THE INTERVIEW
LEE CHARLES
TALKS TO LYNNE HAGUE
Wirral-born Lee Charles is six-times World Championship Kickboxer and embarking on a Hollywood career . He talks to Lynne Hague about his career , ambitions , love for Wirral and why it ’ s important to give back to the local community .
You have been training since you were 6 years old , but if you hadn ’ t gone down the path of martial arts , was there anything else that you wanted to do when you grew up ? Martial Arts has always been a major factor in my life . From the first time I saw a Bruce Lee movie , I literally became obsessed wanting to be like him . Outside of the Martial Arts , I was always very athletic . I played football to a high standard when I was young and played for Everton , Tranmere and eventually signed for Wrexham - although this was short lived , as I suffered an injury which saw them terminate my contract . My dream of becoming a professional football player then started to take a back seat . Even though I had always continued to train in Martial Arts , my love for it grew stronger , and from there I went on to represent my country winning 6 World Kickboxing Championships and I ’ m now making waves in the movie industry . So I guess the injury wasn ’ t that much of a bad thing .
Your 2006 trip to LA kicked off your career as a stuntman and ultimately to acting roles in some serious productions like Dracula Untold , what were those early days like ? When I set out on my trip to the States , I never for one minute thought this would open the door to what has now become a career . I was embarking on a journey of discovery in the Martial Arts , wanting to visit gyms / Dojos throughout the USA . My first port of call was LA and one of my hero ’ s Benny The Jet had his own gym there in West Hollywood . I had been emailing them and we ’ d been discussing a training session ( all I wanted to do was to get a few photographs and say I had been at The Jets Gym ). So , on my first day in LA , I phoned the gym and went along in the hope of meeting everyone . I spoke with the gentleman on reception and I felt like I was kind of getting interviewed . During this time I got introduced to Benny ’ s wife Sara , we talked and she told me Sensei Benny was returning to the gym and he wanted to meet me . Well you can imagine how happy I was , going to meet one of my idols . We sat and spoke for hours , he invited me to attend the Lee Strasburg Theatre and Film Institute . The next thing I knew I was learning to act and perform stunts . I was literally in the right place at the right time - skills I have perfected over the years have served me well . I bonded with Sensei Benny , forming a tight friendship and becoming a member of his stunt team , working in Hollywood movies with A list actors . A crazy time which still makes me smile on reflection .
You clearly made an impression on Actor / Director Noel Clarke whilst working with him on ‘ I Am Soldier ’ - as he cast you in his next film ‘ The Anomaly ’ – a big release , what was it like suddenly working with the likes of Brian Cox and Luke Hemsworth ? It was crazy , I remember whilst working on ‘ I am Soldier ’, Mr Clarke mentioned to me that he was genuinely interested in me being in his next movie . We had a brief chat and I did a short performance for him and he said he would be in touch once we had finished filming . True to his word he called me a few months later and offered me the role of Patch in ‘ The Anomaly ’. Before I knew it I was working on a production with Ian Sommerhalder , Alexis Knapp , Brian Cox , Luke Hemsworth , Michael Bisping and of course Noel himself . A truly unbelievable time - filming on location in London and Times Square , New York . This was an experience I will never forget and I learnt a lot about my new profession from some of the best in the business . Since this I have had a great opportunity to work with Mr Clarke on several occasions most recently in “ Brotherhood ”, the final instalment of the hugely successful “ Kidulthood ” series .
You ’ ve been a busy boy with four films in post production , what was it like working with a Bond-Pierce Brosnan and a bond baddie - Dave Bautista on ‘ Final Score ’? Unfortunately , due to contracts I can ’ t say too much about the movie itself . But to me I ’ m just a normal guy from the Wirral so to find myself
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