Road House cast talk those brutal action scenes – and working with UFC champion Conor McGregor

Mar. 20, 2024

Exclusive: Billy Magnussen and Lukas Gage talk Road House’s action

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

“Be nice.” That’s the rule of being a bouncer that both Jake Gyllenhaal and Patrick Swayze’s version of bouncer Dalton live by – whether it’s Swayze’s explaining to the other muscle why they should always be cordial while escorting troublemakers outside, or Gyllenhaal’s driving the guys he’s just beaten bloody to the hospital to get patched up.

Naturally, though, the fight scenes inRoad Houseare anything butnice. With UFC professional Conor McGregor making his acting debut as a gleefully sadistic bad guy, and the titular Road House breaking out into full-on brawls practically every night, the fists are flying to brutal effect.

“It was definitely a challenge to do something that physical,” Lukas Gage, who plays barman Billy in the new movie, tells us. “I’m usually getting beat up in things, so to finally beat somebody up was really fun.”

Gage comes to blows with McGregor’s terrifying Knox, too – though the reality of shooting together was anything but scary. “I actually felt more safe with Conor McGregor beating me up than any other person on this film,” Gage says. “He knows how to throw a punch and how to not hit you.”

“He was a gracious scene partner, he was curious,” adds Billy Magnussen, who plays big bad Ben Brandt in the movie. “He was excited to show up every day. You always hope to work with actors like that: sometimes in this industry, you don’t. So it was nice and refreshing to work with someone that was excited and hungry to learn.”

Road House is available on Prime Video from 21 March. For more, check outthe cast on reinterpreting their characters from the original film– or see what Magnussen had to say aboutstarring in the upcoming live-action Lilo & Stitch remake. You can also hear more soon on the Inside Total Film podcast.

Sign up for the Total Film Newsletter

Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox

I’m a Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things film and TV for the site’s Total Film and SFX sections. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English.

After the massive success of Deadpool and Wolverine, Ryan Reynolds says he sees the Merc with a Mouth as more of a supporting character going forward

James Gunn clarifies that Superman is having “no reshoots”: “Just a handful of individual shots to enhance the film”