Jake Gyllenhaal wasn’t the only person taking real hits during the “Road House” shoot. He also ended up accidentally hitting Conor McGregor in the head with a car door, though Gyllenhaal told Fallon that the fighter just shrugged it off. “He was like, ‘Pfft.'” As such, while there’s been plenty of drama around the “Road House” remake, the two stars did their part to keep things civil.
McGregor had extra motivation to bring his A-game to the set. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the star recalled Meryl Streep’s unsavory comments about mixed martial arts at the 2017 Golden Globes. “Hollywood is crawling with outsiders and foreigners. And if we kick them all out, you’ll have nothing to watch but football and mixed martial arts, which are not the arts,” the legendary actor said during an acceptance speech.
Streep was making a point about acceptance within the arts, but McGregor understandably didn’t care for the three-time Academy Award winner turning MMA into collateral damage — especially since he has a radically different interpretation of fighting. “I was really taken aback because fighting is an art,” he said of Streep’s speech. “It’s brutal also, so I can understand. It’s not for somebody to make a mistake; it’s real artistry for those who do what we do, so I came in with maybe a little chip on my shoulder and wanting to represent my sport and my art, give my best in this arena.”
