Australian actor Daniel MacPherson chatted about starring in the movie “Beast,” and working with Luke Hemsworth and Oscar winner Russell Crowe (“Gladiator”).
“Beast” will be released in theaters on Friday, April 10th, 2026.
The synopsis is: After years away from the cage, a once-feared MMA champion is pulled back in for the fight of his life when his younger brother is put in danger.
Reuniting with the trainer who once made him a legend, he commits to one final showdown against the reigning title-holder — a brutal fighter determined to dismantle the ex-champ’s legacy in front of the world.
Pushed to his breaking point, the contender’s stakes are simple: win, or lose everything he’s built.
MacPherson on starring in ‘Beast’
On starring in “Beast,” he remarked, “It was an experience I will never forget. It was one of the most intense and challenging but also rewarding and exciting roles of my career.”
“I had to act like Russell Crowe, I had to fight like Conor McGregor, and I had to look something like Chris Hemsworth with my shirt off,” he admitted. “Maybe not as big as Thor, but I had to get in pretty good shape.”
“So, this role challenged every part of my tool set, but you don’t get stories and you don’t get scripts like this… and you don’t get Russell Crowe coming along saying, ‘hey, I’ll do this movie with you’ very often in your career,” he explained.
“So, it was this perfect storm of opportunity and excitement,” he said. “You want to go and make it for the MMA fans, because you can’t lie to them. Everyone is an expert.”
“Everyone sees MMA fights 24/7 in this day and age. So, you’ve got to appease those people and impress them, and if you can do that, then maybe everyone else will be impressed,” he elaborated.
Playing Patton James in ‘Beast’
On playing Patton James, MacPherson said, “I loved his moral core and his heart. He was so committed to his wife and his family.”
“I loved that he was a family man, and I loved that he was a man fighting for his purpose and his identity, and to reclaim his purpose and his identity again,” he noted.
“I think that I have a lot of buddies in the sports, entertainment, and military worlds, who finished that time of their lives and really struggled to find purpose, identity, and intention moving forward,” he explained.
“So, those were things that I really loved anchoring from a performance point of view. Then, if you can get that stuff right… every punch, every kick, every elbow just means a little bit more,” he added.
Lessons learned from the ‘Beast’ screenplay
On the lessons learned from the “Beast” screenplay, he reflected, “The screenplay taught me about not being afraid to back yourself and fight for what you believe in when you really know deep down that it’s inside you.”
“Patton knew that he had unfinished business,” he said. “Patton knew he had to go against the wishes of his wife and the people that loved him to go and prove something to himself and to those around him… that was going to pretty much save his life.”
“I reckon that somehow resonated pretty strongly with me,” he admitted.
Working with Russell Crowe and Luke Hemsworth
On working with Russell Crowe and Luke Hemsworth, MacPherson said, “Thankfully, I can call those guys two of my best friends. They are great people. Luke and I started working together 25 years ago on a soap opera in Australia. It was our first job together. We’ve been great mates ever since.”
“We started on ‘Neighbors’ together and we’ve made plenty of movies together and we will continue to do so in the future,” he noted. “Being on set with Luke was like hanging out with your buddy all day. The acting with him is easy.”
“That’s the same with Russell Crowe,” he admitted. “This was my third film with Russell. Now, I’ve worked with him as a co-star and as a director.”
“This time, it was extraordinarily satisfying to be able to flex my acting muscles and go toe-to-toe with one of the all-time greats (Russell Crowe) over some really fantastic writing,” he elaborated.
“David Frigerio and Russell Crowe co-wrote this script and we got to go head-to-head on some really chunky dialogue, and I will never forget that,” he added.
Stage of his life
On the title of the current chapter of his life, MacPherson revealed, “It’s Daniel MacPherson 3.0.”
“It’s pretty much starting right now,” he admitted. “It’s an incredible time right now. I’m a big fan of reinvention. There’s a great Bukowski poem called ‘No Leaders Please,’ which is one of my favorites, which says, invent yourself and then reinvent yourself.”
“That’s one of the things I love about life. It’s the renaissance of Daniel MacPherson. It’s an exciting time to have been acting for 27 years and still feel like I’m at the very beginning now and in a new phase,” he explained.
Superpower of choice
If he were to have any superpower, it would be “a generosity of heart and spirit,” as well as “to help people.”
Success
Regarding his definition of success, MacPherson said, “If I can just keep working on things that I love with people that I love… and get to take my son on set with me, then that’s the balance.”
Closing thoughts on ‘Beast’ film
For fans and viewers, MacPherson stated, “We hope that you come in and you leave surprised.This is as much a story about family. It’s as much a story about fatherhood, marriage, identity and purpose as it is about fighting.”
“I hope we surprise people,” he admitted. “I hope you wake up thinking about it and inspired in your own life for days to come after seeing it. “
“When Bren Foster and I started training and choreographing the final fights, we looked at each other and said, ‘We want to make the most intense and realistic MMA fight that has ever been seen on screen and in cinema’,” he elaborated.
“By the time that we get to that ending, our director Tyler Atkins, has infused the film with so much heart that not only was the fighting intense (and we hope incredible), but the meaning and the reason behind it was pretty extraordinary as well,” he elaborated.
“So, hopefully, it’s one of those fight films that you wake up thinking about the next day, and for days after,” he concluded.
To learn more about Australian actor Daniel MacPherson, follow him on Instagram.
