If you think all Michael B. Jordan needed to do was throw on a pair of gloves and take a few boxing classes to prepare for his starring role in Creed, you are highly mistaken. The film might have been a hit in the box office, but reaching that top spot didn't come easy. During an interview on The Bill Simmons Podcast, Jordan admitted to taking a real punch to the face that left while filming, leaving him bloody and bruised.
For those who still haven't seen the latest installment in the Rocky (Sylvester Stallone) franchise, Creed tells the story of Adonis Creed (Jordan), son of Rocky Balboa's most powerful opponents, the late Apollo Creed. Looking to start a career in the boxing realm without the help of his father's last name, Adonis is taken under Rocky's wing to see what his skills and drive are really made of.
"The first couple times we tried to do [the punches], we tried to it with the slips," Jordan said. "You know, and it's slow motion, so you can see the misses -- the space between the punches. So, all of a sudden, you just hear this snickering from the corner, and everybody's like, 'What?' And Sly's like, 'Man you gotta take it.'"
Michael B Jordan, "young creed and "getting KO'd for real! But he got up and did it again! That's called guts!! pic.twitter.com/yFo3PVmvhA
— Sylvester Stallone (@TheSlyStallone) December 9, 2015
"I'm like, 'What do you mean?' He's like, 'No, you gotta take a real punch.' Like, pretty much, I had to really get hit," Jordan said. "And legally, Ryan Coogler -- he'll definitely tell you this -- as a director, he can't legally say 'take the punch.' So I had to willingly step up and be like, 'Alright, I'll take the hit.' But I definitely got peer-pressured."
The movie was filled with shocking knockouts, bruised eyes, blood splatter, and a lot of trash talk. Well according to a recent Twitter video posted by Stallone, the boxing matches weren't all made up of professional editing and excellent makeup artists.
The video shows behind the scenes footage of Jordan sparring up against his movie nemesis, Pretty Ricky Porter. While the two were rehearsing a scene, the 28-year-old Newark native decided to turn his acting skills up a notch by literally suffering through a hook to the face. Blood spews from his mouth and he instantly falls to the mat.
Pretty Ricky Porter was portrayed by 33-year-old Anthony "Tony" Bellew, a British professional cruiserweight boxer. He's a former Commonwealth and WBC International light heavyweight champion and a world title challenger
Creed hit theaters on Nov. 25 and is still going strong at the box office, two weeks after it premiered.
