(“Repeat after me, Bones-san: ‘Anybody seen RICHEE??‘”)
Like the great thespian Ronda Rousey, UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones also plans on transitioning to acting after he retires from mixed martial arts. In fact, he’s already got his career arc planned out, and it’s a familiar one:
“I’d like to model my acting career on Dwayne Johnson, the way he came out of [WWE] and started off tough guy roles and then moved over to doing ‘Tooth Fairy,’” Jones told MMAjunkie.com during an appearance at the UFC’s “World Tour” in Los Angeles. “That’s when you really saw that he could act, and he’s the one I admire and respect a lot, so I know I’d love to model my acting career after (him)…
“As an entertainer, I think acting is one of the highest levels you can get, and right now, I’m doing pretty well in my field, which is the martial arts world. To branch out a little bit and get my feet wet there and maybe prepare myself for a career after this career, I think it’s all part of the plan.”
Just like being a famous action star doesn’t mean you can beat Randy Couture in a real-life death-match, being a real-life badass doesn’t mean you can successfully pretend to be one on screen. The Rock’s film career was made possible by a rare combination of charisma and talent. And keep in mind that Dwayne Johnson had been “acting” in the WWE for five years and already had a well-known fictional persona by the time he started appearing in films. He wasn’t just a tough guy — he was a likable tough guy who knew how to inhabit a character and express himself verbally. You know, like Chael Sonnen.
Jones’s new post-UFC plan was encouraged by some feedback he received while attending some meetings at Hollywood studios at the beginning of the summer. As he explains:
“Those meetings went great,” Jones said. “I realize that they see that I have a little bit of character on me, and with the right training, I could possibly be in some movies in the future…I’ll definitely take a lot of classes,” he said.
Dude, those acting classes are scams. Just watch Michael Caine videos on YouTube.
So what is it with UFC fighters and acting? Somebody as motivated and intelligent as Jon Jones could get into virtually any career he wants after fighting. (Hell, he’d make a great DEA agent.) Here’s the irony of the situation: Jon Jones is one of the most dangerous men on the planet, and yet it’s hard to imagine him as a credible hero or a credible villain. I wouldn’t even cast him as a gay best friend in a Katherine Heigl movie.
And Jon, the friggin’ Tooth Fairy is the Rock film that made you recognize his talent? This family-friendly bullshit? I guess somebody‘s never seen Be Cool…