s trying 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 referred to as “The Dean of Imply” nonetheless makes use of the teachings he discovered as an athlete to ace his film profession.
“As a fighter, until you win, you learn to fail: how you can get off the mat and struggle once more, and appearing is similar means,” explains Jardine, who retired with a 17-11-0 report 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 question, within the ultra-competitive world of showbiz, Jardine has discovered 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 are taking it as a failure. You misplaced. You didn’t get it. You’re making an attempt to pay your lease, and also you didn’t get that job, you already know? If you happen to don’t get away from bed and make issues occur, nothing’s taking place. In order that fighter’s mindset helped me loads, and simply the work ethic. I simply put the hours in each day, no matter how I’m feeling.”
Luckily, issues are positively taking place 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 Unhealthy and John Wick. Now, he’s constructing a strong status behind the digicam, too. In 2023, Jardine gained an unbiased Brief Award for his crime story, El Paso:1155, and now he’s taking over his first full function 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 pal made me watch Clerks (1994) Among the finest films I noticed.” Jardine tells M&F that he additionally attracts from films like The Massive Lebowski. “I bear in mind simply laughing out loud all through the theater,” he remembers. Jardine additionally has a fond place for Useless Man, starring Johnny Depp, a film he watched together with his dad. “This pertains to Kill Me Once more loads, as a result of there’s plenty of massive twists on the finish, and there’s plenty of little Easter eggs in there,” he teases.
How Keith Jardine stays match for making movies
“Each morning, I work out, eat my big 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 health club or takes his canine out for a dash. The large breakfast that Jardine speaks of consists of six eggs, together with tortillas. “I attempt to begin off good with actually clear meals,” he says. “I received these tortillas which can be solely plantain and baking soda principally because the substances. 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 massive one, one small one, and I’ll do my greatest 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. If you happen to go to the health club and also you solely contact the leg press machine, and do 4 units and go house, that’s a hit!” You possibly can’t take the struggle out of this filmmaker, nonetheless. “Day-after-day, I attempt to get to some extent 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. You already know, if I do that after a day, I really feel I’ve performed loads.”
Keith Jardine’s Kill Me Once more might be launched in theaters and VOD platforms reminiscent of Prime Video and Apple TV+ on August 8.
