Howard Charles plays a heavyweight championship boxer in Fightland, the new Starz series that follows Duke Kilroy as he seeks vengeance for the death of his brother, whom he believes was killed by criminal kingpin and former promoter Kingsley Marshall.
Though Howard was already in shape before landing the role, he says portraying Duke required a different kind of physique.
“I had to put on weight for the role, actually. I was a bit too lean. That’s the first time that’s actually happened. So I was eating a bit more than I usually do. I was lifting a bit heavier than I usually do,” he tells ABC Audio.
Howard says he was drawn to the character the moment he read the script.
“I saw a man who on the face of it appeared to be dangerous and capable of terrible things, and sometimes even reckless, but this was not a man who was a monster. You know, this is someone who’s wounded, someone who is carrying grief, rage … and he is a man with a heart,” he explains. “I just really felt for the guy, you know, I really, really felt his pain and I wanted to play him and I wanted to represent him and I wanted to honor him. And luckily, I was given the opportunity to do that.”
Fightland is executive produced by 50 Cent, who is known for starring in, creating and promoting the Power universe. Despite that franchise’s long-running success, he believes Fightland is an even better series.
“When you watch that show, you go, well, this is better than where we started with Power,” he says, noting it took more effort to promote Power in its early days.
“I took $17,000 to be a reoccurring actor, to write the theme song for Power, to do the marketing and promotions for it because they didn’t know who Omari Hardwick was in the very beginning,” he says. “So Good Morning America wouldn’t accept the cast without me being available. I’m in a nightclub. I got to put a suit on and go to Good Morning America. Like that, it was really interesting.”
“I knew I had something going when they would accept them without me season 3,” 50 continues. “Then it gradually got to that point.”
By contrast, Fightland is captivating from the start. “I’m excited because I think after people see the first [episode] … they’ll understand why I’m been saying that.”
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