WHAT A YEAR IT’S BEEN FOR DOLPH, BATTLING WHAT THE DOCTORS TOLD HIM WAS TERMINAL LUNG CANCER TO GETTING THE ALL-CLEAR AND BEING COMPLETELY CANCER FREE AFTER 8 YEARS. DOLPH PUBLICLY DOCUMENTED HIS STRUGGLES AND WAS AN INSPIRATION TO OTHER CANCER SUFFERERS. HE HAS ALSO BEEN IN THE NEWS FOR MARRYING A 29-YEAR-OLD PERSONAL TRAINER, EMMA KROKDAL, WHO IS 39 YEARS HIS JUNIOR. THIS IS DOLPH’S THIRD MARRIAGE BUT HE IS BLISFULLY HAPPY SO GOOD ON HIM. DOLPH LUNDGREN GIVES SURREY ROCKS THE EXCLUSIVE INSIDE TRACK ON HOW HE SHOT TO FAME AND HOW HE HAS RETAINED HIS REPUTATION AS A HOLLYWOOD ACTION STAR.
I remember vividly meeting Dolph for the first time. As he approached, the sun seemed to disappear and with it went my resolve. However Dolph could not have been more of a gentle giant with the most drooling American accent; enough to melt the heart of any young ‘gal’, he met. Therefore, I was delighted when I was given the opportunity once again to catch up with him whilst he was in LA. However once again he could not have been more charming or endearing and since the last time we spoke he has starred in an impressive list of 40 further movies.
Of course, Dolph’s most famous role was the Russian killer boxer in ‘Rocky IV’ playing opposite the great movie man himself Sylvester Stallone. Indeed, Sylvester has been integral over the years in burgeoning his career, offering him advice and sought after roles. This is all in spite of Dolph breaking Sly’s ribs accidently in one of Rocky’s fight scenes.
Dolph, now 68, continues to remain at the peak of his profession not only as an actor but also as a director, screenwriter and producer, although as a child his dream was to become a rock star – a far cry from where he is today. Although Dolph is world renowned, I wanted to firstly refresh our readers on Dolph’s history and then to his outstanding achievements to date.
Dolph please tell me about your aspiration to become a rock star? “Every kid wants to become one. I played the drums in high school for four or five years in various bands and then I revived my drumming skills in 2009 when I directed, wrote and was the lead role in a movie called ‘Command Performance’, where I used my drumming skills on screen. The story was inspired by a concert Madonna did for Russian President Vladimir Putin. The movie also marked my daughter Ida’s screen début. Drumming has always been a part of my life”.
However Swedish-born Dolph’s main aim in his early years was not to become a musician but a chemical engineer. An unusual choice. “My Dad was an electrical engineer and my older brother was a chemical engineer. Initially I was inclined to be a Doctor and go to medical school but I had to wait a year so decided to follow my family and study chemical engineering”.
You hold the rank of 3rd Dan black belt in Kyokushin Karate and you were European champion in 1980 and 1981. Why did you decide on such a dramatic career change as an actor and not continue down that path?
“Karate was a sport I did on the side but my key job was engineering. I received a scholarship from Sydney Australia University and then I gained a scholarship at the prestigious school of Maytee in Boston.”
You obviously loved learning and attended many universities.
“I suppose I had the inclination. It was easy for me and it was a great way to get sponsorships abroad, as I always wanted to travel, especially to the United States. Basically it was a way to get free tickets to go places!”
What was the catalyst that drew you to New York and catapulted you into the acting world?
“It had to be Grace Jones. I met her in Australia whilst studying there, I became her bodyguard and we had a relationship for four years. As she lived in New York, that is where I spent the next six months, when I had actually planned to study chemical engineering in Boston”.
What was she really like to live with?
“It was colourful. Let’s put it that way. Everyday was a new challenge. We had a very tumultuous kind of relationship. It was wonderful at the time and she was a very interesting fun lady. I learnt a lot from her; professionally, as well.”
How and when did you first become involved in acting? “It was when I was modeling in the USA to get a work visa and that is when I started studying acting. There was something about it, going through a variety of experiences and emotions which really appealed to me. All I wanted to do was act. It never occurred to me I would eventually become a Hollywood action star”.
How did you get your first break? “It was small really. There was the Bond Movie ‘A View to a Kill’ being shot in France and Roger Moore was playing Bond and Grace was playing a role. I was there at the time and was told by the Director they needed someone to point a gun at Christopher Walken and be a bad guy. I was chosen. It was all of ten seconds! After that I went for a ‘cattle call’; that’s like a big casting call in New York for a boxing movie – ‘Rocky IV’. However I was turned down because of being too tall. I managed to find someone who knew Stallone and sent them a picture. Six months later they approached me having seen it and after 6 months I finally got the part as the imposing Russian boxer Ivan Drago.
