Jamel Herring: from the Iraq War to boxing glory ... and West Side Story
12 September 2019 12:31
As a marine, he did two tours of Iraq. As a boxer, he has won a world title. And as an actor, he has impressed Steven SpielbergJamel Herring, a former marine who took up professional boxing and won a world title, found himself on a film set earlier this month, throwing combinations for a scene in Steven Spielberg’s remake of West Side Story. Herring squeezed his feet into a pair of black leather boxing boots from the 1950s and put in such a pulsating performance that the director stopped filming and asked Herring about his career as a fighter.“I saw a casting call for a boxer for the film, so I thought: ‘Why not, it might be a good experience and something a bit different,’” says Herring. “I ended up getting the part. We did the scene in a boxing gym, with the old boots, gloves and groin guards. I started throwing combinations as I normally would and they were amazed. Steven just lit up and then he found out I was a world champion. He was so nice. We had a really good chat – one of those things you don’t think will ever happen in your life.” Related: The world champion who survived boxing and thrived in Hollywood Related: The boxing dentist: a fighter who breaks and remakes teeth for a living Continue readingread full article
