Keith Jardine beat Forrest Griffin and Chuck Liddell within the UFC Octagon and now he’s trying to stun cinema audiences with Kill Me Again, 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, except you win, you learn to fail: the best way to get off the mat and combat once more, and performing is similar approach,” explains Jardine, who retired with a 17-11-0 document in MMA. “I gained greater than I misplaced in combating, and in performing, imagine me, I’ve failed far more than I’ve succeeded.”
Little doubt, 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’re taking it as a failure. You misplaced. You didn’t get it. You’re attempting to pay your hire, and also you didn’t get that job, you realize? In case you don’t get away from bed and make issues occur, nothing’s taking place. In order that fighter’s mindset helped me lots, and simply the work ethic. I simply put the hours in day-after-day, no matter how I’m feeling.”
Happily, 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 credits in Breaking Bad and John Wick. Now, he’s constructing a stable 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 up 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 totally different genres influenced the plot. “It’s The Batman’s, the blockbusters, and all that motion of the 80s,” recollects the renaissance man.
“I used to be in highschool within the early 90s and my good friend made me watch Clerks (1994) Top-of-the-line films I noticed.” Jardine tells M&F that he additionally attracts from films like The Huge Lebowski. “I keep in mind simply laughing out loud all through the theater,” he recollects. Jardine additionally has a fond place for Useless Man, starring Johnny Depp, a film he watched along with his dad. “This pertains to Kill Me Once more lots, 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 enormous breakfast, and the remainder of the day appears to fall in line after that,” says the person who reached the semi-finals of The Ultimate Fighter, Season 2 back in 2005.
Jardine nonetheless units his alarm for 5am and both hits the health club 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 acquired these tortillas which can be 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 health club and also you solely contact the leg press machine, and do 4 units and go house, that’s successful!” You may’t take the combat out of this filmmaker, nevertheless. “Daily, I attempt to get to some extent the place I lose my breath,” says Jardine. “Meaning I do max pull ups, or I dash up a hill or I do some energy cleans. You understand, if I do that after a day, I really feel I’ve accomplished lots.”
Keith Jardine’s Kill Me Again shall be launched in theaters and VOD platforms equivalent to Prime Video and Apple TV+ on August 8.