From that moment on Dolph was rocketed to the star status he still retains today, having starred in 73 roles to date and signed up to star as the lead villain in US series ‘Arrow’.
Which roles would you say were the most challenging? “That is quite difficult to answer as they are all challenging in different ways. Obviously the one that stands out is ‘Rocky IV’ because it was my first movie as I had not been in front of a camera before. There was a lot of pressure on me as it was a big budget movie and I was the opponent sparring against Sylvester Stallone. Every Rocky movie is all about the opponents. It was a memorable experience. The other film was ‘The Expendables’ which I starred in five years ago.
It was challenging as I was returning to the big screen, having acted in direct-to-video films since 1995. I played a volatile, angry, substance abuser and frightening character Gunner Jensen. It was quite emotional. Although he is a fighter it was not like the other action hero movies that I had acted in, quite the opposite.
The third film was the first one I directed called ‘The Defender’. That was really tough because the first time you direct a movie, especially if you are an actor, you have the producers and the bar company to deal with. They were all at each other and had to be replaced. However it went really well and I remember one moment that I was so tired that I fell asleep whilst talking to one of the crew!”
Have any of your roles affected you emotionally? “All of them. The more roles you play emanate from where you are in your life at that time, from playing an innocent kickboxer from Russia to my role in ‘The Expendables’ starring as a crazy drunk, drug-taking tough guy. I did a movie called ‘Kindergarten Cop 2’ which was the one Arnold Schwarzenegger did 25 years ago and working alongside a bunch of six-year-old kids. Those experiences have had an influence on the person I am today. I think they all effect you to some degree”.
What was it like starring alongside children? “Well I have children but as everyone says do not work with children or animals, because they always steal the show and drive you nuts. The kids were very sweet and there was also a pig and a hamster on set. The kids were scared of me at the beginning because I was a teacher and an FBI agent dressed as a kindergarten cop, but after a week or so they started to warm to me and took to me as their teacher and role model. It was touching when I had to leave. I thought maybe I will see these kids five or ten years from now and they will be grown-ups and have these wonderful memories. That means a lot to me”.
Do you do your own stunts? “I do as many of them that I am allowed to do. Some of them are very dangerous like stunts involving fire and some high-speed driving. I try to do enough where you can see it is me and not a stunt double”.
Have you had any hair-raising moments throughout your career either in front of the screen or behind it? “Plenty behind it”, he replied with a wicked laugh. “However what happened back in the eighties was completely different on film sets. There were a few fatal accidents, like one guy being killed with a blank bullet and another one killed by a chopper. Now it is much safer, but at that time I did hair-raising stunts such as jumping from a four-storey window onto a platform below with no safety harness. It was crazy. Another time when I was working in Africa there were hyenas that were not properly trained and bit me. Another one was when I was in a motorcycle side car and had to jump onto a truck, again with no safety harness. I certainly would not do those types of stunts today.”
Have you been nominated or won any awards? “Yes, but not that many. I received a Lifetime Achievement award at the Taormina Film Festival, The Fantastic Lantern Award at the Malaga International Week of Fantastic Cinema, and the Marshall Trophy for best actor in ‘Rocky IV’ including the fact that Rocky IV made more money than other movie – a Guinness World Record. The majority of them have not been for my acting, directing and producing”.
One of your first roles apart from ‘Rocky IV’ was starring as He-Man in ‘Masters of the Universe’ as a hero rather than a villain playing a toy. That must have been quite an unusual experience…to put it mildly? “Playing a toy back in those days was really strange. It felt like a career ender. However now everyone is employing actors to play superheroes, cartoon characters, toys, like the big Spielberg movie ‘The Transformers’. Yes it was tough for me at first as I always played bad guys and then had to play an American hero. It put me under a lot of pressure as it was a complete character role change. I remember going to Macey’s in New York with my daughter Corinne and there were all these kids going mad over the He-Man store. I did feel like it was surreal playing a toy in a movie”.
With another film ‘Universal Soldier’ where you played alongside another action hero Jean-Claude Van Damme, I gather you experienced some problems at first with some of the fight scenes? “Yes it was when I was on set for the first scene in Vietnam when I was playing this crazy sergeant who is about to shoot these kids and he had to kick the gun out of my hand. He kicked me rather too hard. We had to do the scene again. In between takes my British karate instructor Brian Fitkin came running up to me and told me to knock out JC Van Damme ‘if he did that again’. Jean-Claude’s eyes widened on hearing this. When he made the next kick it was a mere tap!”
Indeed at the Cannes Film Festival 1992 they repeated this fight and security was brought in to break it up as they thought it was genuine. It was not – just a great publicity stunt to promote the film!
