I’m a father, a son, and a grandson, and if anyone messed with my wife, mom, or grandmother, and if the law didn’t care about it, what would I do? Would I be defined by that action?
The reason why I wanted to direct is because there are personal stories that I want to tell, but also because I love every part of movie making – from the wardrobe to the set decoration to cinematography.
I go train, and like with Conan, I’m in leather, and with Drogo, I’m in leather or armor or something else. I’m not in my adidas sweat suit or my matching tracksuit pants to go work out. I got too busy of a day. I’ve got my boots.
Anyone who spends time on the road knows there’s something special about being in the middle of Utah or Nebraska – you sit with it, and there’s a peace about it. You can go left or right, and it opens up all kinds of doors. You take your own path.
I just love stories, and I love movies, learning and seeing the world. Growing up in Iowa, it was like, you wanna see the world? Movies can help you do that.
I’m not going to normally get hired to play those emotional things, and I’m capable of it. I was raised by a single mother in Iowa – I’m just trapped in a big, dumb body.
Zack Snyder is a huge fan of ‘Game of Thrones,’ and I met him in the training stunt facility that I train at, and I guess he really liked me because he later called me into his office, and we talked about playing Aquaman.
There’s a lot of things I would definitely go to bat for in Hawaii. I’ve been all over that stuff. If someone told me to be quiet about that because of my profession, no. That’s my people.
