Cung Le explains
Imagine you wake up on a spacecraft and you don’t know who you are or why you’re there. You think you are only one of two survivors, but suddenly learn you are not alone. Factor in a mental condition that causes hallucinations, disorientation, and madness.
This scenario is the plot to the upcoming film Pandorum starring Dennis Quaid, Ben Foster, and San Shou and MMA champion Cung Le, due for release on Sept. 25 across North America.
MMAWeekly.com caught up with Le during his recent press tour to discuss the film, his inclusion in the Round 5 MMA figure line, and the recent announcement that he relinquished the Strikeforce middleweight title.
MMAWeekly: First off, Cung, tell us your thoughts on the release of Pandorum.Cung Le: I’m very excited about the release of Pandorum. The release date was pushed back twice because it was so crowded in theaters, but it’s finally getting released and I’m excited about it.
Christian Alvart is a pretty intense director, and when you have the producers of Resident Evil in Jeremy Bolt and Robert Kultzer, you know you’re going to have some kind of horror intense kind of film. When I read the script I was really excited about being a part of this movie.
I have not seen the movie yet, but a few people I know who are in the business have seen it in private screenings and say it’s pretty scary and I did a fantastic job. I just can’t wait to see how I did.
MMAWeekly: Tell us what it was like primarily working with Ben Foster, who is one of Hollywood’s up and coming superstars.
Cung Le: I knew I had a big task ahead of me because I share most of my time with Ben Foster, and my manager told me that if I wasn’t sharp Ben would steal all the scenes from me because he’s so intense and he’s one of those guys who is a pure actor.
For me, I was very excited, but at the same time I felt like there was a lot of pressure. With Ben Foster I saw how he worked and how intense he was. The funny thing was, I saw Ben Foster pacing around before when the director was prepping the set, getting the lighting right, Ben was getting his dialog down and pacing around just like a fighter would before a fight.
He got pumped up before a scene like how I would get pumped up before a fight; it was funny to see a similarity there. He actually asked for an action figure, so I signed him one and gave it to him at Comic-Con and it was really cool.
MMAWeekly: Tell us about your character, Mahn.Cung Le: My character is an agricultural specialist who is woken up a lot earlier than Ben Foster and Dennis Quaid and knows what’s going on (around the space ship). I’ve been awake a lot longer than other people in the film and I know how to survive.
My character is very tense and survival is first for me. Knowing I can’t do it myself, I can’t just run around and take on this massive ship alone, I realize there are other humans that are alive and I team up with Ben because he’s in an officer’s flight crew uniform and I figure he can get the ship going again.
MMAWeekly: Another big thing for you lately is the release of your official Round 5 MMA action figure. Tell us how you feel it turned out.Cung Le: They did a fantastic job. I was very surprised how it came out. I took a lot of pictures, like 360-degrees around and it came out great. They did one with black shorts, gold trim and red strips, and one limited with gold shorts and red stripes. I’m grateful that they chose me.
MMAWeekly: Recently promoter Scott Coker announced that you would be relinquishing your Strikeforce 185-pound title and that Jake Shields and Jason “Mayhem” Miller would be fighting for the belt on CBS on Nov. 7. Tell us what happened with that.Cung Le: For me, potentially I have another project, and I know I’m not in fight shape right now, and I think I should vacate my title because it’s not fair to them who their livelihood is fighting for an interim title when I’m here running around making movies and doing something different.
I wouldn’t think it would be fair to me (if I were in their shoes), so I feel right about vacating the title. It does not mean that I’m retiring; I’m just doing it because I think it’s the right thing to do. (When I return to fighting) I will just start from where I need to start to challenge for it again and be a competitor, because I know MMA has given me this huge break and I know my roots, and I love to fight and I love to compete. I know I can’t do it forever, so I’m going to do it until it’s time to step back, and I know it’s not time to step back.
I just want to let all the fans out there know my intentions. I spoke to Scott Coker about this and I think this is the right thing to do, because I’m not ready to step up in the next coming months and fight five-rounders. Every time I’m ready to start training, I’m off doing another movie, and I’m grateful for the opportunity and I’m doing very well breaking into the movies. I’m breaking into the China market also, where the Hong Kong films are done; and I’m doing movies out here.
I definitely intend to return, and I know for a fact that I will return, but I can’t just jump back in and be able to go five rounds at peak level when I left (after) the fight with Frank (Shamrock).
MMAWeekly: Thanks for your time Cung; it’s always greatly appreciated. Is there anything you want to say to close us out?
Cung Le: I’d like to thank my sponsors: Zebra Mats, Throwdown, ADX, BR Flooring and KNOXX Gear. I just want to say I hope everyone gets a chance to go out and watch Pandorum. If you’re a sci-fi, action or horror fan you’ll definitely get your money’s worth.
If you want the limited edition (Round 5 figure) you can check it out at CungLe.com, and the other ones will be released at Round5MMA.com and MMAWeekly.com. Thank you fans for your support. Believe it or not, I will be back and doing my side kicks again.
