ROCKWALL, TX – December 16, 2021 — Action-packed scenes, lovable characters, lots of witty one-liners and a local actor starring as a macho Italian boxing champion? You can expect all of that and more in the recently released boxing gangster drama The Devil’s Ring, which features local actor Michael Williams of Rowlett.
The Devil’s Ring follows a once promising young boxing prospect, Anthony Santiago (Alexander Luna), who returns home from prison to seek redemption, only to catch the attention of a big boxing promoter, Mr. Deville (Damian Chapa) with a sinister reputation. After a deal gone wrong, the young boxer must now seek help from a retired champion, Roy DeSilva (Al Dias) in a literal fight for his soul from the Devil himself.
The film debuted the weekend of Dec. 3 with special red carpet premiere screenings across the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. Many of the scenes in the film were shot in Dallas and the award-winning director of the film, Juan Salas, is a Dallas-Fort Worth native and a former graduate of The Art Institute of Dallas.
Williams portrays former undefeated boxing champion Leo “King of the Ring” Luciano, who’s out for vengeance against his best friend Roy after Roy knocked him out in a fight he was supposed to throw. It’s a role that Williams could really get excited about, as he used to box when he was a teenager. Williams dove head first into the role when it came to character development and preparation, building his character’s backstory through intense training in the boxing gym and going through several rigorous acting classes.
“Part of preparation for my character was to go re-familiarize myself with boxing,” Williams said. “The best way for me to do that was by getting myself in the gym to start training and getting in shape. I put myself through several different acting schools, soaking up as much information as possible so that I could bring my A-game to the role.”
Williams likened the prep for the role to a professional sports players putting in the work in practice so that he or she can be their best come game day.
“I spent a lot of hours in the gym several days a week, and then coming home and training because I wanted my physical appearance also to match with who my character was,” Williams said.
Williams truly went over and above what was required for the role, bringing his own ideas to the role and helping shape Leo Luciano into quite the scene stealer on the big screen.
“Even when I was off set, I tried to be Leo Luciano,” he said. “I didn’t always just wait until I was on set; I had to really have a mindset for that character all throughout the production.”
Williams emphasized that the key to success in anything you do, be it in acting or in business, is your willingness to do more than just what’s required or expected of you. His commitment to going the extra mile on set has opened many doors for him in the industry, having recently signed onto another big film project.
“I think that’s a good lesson to always go above and beyond, and to not always worry about whether you’re getting monetarily compensated for something,” Williams said. “The big reward is you’re going to learn a lot more, gain a lot more experience, and in the end you will be recognized for that.
“As filmmakers, we do what we do out of pure love and passion. One of our main motivating factors for producing great films is anything but selfish, because we do what we do for you – for your entertainment, to stir your emotions, and bring you joy, laughter and excitement. I believe we pulled that off big time with The Devil’s Ring, because I don’t know how anyone could watch this movie and not love it and fall in love with each of the characters.”
The Devil’s Ring is now streaming through Gravitas Distribution on Video on Demand via Comcast, Verizon and Charter, and SVOD streaming platforms Apple, Amazon, Google Play, Vudu and more.
By Austin Wells, Blue Ribbon News.
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