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When former taekwondo champion Bren Foster isn’t teaching TKD and kickboxing at his Sydney gym, he’s busy working in film and television. The ex-bodybuilder and professionally trained actor, currently in LA working on the new Fight Science series for Discovery Channel, tells us about that and his role in the acclaimed Aussie crime-drama film, Cedar Boys.
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Bren, what was your role in the new Fight Science series?
I really can’t say too much until they are released, but I will say the first Fight Science was like no other as it was a feature-length documentary and all the new episodes are one-hour type episodes looking at different aspects of fighting, but still great too. I was involved in three of the new episodes set to be released and I will say some of the tests and studies surprised the hell out of me. But when it is released I have some really funny stuff to tell, involving a monkey, a tiger and some big blocks of ice!
Can you tell us a little about your role in Cedar Boys?
I play Jamal Ayoub, a man in his late 20s who finds himself in jail for the choices he made on the outside. He sincerely regrets his past and has turned over a new leaf while trying to ensure his younger brother, Tarek, does not follow his path. The role was a very serious dramatic role, something I was very keen to do. It gave me an opportunity to focus solely on the craft of acting and I think in light of current circumstances, it was a story that needed to be told. I had to do a lot of work even though it was only a supporting role, as I do not come from a Lebanese background as the character does, so I had to learn Arabic and become very familiar with the culture in order to give an authentic performance.
Did you do any action scenes, or are you only flexing your acting muscles in this one?
No action scenes or muscle flexing — just dramatic tension.
How did you land the role?
At first I really wanted the role, but I was told I wouldn’t be right for it. Then I was given the opportunity to audition and, to cut a long story short, after the audition some time went past before the director Serhat Caradee and producers simply agreed I did the best audition, and got the role.
How do you fit in your own training when filming? Were you still actively teaching at your gym during shooting?
We shot my scenes out at Maitland jail, which had a very hollow feeling about it — there just seemed to be a lot of sadness in the air. I did a bit of training whenever I could squeeze it in, and I would teach when I could, and have my instructors fill in for me when I couldn’t.
What kind of training are you doing now in LA, and how’s the search for TV and film work going over there?
At the moment I am training at a BJJ academy, and have made some great friends. Some of them are also former division-one college wrestlers who are also great with BJJ, so I am rolling around with some really tough guys. I’m dropping into the occasional Thai boxing class and keeping up my kicking skills with whoever wants to do some pad-work when I’m at the local gym. The film and television industry over here is such a machine — I have signed with a great theatrical agency, I have a great manager and a commercial agent. I even have an entertainment lawyer so it’s very different to Australia, where your one agent takes care of everything. I guess I’m learning the ropes in a whole new way, and it obviously took some time and a whole bunch of meetings to acquire this team on my behalf. Now that the team is assembled, they have me going out meeting heads of studios and casting directors all over LA. I’ve been auditioning at least two-to-three times per week and I am setting the ground to become an established actor here in LA.
(Cedar Boys is released on DVD this month.)
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