The Fire Inside: Interview with Brian Tyree Henry, Ryan Shields and directed Rachel Morrison

The story of boxer Claressa ‘T-Rex’ Shields certainly seems tailor-made for the big screen. Growing up in economically depressed Flint, Michigan, with an alcoholic mother and an incarcerated father, she became an unlikely gold medalist at the 2012 Summer Olympics in women’s boxing and went on to win again in 2016. Amazon/MGM’s The Fire Inside tells her story but does so in a way that gives the film a grounded, earthy vibe.

Recently, I was lucky enough to sit down with stars Ryan Destiny and Brian Tyree Henry (who plays Shields’s coach/ mentor) for an interesting talk in which they examined the roles mentors have played in their own lives, with the on-screen relationship mirrored their offscreen one. Shields, who’d never boxed before, also revealed how she trained for the film but then had to stay in shape for two years as the film was shut down due to COVID-19, only to restart in 2022. I also chatted with director Rachel Morrison, one of the biggest DP’s in the biz (Black Panther), who is making her directorial debut. She reveals why she chose this movie as her first time in the director’s seat and how she wanted to make the boxing in the film seem more grounded than in a typical boxing film.

Watch the interviews embedded above and read my review HERE!