The Miz’s recent return to RAW is not the only homecoming the A-Lister has made this year. The Awesome One has also returned to a familiar role on the big screen as former marine, Jake Carter, in the The Marine 5: Battleground.
The Miz is not alone in the fifth installment of the successful WWE franchise as he is also joined by WWE superstars, Curtis Axel, Heath Slater, Bo Dallas, Naomi and Maryse. In anticipation of its April 25th DVD release date, we had an exclusive chance to talk with Miz about his return to the role as well as which of his peers managed to surprise him with their acting chops.
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“All of them, I’ve been on screen with my wife a couple times now and I know her abilities and she always impresses me each and every time. Especially with the scene we had this time, it was very emotional, very dramatic and she just knocked it out of the park. And then you got Bo Dallas who comes in there and has to lead the villains, and does an absolute incredible job. I remember him sitting on one of the benches rocking back and forth, and I thought maybe he was nervous, maybe he wasn’t enjoying his experience, so I walked up to him and said, Man, are you alright? He goes no, man, I was just getting into my scene, and I was like YES, that is exactly what you should be doing. Awesome!”
Bo Dallas brilliantly plays the leader of The Legion biker gang and is joined by Curtis Axel, Heath Slater and Naomi as they attempt to hunt down an ex-convict who The Miz has sworn to protect.
“Everyone came into this movie and honed in their character and knew all their lines and everything their character needed to be and displayed it on film and there’s no hole in the acting or the story. Its a really fun and action packed, entertaining action film.”
Miz also discussed how he and his co-stars wanted viewers to lose the perception that they were simply watching WWE stars pretend to be other characters.
“Heath Slater didn’t want to be looked at as Heath Slater, he wanted to be looked at as Cash. We’ll throw some throwbacks to give the WWE fans what they want to see but we also want you to lose the fact that these guys are WWE Superstars. We want you to look at them as a biker gang. When you see Jake Carter on film you don’t see the egotistical, arrogant jerk like The Miz. You see a guy who is all about protecting and serving and I really take pride in being able to play The Marine each and every time.”
The WWE is well known for all the work they do with the US Military, and while Miz told us that he would love critical acclaim, the men and women in uniform are the real audience he’s trying to impress.
“Whenever we go and do the Tribute To The Troops, I get a lot of compliments, and I don’t know if they’re just trying to be nice to me or if they really do like it because those are the guys I’m trying to impress the most. As much as you want the critics to write great reviews about you, that stuff kind of doesn’t matter. It’s the armed forces, the guys who go over there and fight to protect our country. I’m just playing a marine, but being able to go over and protect and serve and be a real hero is something to be admired. I just want to give them something to be entertained with … with their family and friends and I hope I do a good enough job for them. “
The Marine 5: Battleground is out on digital now, and will be available on Blu-ray and DVD tomorrow, April 25, from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment and WWE Studios.
Check back with Comicbook.com later today for part two of our interview and find out what goals The Miz has for his new home on Raw.
