Bren Foster stars in Beast as MMA champ Xavier Grau, a determined warrior who wants a rematch with former fighter Patton James (Daniel MacPherson). On the surface level, Grau is the narrative’s antagonist as his take no prisoners approach doesn’t win him any fans. That said, Foster talked to Deepest Dream on why Grau is actually a “deeply layered” character. Foster also reflects on how his mother and his martial arts background has been pivotal to his approach to acting and directing (he also talks about his upcoming directing effort Relentless). Check out our full interview below!

Beast is a fantastic film. What was your thoughts on the final cut and can you discuss the biggest challenge of making the movie?

Bren Foster: Well, Greg, I actually still haven’t seen the final cut, so I’m waiting to see the whole movie.

From what I’ve seen, it looks fantastic. Every martial arts action type movie can get, pretty hard. And it’s just a matter of people around you understanding what you’re trying to create with the fights. Once they do, generally it gets a little bit easier. 

(Also) trying to execute the fight scenes at the highest level possible (and) making it look real – committing to it a hundred percent. Putting speed and power and emphasis without obviously hurting your partner. So I think that that was probably the most difficult thing that we had to do.

Can you just talk about the layers behind your character for this film? He’s not a one-dimensional antagonist which I appreciated.

Bren Foster: Well, firstly, thank you. I’m glad you really picked up on that. He’s a human (and) he’s someone who has worked his ass off to get where he is. The training sessions, the fights, everything that he’s been through to get to the top. It’s everything to him; it’s his whole world. 

He’s competitive and he’s a warrior and he doesn’t want to take a step back. No one gave him this title. The one loss that he had, which was embarrassing to him, was against Patton back in the day. So he really wanted to avenge that loss.

(Fighters are) human. They’re not these stoic one note soldiers. They’re actually human beings. So yeah, he’s extremely layered.  Fighting means everything to him. It’s just a human being trying to hold onto what he has given his life to and what he’s tried to earn.

So yeah, thank you for noticing that, that he come across as deeply layered. 

For him to be successful, he has to be very hyper-focused. Can you can relate to that focus, because I’m assuming to have a successful life in the martial arts, as well as being an actor and a filmmaker, one needs to have that focus.

Bren Foster: It all comes down to my martial arts training and to my mother early on. She started me in martial arts when I was six years old. Just the way traditional martial arts is structured like your next belt, your next goal. 

I was fighting overseas when I was 16 years old and I had my first kickboxing match when I was 12. I fought in Hong Kong, in Thailand, in Europe. One thing the martial arts taught me if, if you want to do something properly. you’ve gotta go and study it and put the work in.

So in my mid-twenties, I auditioned for one of the top drama schools – the University of Western Sydney Theater Department out here in Australia. And I managed to get a position in there. For the next three years I was there studying. In addition to that, (I was) studying with other acting teachers.

(Also), I was always seeking out different martial arts instructors. When I moved to United the United States, I found Ron Beliki, who was just an encyclopedia (when it came to) Filipino martial arts. So it’s just that focus and neverending quest for knowledge.  I’ve just been able to put that determination, that drive, and that commitment into all these different areas to running a martial arts school and having my whole family around me at that martial arts school in Australia.

Pursuing acting and making films and just putting that level of focus and commitment, which is born from my martial arts training into my everyday life. It’s completely the reason why I’m able to have focus and relative success in so many different areas. It’s because of the focus that martial arts has given me.

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I love films like Beast because it teaches us, that, shows us that something we already know, that it’s just about winning. It’s how you also take the punch. For you is taking the punch and maybe your losses a better teacher than your successes? Or is that putting too fine a point on, on the whole thing?

Bren Foster: No, Greg, you’re right mate. You are so right. Everything, myself or other people, everything that I’ve worked for, I’ve had failures in as well. And I think you have to have a really good relationship with failure because that’s where you learn the most, and that’s where you can also be given your second wind of drive and aggression to keep going.

A lot of people can fail sometimes, and then they just (say), “I’m done.” The towel’s thrown in. But luckily again, because of my mother, if I failed at something she would say, “Get up, go again.” And that’s also a testament with the martial arts. Sometimes you can fail, but sometimes people quit in our school if they fail a ranking.

But there’s a big strong drive to get up and to go again. Look, you’ve gotta have a good relationship with failure and you’ve gotta be okay with it. And it generally gives you the wherewithal to get up and to go again. And if you show me a person who has never failed at anything, I’ll show you a person who has never done anything.

We all fail. We’ve just gotta get up and, and, and keep going. And trust me, I’ve failed many times. 

Thank you so much for your time. I have a couple more questions. First off, after really loving Beast, I can’t wait to watch Life After Fighting, and I think you have another film directing film coming up. I think it says on IMDB – it’s called Relentless?

Bren Foster: Yes. 

How does directing really fill your cup, supposedly? What’s the challenge in that and why do that when that’s an extra job you have to do on top of all the things you do on a daily basis? 

Bren Foster: We did Life after Fighting, which has this massive underground cult following at the moment. (With) Relentless, which we have really, really pushed the boundaries.

(Relentless is) probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done. But the beauty about being able to write and direct is it allows me to really put my heart and soul into everything. With other jobs, they’re fantastic, but you have to also work with other people and facilitate their ideas and their passions and navigate to a common understanding.

But with Relentless, obviously there’s collaboration with the other actors, but in terms of the story and the direction and also playing the lead role, I can really put my heart and soul (into it). I don’t really have to navigate around other people to make the film. Because I’m at the helm on this one. The commitment from the other actors (on Relentless) was just through the roof.

Two weeks after Relentless finished, I didn’t move. I was just lying down on the couch, mate. But look, if anything’s worth doing, it’s going to be hard, right?

Hopefully everyone responds to it really well at the end of the year when it comes out. 

Can you name a film that made its imprint on you like that? A movie that was so impactful for you that made you want to become a filmmaker and actor because you put a lot of dedication and, like you said, heart and soul into your work.

What was that movie when you were 12 or 13 that did it for you and set you on that path? 

Bren Foster: When I was 12 or 13 – I would probably say Best of the Best. 

I’ve never seen it. 

Bren Foster: It has Phillip Rhee, Simon Rhee, Eric Roberts, Christopher Penn. It’s a classic martial arts movie where the American karate team takes on the Korean Tae Kwon Do team. James Earl Jones is in it.

It a wonderful film. But look, Greg, I’ve had so many, especially Asian cinema growing up. The Bruce Lee movies, Golden Harvest, Raymond Chow. All those films, I was obsessed with them Bloodsport to Kickboxer to Best of the Best. 

When I was a kid, I was just enamored by all of them. So I can’t really pinpoint one, but just ’cause you said that age, I remember seeing Best of the Best at that time and that had such a profound effect on me too. What can I say? But in film in general, from everything from The Goonies to Gremlins to everything when I was was a kid. I absolutely love them all, mate.

Thanks again for your time. Really love Beast and looking forward to watching more of your films down the road. 

Bren Foster: Thank you, Greg. Thank you again. Great talking to you, mate. Take care. 

Beast, co-starring Kelly Gale and Russell Crowe, is now playing in theaters. Share your thoughts on the movie in the comments!

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Listen to our weekly movie review podcast CinemAddicts. Films covered this week include The Travel Companion, Heads or Tails, and Serpent’s Path: