MANILA, Philippines - Ultimate Fighting champion Quinton Jackson who is more popularly known as Rampage got his nickname during his childhood because of his uncontrollable tantrum fits. After years of wrestling and battling in mixed martial arts¸ Rampage is about to stomp and pound hard that matches his enormous fit of a tantrum in this year’s fully charged action film A-Team where he plays the iconic role of B.A. Baracus.
Rampage steps in the latest A-Team movie with Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper and Sharlto Copley and Jessica Biel. The movie follows a group of misfits led by a brilliant tactician Col. Hannibal Smith (Neeson) with his team of renegades Lt. Templeton “Faceman” Peck (Cooper), Capt. Murdock (Copley) and B.A. Baracus (Jackson) who escaped from military custody for a crime they did not commit. Pursued by the government’s Lt. Sosa (Biel), the rogue group goes underground to prove their innocence.
Get to know more of Rampage in the following Q&A:
Tell us a little bit about how you became involved in the film.
I auditioned for it; I’ve done a few films in the past. I was always interested in playing B.A. Baracus, and always thought if an A-Team movie was ever made, I would be interested in playing him. When I heard they were making the film, I audition for it.
You have a background in UFC. Did that prepare you for a tough shoot on The A-Team?
Prepare me? No. Hell no! The experience of shooting the movie was something else.
How did you approach playing such an iconic role with that of Mr. T?
There’s only one Mr. T. I would be stupid to try and act like Mr. T, right? I haven’t spoken to him but hope he likes it.
The A-Team seems like a real men’s movie, a real boy’s club. It must have been a lot of fun to shoot?
Yeah, it was a lot of fun to shoot. You know, The A-Team is a man’s movie. But I really think that women will enjoy the movie as well. There is a lot of action in it. I think this is going to be one of the manliest movies ever, but there is something in it for the ladies, too.
Were you frightened you might not be able to do the show justice?
I didn’t care about that; I just didn’t want to mess up the movie! Out of all the other big actors, I didn’t want to be the one with a terrible performance. I never even thought about the other stuff. That never even crossed my mind.
What’s the connection between B.A. and the iconic A-Team van?
He had to wait a long time to see it again. It’s like he has a relationship with that van, yeah!
After playing B.A., are you thinking about an acting career long term?
Yeah, I have a couple of other movies coming up that I’m thinking about. Right now I’m just focusing on my fight, so I’m not even talking to anyone or doing any deals. I’m not doing anything but training right now. My muscles come first, and if you don’t get that right, you’re going to get hurt.
A-Team is now showing in theaters from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.