Jamie McCarthy/Peacock
Kevin Hart, Taraji P. Henson, Samuel L. Jackson, Don Cheadle and Terrence Howard talk about the new series “Fight Night,” based on the infamous armed robbery that took place on Muhammad Ali’s comeback night in 1970.
Extra’s Mona Kosar Abdi spoke with Kevin, Taraji, Samuel, Don and Terence about bringing together such an incredible cast and the true collaboration that resulted.
The star-studded set meant they all had to figure out how to coexist, with Terence explaining, “We’re all natural leading men. We’re always stealing the lead, so in this dance scene, everyone kept bringing sharper and sharper blades and there was loads of head-slicing…I think by the end, everyone lost their heads.”
Kevin and Samuel had fun joking around about why they’d never worked together before.
“There’s a rumor going around town that I owe Sam money because things weren’t done as they should have been,” Hart said.
Sam interjects, “No, we had an opportunity to make a movie. He said he had an opportunity to work with an international superstar. I was like, ‘Who, what, what?’ … I just hung up the phone. I’m not talking to him anymore.”
Jackson joked, “Then he became an international superstar and I thought, ‘Damn! Where’s my karma when I need it?'”
Sam added: “I’ve worked with Don a few times and it’s always a great experience because he’s Don Cheadle, so it just works that way. But with other actors that I haven’t worked with before, it’s been a pleasure to work with them and it’s always a collaborative space. It’s not a space where actors don’t say anything and try to surprise you with something.”
Terence pointed out, “Half of what we did as Cadillac Richie was because Sam said, ‘What if we did this?’ It’s literally about helping each other out and lifting each other up. It’s a beautiful thing.”
Sam agreed. “It’s all about creating something that’s good for the culture and that’s fun for us. These guys work just like me. I do what makes me feel good. And when I’m doing that, when I’m done, I can look at the people on the other side and say, ‘We did a good job!'”
In the series, Kevin plays the Chicken Man, a hustler who hosts a party after Ali’s historic bout, which ended with the most audacious underworld heist in Atlanta history.
The dramatic role was a departure from Kevin’s comedy forte, and he said, “It was refreshing for me to see them really analyze the characters and find the story reasons, especially to try a new side of acting at this point in my career.”
The group also spoke about period costumes, including Terence’s much talked about wig.
“One thing Terrence competes with you on is hairstyle,” Taraji said.
“He ended up winning six seasons of Empire with me,” Henson said, recalling her time working with Terence on the hit show “Empire.”
Taraji said working with Terrence on the project was “very different,” saying, “We didn’t have a lot of scenes together. I barely saw him.”
Terence shared his thoughts, saying, “We’re true to our characters. When you get into the work, it becomes a friendship, a relationship. So every time I see her, I want to walk past her and hug her, but the essence of this character was totally different.”
Taraji added, “We sat down once on set and talked. We caught up on the first day and that was it. We were never on set together.”
“Fight Night” is available to stream on Peacock.