EXCLUSIVE: You’ve never seen Aussie actor Daniel MacPherson in a role like this before. In fact, he admits it was his “most challenging” yet.
“He broke so many things, that guy, he honestly put his whole body on the line,” his co-star, singer Amy Shark, tells me as we discuss their new mixed martial arts (MMA) film Beast.
MacPherson, 46, who got his start on Neighbours, spent years getting into shape for the role and learning the insides and outs of MMA for his role opposite Hollywood icon Russell Crowe, 62.
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But it was definitely rewarding for the Aussie star, who hails from Sydney’s Cronulla.
In the film, directed by Tyler Atkins, MacPherson plays Patton James, a legend of MMA who comes back for a final bout in the ring opposite Crowe’s veteran trainer, Sammy.
“The schedule kind of played in my favour, and we had two, two-and-a-half years, almost, to prepare before we even got into pre-production,” MacPherson tells nine.com.au.
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“Then it was another six months during the shoot. So in the end, it was three years worth of work – boxing, Muay Thai, jujitsu, MMA, gym, strength, everything under the sun – just to get into shape for it.”
The star, known for roles including Infini and Strike Back, even spent time training with real fighters to immerse himself and fully prepare for the role. And it was grueling.
“I didn’t really understand and learn what it was like to carry the energy and the gravitas of a lifelong fighter, and so I took myself up to Thailand a lot,” he said.
“I went up to fight camp with professional MMA fighters. I trained in America, I trained in Australia, and just immersed myself in the culture.
“Not only did I have to get in proper physical shape, aesthetically I had to look like a fighter … who was fighting a world championship event, and I had to start the film out of shape and finish it in world championship shape.
“The other part was learning the technicalities of the fighting and the technical aspects of the martial arts.
“Then I had to act opposite Russell Crowe and this amazing cast, and carry the weight of a story of this film from start to finish.”
Beast follows the story of McPherson’s character Patton James, who turned away from the sport for years but returns for one final MMA match after his brother’s death.
It also stars the likes of Luke Hemsworth, Shark in her debut role, Kelly Gale and George Burgess.
“For the final fight – that’s when everything’s at its peak, because the storytelling is the story itself is at its climax – I’ve got to be at my physically fittest, leanest, most-ripped and dangerous,” McPherson says.
“And then I’ve got to understand this high-level choreography that we shot over six days, and the clock’s ticking ’cause we’re in Thailand on minimal budget and we’ve got to shoot it before the event finishes.
“So, for all those reasons, the intensity of not only being able to deliver that performance but deliver it under the conditions we had to work in.
“The time constraints, the budget constraints, and the expectations of a global MMA audience that understand the sport better than we could ever comprehend … it was the most challenging thing I’ve ever done in my career.”
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“Actually, I watched a lot of MMA with the Hemsworths,” he adds of his admiration for the sport.
The Aussie star has worked with Crowe before, including on the 2022 film Poker Face, and he says there’s been an “evolution” in their working relationship over the years.
“There’s a great sense of trust and respect,” he says.
“Three films in, which is wonderful … I feel like we’re working at the top end of town,” he admits.
So what does he want viewers to take from the film?
“I want people to walk out of that cinema feeling like they could run through a brick wall, and then wake up the next morning … and feel inspired to courageously and boldly fight for what they love, for who they are, and what their dreams are,” he says.
Beast is in cinemas now and streaming on STAN from June 4, 2026.
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