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<\/p>\nReviewed by Katrina Storton viewed at one day only theatre event.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
May 3rd<\/sup>, 2017, American Wrestler: The Wizard (2016) premiered in theatres across the nation for a one-night event. The film was released on the 23rd<\/sup> of April, 2016 at the Newport Beach International Film Festival but was just released May 3rd<\/sup>, 2017 by Fathom Events.<\/p>\n American Wrestler: The Wizard is based on the true story of Ali Afshar, a teenage boy who escapes the unrest in Iran in 1980. However, he faces more hostility in America due to the hostage crisis. Determined to fit in, he joins the school’s failing wrestling team.<\/p>\n American Wrestler: The Wizard has a great vibe to it. Because the film is based in 1980, the clothing, the mise-en-scene, and soundtrack, made this movie feel like a classic 80\u2019s film. The underdog story of a scrawny kid with an inner fire who defies all odds and becomes a wrestling \u201cwizard,\u201d places itself against other classics such as Karate Kid or even Rocky as the film is also about an immigrant outcast who\u2019s doubted in skills solely due to where he comes from.<\/p>\n American Wrestler: The Wizard is an inspiring film that will make you smile, laugh, and cry. The film\u2019s lead actor George Kosturos did a fantastic job portraying Ali Afshar as he went through the trials and tribulations of being Iranian in America during the 1980 hostage crisis. American Wrestler: The Wizard is George Kosturos\u2019s first leading role in a film, and he had excellent help getting into his role with such experienced actors cast alongside him. Jon Voight\u2019s (Deliverance, Midnight Cowboy) role is that of a principal with zero tolerance but a kind heart deep down. William Fichtner (Black Hawk Down, Contact) is the coach of the high school\u2019s failing wrestling team who sees the passion in Ali and lets him on the wrestling team. The role of Ali\u2019s uncle, Hafez Tabad, however, was played by Ali Afshar himself, the man the movie is based on. I truly appreciated Ali Afshar\u2019s portrayal of Hafez. The character was rough, selfish, and angry about the way the Iranians were being treated in America at that point in time. The character was not sugar-coated in the least, he was vulgar and crass in his moments of highest frustration, but he later becomes caring and encouraging to his nephew. I am inclined to believe Ali\u2019s performance was extremely accurate as well. The film I about his own life and he would play his own uncle accurately to make the film true to form.<\/p>\n One truly spectacular part of the film was the wrestling. George Kosturos had no experience in wrestling before this film. Yet he learned and performed all his own stunts. The wrestling holds, escapes, and moves were incredible, you couldn\u2019t look away. The wrestling scenes in American Wrestler: The Wizard were so intense that everyone in the audience was squirming in their seats, the cinematography truly puts you in the heat of the moment.<\/p>\n Below is a transcribed interview I had with George Kosturos after the May 3rd<\/sup> premiere of American Wrestler: The Wizard at Century at the River, a movie theatre in Rancho Mirage, California. George Kosturos chose this location for the nationwide theatre premiere of his film because it is his hometown. His family and my family happen to also be parishioners of the Saint George Greek Orthodox Church in Palm Desert California. George is a very happy and upbeat person. He was delighted to give me time for an interview after the film as our families know each other, we\u2019re from the same church, and he used to attend Santa Barbara Community College as well.<\/p>\n I highly suggest seeing American Wrestler: The Wizard,<\/strong> it is a great film with many laughs and an inspiring story. The movie has won 10 awards while traveling the film festival circuit and has high reviews across multiple platforms. You\u2019ll be able to buy American Wrestler: The Wizard on DVD on May 23rd<\/sup>, 2017.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Interview with George Kosturos:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Is this the third time seeing your movie now?<\/strong><\/p>\n No, this is like the 50th<\/sup> time seeing this movie.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 50th<\/sup>? Really?<\/strong><\/p>\n We filmed it almost two years ago. We did the festival circuit, so I saw it all those times. There was so many prescreening and industry screenings, I\u2019ve honestly seen it over 50 times\u2026and I still love it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Are you happy with the final cute or do you wish there was a scene that got put in?<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019m so happy with it. They used every scene, because we only shot the movie in 18 days which is shocking.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n That\u2019s impressive.<\/strong><\/p>\n Yeah! It\u2019s a two hour movie and it was shot in 18 days. I think they used every scene, I don\u2019t think they cut even one.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n So there\u2019s no deleted scenes to be found on the DVD?<\/strong><\/p>\n There\u2019s no deleted scenes, not on the DVD. There\u2019s bloopers on the DVD and a couple cool behind the scenes stuff on the DVD but no deleted scenes. I don\u2019t think we deleted any.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n How\u2019d you get involved with the movie [American Wrestler: The Wizard]? <\/strong><\/p>\n I was in LA, acting. I graduated from USC in 2014 and was auditioning. I did a couple of movies right when I graduated. It was just a random audition. It was actually almost the first audition I ever turned down. That was because I didn\u2019t think I could play an Iranian. I\u2019m not Iranian. And you had to be a 126 pound wrestler and I was at 160 at the time. I was thinking to myself \u201cThis is just crazy\u201d but a friend of mine told me to go, \u201cWho knows?