A look at the man who plays Viktor Drago in Creed 2 – Florian Munteanu!

Like his on-screen father before him, Florian ‘Big Nasty’ Munteanu, the MMA-star cast as Ivan Drago’s son Viktor in Creed II, has revealed the intense preparations that went into the role. A budding fighter-turned-actor, Munteanu first made his name the Superkombat Fighting Championship after being discovered by Bucharest businessman Eduard Irimia.

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Meet the ‘Big Nasty’

He quickly earned the moniker ‘Big Nasty’ thanks to his sizeable frame and habit of scowling on demand – but that’s all part of his in-the-ring persona, apparently.

Speaking to Men’s Health, Munteanu revealed himself to be a surprisingly friendly and somewhat less intimidating presence in real life. In fact, the interview saw the Romanian grappler lift the lid on the intensive preparations that went into the role of Viktor Drago – a terrifying fighter born into hate.

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Drawing from Anger and Hate

This was something the film’s director Steven Caple Jr. helped foster long before the cameras started rolling. Prior to filming, Caple Jr. had Munteanu sit down with an acting coach and reveal every painful moment he could recall from his life.

“I had to tell all the dark and deep moments I was living in my whole life. He knew everything,” Munteanu tells Men’s Health.

Once filming began, Caple Jr. would regularly reference these incidents in an attempt at triggering a response from Munteanu – one in keeping with his character, Viktor. On top of this, Munteanu would endure grueling 14-hour days of anger and fight choreography. It came at a cost.

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Florian Munteanu Becomes Viktor Drago

Munteanu claims that, once production wrapped, he had “a little breakdown”.

“It took me a month to be Florian again. I was telling Dolph: We never smiled once in that movie.”

Having Lundgren on hand as his vengeful on-screen father Ivan helped – he needed only look at the Big Swede for further inspiration.

“I was looking into his eyes. I could read the pain on his face. And so it was easy for me to deliver the pain,” Munteanu claims.

Munteanu has now set his sights on becoming a bona fide action movie star in his own right and is hoping to emulate the likes of Sylvester Stallone, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Steven Seagal, and Dolph Lundgren, of course.

How do you feel about Florian Munteanu as Viktor Drago? Let us know in the comments or on our Facebook page!