I think in a few years, people will look back on “Never Back Down” as the starting point for a lot of the young cast. While all of the leads have roles in other films, if “Never Back Down” ends up doing well, this’ll be the first film that people remember them from.

At any rate, since a lot of you probably haven’t heard of the movie yet, “Never Back Down” is essentially a MMA version of “Karate Kid.” Obviously they aren’t exactly the same movies, but they have a lot of the same archetype characters. And in “Never Back Down,” Cam Gigandet channels his inner William Zabka to play his part. I actually asked

Cam during the interview if he tried to work in any Cobra Kai…

Anyway, the reason I believe Cam is on the verge of being a face you’ll remember is not only is he one of the leads in “Never Back Down,” but he’s also playing an evil vampire in “Twilight” and he’s in the next David Goyer movie “Unborn.”

Since you all know how I interview people…you can assume correctly that I got Cam to talk about all of these projects. But before getting the interview, here’s the synopsis of “Never Back Down” and a link to the movie clips I already posted.

Jake Tyler’s (Sean Faris) the new kid in town with a troubled past. He has recently moved to Orlando, Florida with his family to support his younger brother’s shot at a professional tennis career. Jake was a star athlete on the football team at home, but in this new city he is an outsider with a reputation for being a quick tempered brawler.

Making an attempt to fit in, at the invitation of a flirtatious classmate, Baja (Amber Heard), Jake goes to a party where he is unwittingly pulled into a fight with a bully named Ryan McCarthy (Cam Gigandet). While he is defeated and humiliated in the fight, a classmate introduces himself to Jake and tells him about the sport known as Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). He sees a star in Jake and asks that he meet with his mentor, Jean Roqua (played by Djimon Hounsou).

It is immediately apparent to Jake that MMA is not street fighting, but rather an art form he wants to master. Roqua will take Jake under his wing, but it is up to Jake to find the patience, discipline, willingness and reason within him to succeed. For Jake, there is much more at stake than mere victory. His decision will not just settle a score; it will define who he is.

Cam Gigandet

  • How did he come to the project

  • Did he try and work in any Karate Kid Cobra Kai stuff

  • What was the experience like filming

  • Does he have any MMA training

  • Twilight talk – was he familiar with the books

  • He talks about his next film which is the David Goyer project called Unborn