\u201d So I went.<\/p>\n They told me they loved me and I had to lose a little weight. So for the callback, and this doesn\u2019t normally happen, I lost about 15 pounds. No one really does that for callbacks, they wait until their booked but I really wanted the movie after reading the script. I lost the 15 pounds and they were shocked and then about 7 more callbacks, so many rounds of auditions, and I got the role.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Wow! So how did your Iranian accent?<\/strong><\/p>\n I have two best friends, Peter and Paul, and they\u2019re from here [Palm Springs area\/Coachella California] in the desert. I went to Palm Desert High School with them, and they helped me with all the Farsi lines and helped me with the accent. They taught me the small things that make the Iranian accent a lot different from other accents. I would spend time with their family or with them, and they would show me how it was done. I would follow their dad around and listen to him talk and just kind of mimic him. I basically learned from those two guys.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n And you had to have a Farsi accent while speaking French too.<\/strong><\/p>\n Yeah! It was so weird, I could barely speak the French. So I had to learn the French then use the Farsi accent to say the French. Apparently it sounded real (Laughs) but I don\u2019t even know what I\u2019m saying when I do it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n How did you prepare for the wrestling when you\u2019ve never wrestled before?<\/strong><\/p>\n Yeah, I had never wrestled before and they brought me up to Petaluma just a month before the movie started. When I booked the role, we were going to be shooting in one month.<\/p>\n I wrestled with local High School kids and basically joined their practices. The real guy the movie is based off of [Ali Afshar] was there teaching me every day. Also a Green Beret wrestling coach was also teaching me every day. So, we trained our butts off and (Laughs) I got my butt kicked by all the local wrestling kids and finally I could keep up by the time we were shooting.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Do you enjoy wrestling? Do you think you\u2019ll continue it?<\/strong><\/p>\n I like wrestling yeah, but I like Jiu Jitsu, I\u2019ve been getting into that more. I doubt I\u2019ll keep wrestling but I\u2019ll wrestle anyone who wants to wrestle me! Everyone since the movie wants to wrestle me. I\u2019ll take anyone! (Laughs) But I don\u2019t see myself doing any organized wrestling anytime soon.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n What was it like working with such prestigious actors?<\/strong><\/p>\n It was amazing. Jon Voight was the nicest guy to work with. With him being such a professional, and knowing this was my first leading role, he was so nurturing and so helpful along the way. He taught me a lot. Same with Will Fichtner, he\u2019s like a mentor to me now. Both of them are just such fun\/silly guys on set. But, as soon as we\u2019re shooting, (Snaps his Fingers) they\u2019re laser focused. That\u2019s something I learned from them, how to go from being yourself on set then snapping back into character once you start filming.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n What did you study at Santa Barbara City College? Did you enjoy your time there?<\/strong><\/p>\n I went to Santa Barbara City College for one year before I transferred to USC. I took acting, my first acting class ever, Acting 101. I forget the teachers name, I apologize. Did you ever take acting?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n No, I\u2019ve only done film studies.<\/strong><\/p>\n I took film studies with Professor Stinson. I also audition for a couple of plays there (SBCC). I got into the play called \u201cAlmost, Maine\u201d. It was very random. But truly, SBCC was my first experience with acting, first experience with class, and first with being in a play. After that, when I transferred to USC I decided this is what I\u2019m gonna do for the rest of my life.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I heard you went an untraditional route of learning to act?<\/strong><\/p>\n Yes, as I said, I took that one class at SBCC and it was great, but, I felt I wasn\u2019t getting what the other kids were getting out of it. I went for a different approach, to learning how to act, I read a few influential books, and I then decided to watch my favorite actors. I relentlessly watched every film they\u2019ve ever done from when they first started till now. So I watched Matt Damon, every film he\u2019s ever done, Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Cruise. I just studied them. There\u2019s this essence I think actors bring, and THAT\u2019S the magic. So I studied how they do that in each role. That\u2019s something I\u2019m trying to do now. I think that was huge in my own personal training.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n What is your favorite thing about acting?<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019m a mellow guy in real life and I think it\u2019s fun to experience different emotions I normally wouldn\u2019t show in my real life. Never would I go up to someone and scream at them or get upset but in movies you can do that. I love to experience the full range of emotions that life offers. In real life, in society, you can\u2019t be crazy, you gotta be normal.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Any advice for aspiring actors?<\/strong><\/p>\n Don\u2019t give up. There\u2019s times where it seems like you can\u2019t do it, what you\u2019re doing is silly but if you REALLY wanna do it, you won\u2019t give up. That\u2019s the test of time, don\u2019t give up and you\u2019ll find your way.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Reviewed by Katrina Storton viewed at one day only theatre event. May 3rd, 2017, American Wrestler: The Wizard (2016) premiered in theatres across the nation for a one-night event. 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