Daniel MacPherson, the Australian actor best known for his role as Joel Samuels on the beloved soap opera Neighbours over two decades ago, has undergone a dramatic physical transformation for his latest film. The 46-year-old Sydney native, who left the show in 2002 and later gained international recognition in the UK police drama The Bill, is now virtually unrecognizable in Russell Crowe's new action film, Beast.
A New Look for a New Role
In Beast, MacPherson hides his famously handsome features behind a light beard and cropped hair. Scenes from the trailer show the actor stripped to the waist, revealing a muscular torso, huge pecs, and bulky arms. The film follows a mixed martial arts fighter and former champion who comes out of retirement to help his family. Russell Crowe plays his coach, while Luke Hemsworth and musician Amy Shark, in her big-screen debut, also star. Former South Sydney Rabbitohs player Scott Burgess takes on an important role as well.
Intense Training Regimen
MacPherson packed on 10kg of muscle for the role, according to Esquire, and lived like a fighter, including hours of MMA training. He told the magazine: 'There's this enormous physical challenge in making everybody in the world believe that you're an MMA fighter. I was doing my own training. I was doing my own washing. I was doing my own cooking. Everything was a grind, but that's what it needed.' His training took an unusual twist when he traveled to Thailand for fight camps with semi-pro MMA competitors.
On-Set Injury
MacPherson recently shared a behind-the-scenes story about a painful injury he suffered at the hands of Burgess. While filming the final fight scene in front of 10,000 people, he tore his adductor muscle and fractured his hip. 'George Burgess picked me up in The Octagon in Thailand, which was shot in front of 10,000 people and tore my adductor and fractured my pelvis,' MacPherson told Nova's Breakfast show. 'I already had a broken nose and already had a few other bits and pieces. Around 12 months later, I'm slowly putting my body back together.'
The actor, who also hosted Dancing with the Stars for several years, praised Burgess, calling him a brilliant actor. 'He plays my best mate in the film. He's a fantastic actor! He's a natural actor. It's in him. He's lovely. He's going to come up great in the film.'
Beast will be released on June 4 on Stan.
