How Jonathan Majors Became Creed’s Toughest Adversary Yet in ‘Creed III’

Jonathan Majors has one of Hollywood’s most imposing physiques. Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at how he transformed to go toe-to-toe with Michael B. Jordan.

Jonathan Majors might as well be the human embodiment of a comic book superhero—or, rather, supervillain, as his latest roles have him animating complex characters such as Marvel’s Kang the Conqueror and now Damian “Dame” Anderson in Creed III. He wholly commits to his craft, gaining notoriety for his penchant for method acting. Joining the iconic Creed franchise was added incentive to take his shredded physique into the next stratosphere. 

“I’ve never played a character who’s so communicative with his body before,“ Majors says in reference to Damian Anderson.

His punches speak volumes, but so does the way he carries himself outside the ring.

Who Is Damian “Dame” Anderson in Creed III?

In Creed III, we discover Anderson is a childhood friend of Adonis Creed. The two roomed together in a group home and Anderson was a boxing prodigy, serving as a young mentor to Creed before a tragic mistake lands him behind bars for 18 years. 

“I saw Dame as the guy you don’t want to run into at the gas station,” Majors elaborates, “a pit bull who can be misunderstood and bite. He really wants to love you, but you don’t want to cross him or the people he cares about because gang life is gang life.”

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For insight into the mind of Damian, the actor looked to rappers like Tupac and Nipsey Hussle, as well as people from his own life.

“I have friends and family members who’ve been locked up before and I felt a responsibility to represent them accurately,” says Majors. “I was also excited that the script gives us the ability to learn about Dame more. Instead of just seeing a villain, there’s the benefit of empathy. There’s still a brotherly love between him and Adonis.”

The years of incarceration while watching Creed become the heavyweight champion, a dream the two kids shared, is one that can breed motivation or resentment—or both. It’s an important emotional through-line of the film.

“Michael [B. Jordan] wanted to make a movie that honored the legacy of Rocky while telling a deeper story, and a big part of that was introducing the character of Damian Anderson,” Majors says. 

How Jonathan Majors Trained for Creed III

To capture the character’s brute force and size, Majors completed multiple workouts a day for months leading up to filming and even during production. The elite team he leaned on during this process included boxing coach Rob Salle; stunt coordinator Clayton J. Barber; actor Mark Rhino Smith; nutritionist Donnie Stykes; and Jordan’s own longtime trainer, Corey Calliet.

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“I started each morning at 5 o’clock by running three miles at pace after I spent some time with my dogs,” Majors says. “They say, ‘No legs, no fight.’ I decided I was going to fall in love with running every morning and I was going to do it hard. I wanted that conditioning. I would go to the gym after and train. Sometimes it was with Clay and sometimes it was just me and Mike.”

Jordan was a helpful resource to Majors when it came to the boxing choreography—not just as his director, but also a fellow actor with eight years of experience bringing it to life on the silverscreen.

In order to make the movements more natural, Majors did boxing-inspired exercises during those sessions. “I was shadowboxing with weights to build and condition the muscles, all with a lot of core training. We knew the shirts were coming off.” 

The work didn’t stop there. Following his session with Barber and Jordan, Majors would head to a second gym for another workout in east LA.

“That’s where I’d do everything else I felt I needed to become Dame,” says Majors. “I was doing bench presses, squats, curls, intense cardio, and lots of pullups.” Those pullups were clutch when it came time to film the franchise’s staple training montage, where the actor is seen powerfully executing a double rope climb at a beach gym and chest pressing some monstrous dumbbells. 

“I didn’t put all of that work in to lift fake weights,” Majors says. “I’m climbing those ropes. I wanted to lift those weights for real.”

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There was no faking it in the ring when it came time for the big showdown. “I remember the first time Mike and I got in the ring together,” recalls Majors. “Clay pulled me aside and said, ‘We don’t have to go that hard.’ But really that’s the only way I know to go. When you’re doing something like this, with this kind of speed and intensity, we want to feel it. Mike and I hauled off on each other. The body shots were real. We wanted to feel it on both sides. We didn’t go and lift those weights for nothing.”

The result is an explosive finale. The movie’s inventive execution of the action, paired with the emotional interludes of Creed’s past and present with Anderson, makes Creed III a powerful addition to the franchise. 

“This story is about two powerful athletes and men colliding,” says Majors. “Dame is the one that brought Adonis into this boxing world, and helped him become the fighter he is. There’s a social and blood currency between the individuals, making it intimate while also being this epic saga.”

Creed III is now playing in theaters. 

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