Romanian boxer Florian “Big Nasty” Munteanu, 28, is making his feature film debut in Creed II, in theaters everywhere Nov. 21. Florian plays Ivan Drago’s son, Viktor, in the highly-anticipated follow-up to the 2015 film Creed. Viktor’s father, played by Dolph Lundgren, 61, is the character who killed Apollo Creed, Adonis’s father, in Rocky IV. Adonis (Michael B. Jordan) and Viktor will be facing off in the ring in Creed II. Even though he is the son of an epic Rocky villain, Viktor is more than just his father’s son, and what happens in Creed II will surprise you.
“You will like me on screen, trust me,” Florian told HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY at the movie’s New York City premiere on Nov. 14. “It’s a tease that I’m not a typical villain. I’m playing the role with a lot of heart and emotions. I’m pretty sure you’re going to feel for the Drago side, too. I feel like there’s a lot of surprises, so prepare yourself. You won’t even hate my father, trust me.”
Florian talks a big game! The Rocky franchise is beloved by so many, and Florian revealed what Sylvester Stallone, 72, told him upon getting the role. “Stallone is the one who discovered me,” Florian continued. “He has a talent for finding new talent. He found Dolph back in the day and Carl Weathers, so I have to give him credit. But, he told me, ‘Man, I found you, but the pressure is now on you. Pay me back, right. I’m giving you a lot of credits before, now you have to pay me back.’ So, I knew that in order to do that, I had to give at least a 1000 percent to make everyone happy and, of course, the audience because they’re expecting a lot from this role because it’s the son of an iconic role. I’m really confident that everyone will be happy.”
Florian is no stranger to training hard in the gym. However, he admitted that he got into the “best shape” of his life for the Creed sequel. “I basically trained the way I always train, but I added a few more hours per day in order to be super ripped and super shredded,” Florida told HollywoodLife. “I think I was in the best shape of my life for this movie, definitely. I lost like 20-25 pounds, so my walking around weight is like 254 right now. For the movie I was like 220… Now I’m eating pizza and cheesesteaks and all that sh*t. For the movie I was on a strict diet — chicken, rice, a few vegetables, that’s it.”