Based on the 2018 documentary of the same name, They Fight is a boxing drama about Walt Manigan (André Holland, Moonlight), a reformed ex-con determined to reintegrate into society so he can be with the mother of his toddler son.
As he struggles to find his footing, his only opportunity comes from a place he had put behind him: the boxing gym. There, he coaches a motley crew of teenage boys at a local D.C. youth gym, culminating in two young best friends facing off at the National Championship.
The movie also stars Wendell Pierce (Superman) and is directed by Sheldon Candis (Naomi). Last month, we had the good fortune to sit down with them and Holland to discuss bringing this inspirational story to Hulu and Disney+ on July 17.
While we had Pierce on the line, we had to ask about his potential return as Perry White in next summer's Man of Tomorrow. Set photos of a clash between Superman and a Warsuit-wearing Lex Luthor had just dropped, so we couldn't help but wonder whether there was anything he could tease about the movie.
"No," the Thunderbolts* star deadpanned. "I don't think there's anything I can say about that." However, at the end of our conversation (and this, unfortunately, wasn't included in the recording we received), Pierce laughed and said, "I'll see you in Atlanta, that's your tease," confirming he will be back as The Daily Planet's Editor-in-Chief.
You can check out our full conversation about They Fight with Holland, Pierce, and Candis below.
I'd love to know, to start with, what it was about the documentary and the people that that story revolved around that really made all of you want to take part in telling their stories in this film?
Sheldon Candis: Oh man, I mean it's just a beautiful story of us, right? And this idea of what it is for a man to come back to the community, who needs the community to find himself, but also needs to pass on knowledge and information, specifically within boxing to young boys. I mean, listen, we all love a great boxing movie, but now you intersect that with a man reclaiming his soul, and this idea that André Holland gets to be so conflicted and so dark and so very interesting as he really diligently wants to help these kids, but he really has to help himself to be able to help anyone. It's just a very... I love this idea of cinema, you know, child adolescence literally being punched in the face with like a Karate Kid narrative.
Wendell Pierce: For me, it was empowering the kids with this sense of exercising their right to self-determination and empowering them and letting them know that they have it within their humanity to do whatever they want to and whatever their hearts desire—that it's within their grasp. I like to say that it's not a dream, that it's a vision. A dream is when you're asleep and thinking about it. The vision is you're wide awake. You're present. You can see it and obtain it. And that's what I like to actually see embodied in not only the child actors we were working with but the characters themselves.
André Holland: I think for me, you know, it's a story of transformation in a lot of ways with Walt, you know, and using boxing as a way to tell that story—a place, a sport that challenges you to do the same thing over and over and over again. And the promise is that if you do it for long enough and well enough and with enough dedication, you can actually transform who you are. You can transform yourself. I think that part really spoke to me, and I see that in Walt's kind of character progression.
Wendell, you know, whether it's Bunk Moreland or Perry White or James Greer, I always love seeing you in these commanding, authoritarian-like roles. But what was it about Slim that really excited you and made it a character you wanted to explore and figure out in the course of making this film?
Wendell Pierce: It really, like I say again, the focus of it was to work with these two gentlemen, right? First, I read the script that Sheldon wrote and was immediately moved by it. And then to get a chance to work with André—that was the clarity of the job and the situation for me: to work with creatives like these two gentlemen at that high level. That's what you really want to build your body of work with. And then to work with the kids, right? Because children, child actors, make you earnest. You know, with your work and no artifice—all the artifice goes away. You have to be pure and instant and in the moment because they are that themselves. And so that's what I loved about this project.
André, talking of the younger cast members, you know, working with Anthony B. Jenkins, fantastic young actor playing Peanut here. But how much fun was it for you to explore that dynamic between Walt and Peanut and just to get to work on some really heavy scenes with him, being such a young talent?
André Holland: It was wonderful, man. I learned so much in working with all of the young people. I mean, Anthony is amazing. He's so honest and sincere, and those eyes—they're so beautiful. And Tucan has such a wonderful playfulness and also depth, you know, and he's able to go to some really serious places. Partly to do, I think, with the fact that his father, Francois, is an incredible actor. And then Tori similarly has so much energy, so much creativity and imagination. They taught me more about acting, I think, than I certainly taught them.
Sheldon, obviously, we've got boxing scenes in the film, and you're working with much younger actors than we might typically see in a boxing movie. So was that quite a challenging process for you as a filmmaker to guide them through those scenes and to just get them right for their respective characters?
Sheldon Candis: Oh yeah. I mean, you think about this movie—we're experiencing for the first time kids in headgear and oversized boxing gloves in a film, right? And so for me, these kids are such wonderful natural actors. They're old souls. But I had to put them in a boxing boot camp. So Upton Boxing Center in Baltimore, Maryland, my beloved Baltimore. Coach Calvin Ford, Coach Josh Pal—Coach Josh got them right. Literally had those kids going through it to get as close to young boys venturing into their boxing journeys. And I'm super proud. I walked into that gym during boxing boot camp. I was like, "Okay, all right. This is my tightrope act here of kids acting and also kid actors boxing. I feel like we're gonna be all right."
When you're playing real-life figures, how do you really find the right balance between imitating them and making sure you can be authentic in yourself to tell the story the right way?
Wendell Pierce: Well, you find whatever similarities you may have first and try to identify that. And as students of human behaviour, you watch someone and how they appear and how they dress—it gives you a clue into their personality. But at the same time, it is a narrative film. You try to honour the person that you're playing, but also create this character that is written on the page. And it becomes an amalgam of the two. But you try to approach it from being a student of human behaviour first and foremost.
André Holland: We had the documentary to go on, and that was very insightful. And there always comes a point at which you have to just let your imagination kind of take over. And I feel like I knew enough about the character, enough about the world at a certain point to go for it. And I was in the very capable hands of our brother Sheldon, who did a brilliant job.
Sheldon, adapting a documentary like this—it's a fantastic documentary, and this is a fantastic film—but what are some of the biggest challenges in translating that story from that format to a narrative one like this film?
Sheldon Candis: Yeah, I mean, the documentary is so beautifully made by Andrew Renzi and Michael Mahan, who wrote the Washington Post article. And so you have to be very mindful of honouring it and honouring the lives, but then also knowing that you're adapting it to make a movie that goes to a place of cinema, right? And that's a very tough thing to do. And I'm just super thankful—as someone said to me, you know, "I watched this movie, and you honoured every character in this film." And it just sent a chill through my body because I think that's just super important.
This is such a special film, and it's a really important inspirational story. And I'd love to know what you all hope audiences will take away from the story after seeing it.
André Holland: I hope they walk away being inspired by the incredible performances of these young people. That's the main thing. And hopeful for the next generation of artists who are coming.
Wendell Pierce: He just took my answer. I want people to feel hopeful and be touched by that, touched by the possibility.
Sheldon Candis: Yeah. And as cliché as it would sound, just for people to be inspired to never stop fighting for their dream, you know, and that doesn't matter, whatever age you are, the minute you identify your dream in this life, don't stop fighting for it. Dedicate your time to the world to the sweat equity, and just keep swinging towards your happiness for whatever you want to do.
They Fight premieres on Hulu and Disney+ on July 17.