Dolph Lundgren, one of the stars of Creed II, says his returning character Ivan Drago is “pretty damaged”.
Rocky is full of the iconic moments and legendary characters. And one individual who encapsulates this to perfection is Dolph Lundgren’s Russian boxer Ivan Drago.
Drago is back for Creed II and in a recent interview with Empire Magazine, he has revealed the state we find the character all these years later:
“Basically, my character has been in a living hell since ’85 and lost everything. The script reintroduces him as a pretty damaged character, emotionally, and somebody who’s suffered a lot physically from a hard life. I can identify with that quite easily. The physical part [and] the emotional part.
“It’s become an iconic character. People quote him and have T-shirts. I didn’t want to mess with that image. I didn’t see a way, up until now, that it would work. But obviously now when I’m old enough, suddenly I work as a parent. The father-son concept was quite good because I had a violent relationship with my dad… many men do and end up in contact sports.”
Its certainly going to be fun for a lot of classic Rocky fans to see Drago on the big screen again. Do you think it was the right choice to bring him back?
SEE ALSO: Creed II images showcase Viktor Drago
Life has become a balancing act for Adonis Creed. Between personal obligations and training for his next big fight, he is up against the challenge of his life. Facing an opponent with ties to his family’s past only intensifies his impending battle in the ring. Rocky Balboa is there by his side through it all and, together, Rocky and Adonis will confront their shared legacy, question what’s worth fighting for, and discover that nothing’s more important than family. Creed II is about going back to basics to rediscover what made you a champion in the first place, and remembering that, no matter where you go, you can’t escape your history.
Creed II is set for release on November 21st in the US and on November 30th in the UK and sees Steven Caple Jr. directing a cast that includes Michael B. Jordan (Adonis Creed), Sylvester Stallone (Rocky), Tessa Thompson (Bianca), Dolph Lundgren (Ivan Drago), Florian Munteanu (Viktor Drago), Phylicia Rashad (Mary Anne), Wood Harris (Tony ‘Little Duke’ Evers), Andre Ward (Danny ‘Stuntman’ Wheeler) and Russell Hornsby (Buddy Marcelle).