You also directed and starred ‘Aqua Man’ and in ‘Icarus’. That must have been difficult taking on both roles? “Yes as it was a script that had to be rewritten from scratch. We had to change the writer to get the financing. They were not happy with the rewrite, the budget got cut and I had some issues with the producers, as I was also starring in the film. I was not really savvy enough in those days to deal with politics over a film and its production. I had some run-ins that should not have happened. Basically, it was a difficult film which finally ended being re-cut by the producers. I was not happy with it. However it taught me a good lesson. After that film I became involved in ‘The Expendables’ franchise and decided if I ever directed again that I have would direct and also produce so that I have some power as to how the film is being financed and coordinated”.
In the ‘Expendables’ you starred with Sylvester Stallone. What was it like acting alongside him again? “It was very interesting because we worked together thirty years ago on the first movie ‘Rocky IV’ when he was the Director and Producer when he was a big movie star and I was a kid from Sweden. I regarded him as a role model. We became friends on some level especially, as we were sparring together for 6 months. When you hit each other you react to them in a slightly different way than just talking. I did not think we would work with each other again but then he called me in 2009 and asked me to pick up a script which he was directing – ‘The Expendables’. I read the script and thought it was great especially as we were friends, albeit on a different professional level. It was a really nice feeling knowing that we had regained our friendship and I was so happy to star in it. I am also delighted that he has now been nominated for an Academy Award for best supporting actor in ‘Creed’ where he plays Rocky Balboa again”.
When you are not on set how do you spend your time? “Sleeping”, he jokingly replies. “Also travelling to some far away locations or training but principally spending time with my two daughters who live in Europe. One is in Sweden in a boarding school and the other is in Marbella. They both grew up in Marbella and I still have a house there. I try to fly them over here or go there as soon as I get a break. They are my main priority when I am not working”.
How many hours do you train per week? “It depends a lot on the shooting schedule or when I manage to take a week off, I train five days a week. Two or three days with weights mixed with martial arts, one day is swimming and the fifth day would be martial arts training out with Howard King who has trained with me over the years. I try to stay on schedule but sometimes because of my work commitments it may come down to three days a week working out for an hour a half”.
Indeed Stallone has had a prolonged impact on his fitness regime and his diet, ensuring that he eats 5 or 6 smaller meals a day with a substantial higher percentage of protein.
Can you give our readers any inside tips on how to stay fit? “It takes some commitment because the majority of us live a very subterranean lifestyle. We are like a first or second generation who can have as much food as we want. My parents grew up in the depression where many people starved to death. Nowadays you have to watch what you eat and be a little restrictive. Diets do not work – they are basically something you do for a short period of time. Your diet is more like a lifestyle rather than abstaining from something you eat for a few weeks. However one point I would like to make is anything is better than nothing. For instance, if you have not got time or are tired, just do push-ups or go for a walk. What happens is your body has an incredible way of adjusting. If you go out for a walk for ten minutes one day, automatically, for most people, the next time they will want to go for a little bit longer may be for fifteen minutes. That is how our bodies work. Even those who only do a small amount of exercise can always build it up. I suggest to your readers don’t put up huge unrealistic goals that you cannot reach and afterwards feel bad about not achieving them”.
Dolph has a house in Marbella which is where the interview took place. So, what first attracted you to the Costa del Sol? “My ex-wife grew up there and when we got married in 1984 we went on our honeymoon to Marrakech for a week, then Marbella for a week, this was meant to be followed by two weeks in La Rioja – the wine region. However, when we came to Marbella and stayed at the Marbella Club, we ended up staying there for the rest of our honeymoon as there is something so special about it, the people and the weather. We both just loved it and started renting different houses there and 14 years later we bought a house. We had a daughter by then, followed by a second one.”
What are your favourite places in Marbella? “I like Orange Square in the Old Town and the Marbella Club especially with their Sunday buffet down by the pool. I always take my kids there when I come back. It always brings back many happy memories for me. I also love the beaches as I go biking and training down there. Marbella is one of my favourite places, even more so than the South of France or the Italian Riviera. I have friends there but whilst I was living there my career went down. Therefore, when Sly called me to star in ‘The Expendables’ I realised I had to spend more time in Los Angeles which is where I am now. Los Angeles is much hotter and drier than Marbella because of its micro-climate. Also, to some extent in lifestyle. If you move away from Los Angeles up to Santa Barbara, the architecture is Spanish and people speak Spanish”.
On a final note what projects have you got in the pipeline?
“Apart from acting, I have two future projects which I am producing and directing; one of which I am acting in”.
Which ones? “One film called ‘Wanted Man’ being filmed in Mexico either in the summer or the fall. I am starring in that one. The other is called ‘Nordic Lights’ which is a World War 1 thriller filmed in Sweden. I like that project enormously because it is set in my own country, especially as 90% of my movies have been produced from America and nothing in Sweden. I am hoping that once it is completed, it will put Sweden on the map for future movies to be filmed there”.
On finishing this interview I believe, without a shadow of a doubt Dolph will, in the very near future, receive not only a well-deserved coveted Oscar for either his acting, producing, screenwriting or directing skills but will also join the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
