Jake Gyllenhaal reveals Conor McGregor accidentally punched him behind the scenes of Road House

Virgin Radio

15 Mar 2024, 09:38

A re-imagining of Patrick Swayze’s 1989 movie Road House is on its way, and its star Jake Gyllenhaal has revealed what it was like working opposite mixed martial artist and professional boxer, Conor McGregor. 

The movie lands on Prime video next week, and ahead of its launch, its stars assembled at a UK Special screening in London, and virginradio.co.uk was there to speak to them.

The narrative follows a former UFC middleweight fighter, played by Gyllenhaal, who ends up working at a roadhouse in the Florida Keys where things are not as they seem. 

Speaking to virginradio.co.uk and other press at the event at the Curzon Mayfair, Jake spoke about going head-to-head with Conor McGregor in the movie. “As soon as I heard that he was accepting the role, I was so excited,” he said. “And then I was like, ‘Oh, no, I have to fight this guy, or at least fake fight this guy.’ But then what I realised is that he knows how to fight, obviously, but he doesn't know how to fake fight! And so he had to sort of unlearn tonnes of things.”

The Donnie Darko star continued: “I had to remind him pretty constantly, just before takes, ‘Just remember don't get you don't need to actually punch me in the face.’ He's like, ‘Oh, right, right, right.’ You know, as if in his mind, he was ready to really do it. So first of all, I'm glad for my own memory to remind him, but he didn't. And he was really sweet. 

When asked whether Conor accidentally landed any punches, Jake told us: “He did, he did! That's just what happens in these types of films. I mean, you see in the movie, it's full of these crazy fights inevitably, like things happen. Someone slips and misses. But only really once, in particular, when we were watching playback on the screen, and he was trying to coach me, and he was like, oh, take your right hand and just throw it a bit more like, and then he hit me. And went like ‘Oh my god! I’m so sorry.' That wasn't even on screen!”

Read what Conor McGregor had to say about learning not to hit people while making the film here.

Road House is out on Prime Video from 21st March.