Chase Dreams Vol.5 - Arthur the King
I can confirm there really is such thing as a dream job! After working on Unchartered the movie out in Berlin for most of the 2020 summer I was asked if I wanted to work on Mark’s next movie Arthur the King. An adventure race movie being shot out In the tropical paradise of Dominican Republic.
When I was told the true story of Arthur the king I was blown away by the script and the fact it was set around an adventure race where competitors have to race through some of the hardest terrain for hundreds of miles with little to no sleep using bikes, kayaks, climbing and by foot the smile on my face went from ear to ear.
This film had everything I was passionate about, travelling, climbing, jumping off waterfalls, flying down hills on a bike it was the stuff my daily life consisted of, so I was ready from the get go.
Because of the COVID situation I almost didn’t get to live this dream, it was the beginning of 2021 and airports were starting to stop people from travelling, but luckily I did make it! I was so happy to be leaving the UK winter for a tropical paradise to do what I love with legendary people.
The villa where I was living was a lush 2 bed with 3 bathrooms! 50 meters walk down to the white sandy beaches and a 5 minute walk from where Mark's villa was where we would train most mornings. I say mornings, In extreme cases I would be waking up at 2am to head over to the villa and we would be working out at 3am! The team went hard every session! Usually a mixture of F45 style training with some heavy lifting for finishers. Shannon the legend put together some mean programs for us each morning and hooked us up with a freshly made protein shake to go, wow it was good!
Some mornings I would be showered and ready to start a day of work at 4:45am! For someone who's biggest struggle in life was waking up early this really was a test! But then I love to push myself and try to become my best version and I have to say spending time around Mark and his team really did inspire me to be better!
Not only was the job epic, but what really made it, was the people. The stunt co-ordinator and rigging team were awesome! the other doubles were so lovely and now friends of mine and the cast rocked! We had Nathalie Emmanuel from Fast and Furious 9, Simu Liu from Shang Chi and Ali Suliman from Lone Survivor and of course the main man Mark Wahlburg.
I got to spend some good time getting to know the man himself Mikael Lindnord who was the guy who lived the real life story. We really got on as we both had the passion for the great outdoors and get some epic snorkeling in during some down time.
Not forgetting the star of the show, Ukai the dog! playing the role of Arthur. What a special experience it was to spend so much time with Ukai, I love dogs and it was such a privilege to spend time together on and off screen.
This is going to be one incredible film to watch I can promise you that. They always are special when they are based on a true story. If you want to watch a short documentary and understand more about the story then watch this piece from ESPN. Be warned it will pull your heart strings a little.