While the fights between Conor McGregor and Jake Gyllenhaal in Amazon’s remake of Road House were all the product of movie magic, things got a little too real behind the scenes.
Released on March 21, Road House has received mostly positive reviews with many commending Gyllenhaal’s performance as relatively laid-back ex-UFC fighter Elwood Dalton. Fight fans have also been enamored with McGregor’s on-screen debut as Knox, the film’s main antagonist who goes toe-to-toe with Gyllenhaal’s lovable bouncer more than once during its 114-minute runtime.
During a recent interview with Howard Stern, Gyllenhaal shared some of his thoughts about working with McGregor, including their first night of shooting where the Irishman had to pretend to headbutt Gyllenhaal.
“In that moment, I was like, ‘Holy sh*t. I’m about to get headbutted by Conor McGregor,” Gyllenhaal said. “What’s gonna happen?’”
Luckily, Gyllenhaal avoided taking any serious incidental damage during the shoot but later revealed that McGregor had inexplicably punched him in the face during a random encounter in the middle of the night.
“It was like three in the morning and … he just clocked me, right in the face,” Gyllenhaal recalled. “I wish it was on film, but it wasn’t.”
The Brokeback Mountain actor didn’t explain the circumstances surrounding the random attack, but Gyllenhaal remained adamant that it was an accident and added that McGregor felt awful about the incident.
Howard Stern Believes Conor McGregor Punched Gyllenhaal on purpose
However, that didn’t stop Howard Stern from trying to stir the pot, suggesting it was 100% on purpose.
“I’m too much in my head,” Stern said. “I’d be like, I’m the star of this movie, and Conor McGregor can’t handle the fact that I’m the star, so he gave me a shot in the face. You know that’s true, I guarantee it.”
Gyllenhaal responded to Stern’s assessment, saying: “You can live in your reality. I believe it was a mistake, so there you go.”
The “Notorious” Conor McGregor CLOCKED Jake Gyllenhaal in the face
(via @sternshow | @TheNotoriousMMA) pic.twitter.com/I0cq59PicT
— Screen Off Script (@ScreenOffScript) March 25, 2024
Check out our official review of Road House and check out the film exclusively on Amazon Prime Video.
