Melvin Boomer, star of the brand new MMA-centric Netflix collection The Cage, was thrilled to have the chance to turn into the fighter on display that his father would by no means turn into in actuality.
Within the five-episode drama collection, Boomer performs the lead character Taylor, a younger fighter struggling to search out his path to fame and fortune in blended martial arts till an sudden, however career-changing combat comes about. All through the collection, which has been described as each inspirational and gritty, Taylor encounters real-world UFC stars together with Georges St-Pierre, Ciryl Gane, and Jon ‘Bones’ Jones.
To this point, The Cage has obtained largely favorable critiques with a lot of them praising Boomer’s efficiency as a struggling fighter from Paris. Because it seems, getting into the function of blended martial artist wasn’t that massive of a stretch for Boomer.
“My father is an MMA fighter,” Boomer revealed in an interview with Schon! Journal. These days, he does Brazilian jiu-jitsu, however for a very long time, he was an MMA fighter, even earlier than it was authorized in France. I adopted him a bit throughout, to Belgium, Portugal… It was by no means my purpose to turn into an expert fighter like him, regardless that I did make my means by means of a number of practices, from Capoeira, and Parkours, to Break dancing, which I did for a really very long time.
“So, it wasn’t actually my father to indicate me the best way to this function, nevertheless it gave me unimaginable perception into the behind-the-scenes, to know what goes on earlier than a combat within the altering rooms, the mindset of a fighter…”
Melvin Boomer’s Dad was ‘Very Proud’ of the cage
Raised in Vincennes, France, Boomer usually traveled in a foreign country to observe his dad combat as MMA wasn’t legalized in The Metropolis of Mild till January 1, 2020.
“My father could be very, very proud. What’s lovely on this story is the truth that I embody, in a means, the fighter he couldn’t be. He started when he was tremendous younger, and at a time when MMA weren’t as accessible as they’re these days. Now, with social media, for those who’re a younger fighter, you may get forward. He began in 2010 or 2011, however the entire scene has remodeled since then.
“There have been movies about MMA — one with Tom Hardy, and a collection known as Kingdom, nevertheless it’s probably not a collection on MMA. That is the primary collection based mostly round MMA, across the leagues that basically exist, like KSW or UFC, with a storyline round a fighter that isn’t one which we’re used to seeing.
The Cage — often known as La Cage in France — is presently obtainable to stream on Netflix.
