Former UFC Champion and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier star Georges St-Pierre knows playing the villain is always more fun. The Montreal-born fighter turned actor portrays Georges Batroc, or Batroc the Leaper, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe—a character that dates back to 1966. “He’s a French mercenary,” St-Pierre explained. “However, he does not have superpowers. BUT he has very strong legs.”
Bertroc is an Olympic lifter and champion in Sevate, a form of French boxing. “Bertroc was perfectly suited for me,” St-Pierre said, laughing, “because I do not have superpowers, I jump very high, I speak French, and also he’s a villain. I try to be a role model in everyday life, so when I play a villain, I can unleash. It’s a lot more fun.”
St-Pierre sat down with Men’s Health to discuss the role and respond to internet comments about his fitness background and working with co-star Anthony Mackie. Here’s what he had to say:
On why he still looks fight-ready
“I’m training because I LOVE it. I do not only train because I have a competition. I train because of the fitness, and because it’s a therapy for me. I’m always in shape, but being in fight shape is totally different. You cannot be in fight shape all year long.”
On his inspiration
“Van Damme was my idol growing up. His movie Bloodsport inspired me to be a mixed marital arts competitor. So if I can inspire some people to do similar things, I would be very happy.”
On working with Anthony Mackie
“Anthony is a great guy. He brings on set a great energy. He makes everyone laugh all the time. … You’re not born a great actor. It’s like an athlete: you have to work really hard for it. When you train for a mixed-martial arts competition, you’re always training to get out of your comfort zone—to make the fight look easier than the training. And I believe the same is true for an actor. I’ve learned a lot from watching [Mackie].”
On how martial arts saved him from bullying
“I started martial arts because of self-defense. I was a victim of bullying when I was at school. It saved me—in that I could have taken a very bad route in life, because bullying left a scar on me. So I put my anger into sport. When I train, it’s like a therapy for me, because I’m able to unleash it in my training. It’s not good to unleash it in everyday life. It started as self-defense. Self-defense became a passion. Passion became a business. And I became a fighter. And that’s how I won my life.”
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