For his feature directorial debut, Day of the Fight, Jack Huston has reteamed with his former Boardwalk Empire colleague Michael Pitt to tell the story a once celebrated boxer who takes a redemptive journey through his past and present on the day of his first bout since leaving prison.
Huston also wrote and produces the movie which premiered to a warm and extended reception in the Horizons Extra section of Venice on Tuesday night.
An experienced and award-winning actor, Huston was effusive in his excitement for the process of making Day of the Fight when we spoke ahead of the festival.
In the interview below, which has been condensed and edited for clarity, he tells me why lightning had to strike in order for him to get behind the camera, how he “called in every favor” to pull together a cast that also includes Joe Pesci, and why he’s “the luckiest son of a bitch” to have grown up immersed in the movies as part of one of the most legendary families in Hollywood. DEADLINE: Talk me through why you decided to make this your feature directing debut, a story of a fighter on one day when he’s making the rounds to tie up loose ends. HUSTON: I suppose the cheesiest way of saying it is lightning never struck.
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