There’s a moment early in Beast — a raw, pulse-quickening opening sequence when the film lights up the screen and tips its hat to what’s to come. Directed by Tyler Atkins and anchored by a career-defining performance from Daniel MacPherson, Beast plays like an MMA fight set in Rocky-land.
For MacPherson, the transformation into Patton James — an MMA fighter nicknamed “The Beast” — wasn’t just cosmetic.
“I don’t think anyone expected the guy who used to host Dancing with the Stars to play an MMA fighter called ‘The Beast,’” he tells The Hollywood Reporter with a grin that still carries a hint of disbelief. “So I knew I had something to prove — maybe to myself more than anyone else.”
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MacPherson didn’t just train for the role — he disappeared into it. Over a three-year period marked by stalled
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