Randy Couture is a much loved and appreciated MMA superstar.  Most folks however see Randy as a good guy, or a superhero type.  What most people don’t know is that Randy has a need to be bad and is looking to play that new villain role in the movie The Scorpion King 2.  Check out this interview by Sports Illustrated.

Sports Illustrated:
“Randy Couture isn’t used to having people root against him. During his 10-year career in the UFC the man nicknamed “The Natural” and “Captain America” has been one of the biggest fan favorites in mixed martial arts. It’s one of the reasons Couture took on the role of Sargon, the villain in The Scorpion King 2: Rise Of A Warrior, which is being released on DVD Aug. 19 and is the prequel to the 2002 film The Scorpian King starring Dwyane “The Rock” Johnson.

“It’s odd but I like it, that’s why I did this,” said Couture, who is still the UFC heavyweight champion despite resigning from the company while filming the movie in South Africa last year. “I could take the little fight roles with my eyes closed but I was interested in doing more interesting characters and doing stuff that wasn’t just me.”

I recently caught up with Couture to talk about his acting career, his ongoing battle with the UFC and the chances of him stepping into the ring with Fedor Emelianenko by the end of the year.

SI.com: You’ve done some acting before in mostly bit parts, but this is your first lead role in a film. How did that come about and how did you prepare for the part?

Couture: I originally read for a much smaller role but I then got to read Sargon. A lead character in a Universal picture was really exciting for me. I was excited to get the opportunity to move up. I felt like I got stronger as we went along. Getting dressed up in the costumes and being on the set and learning to swing the big axe around helped to put me in the right frame of mind. At some level you have to find that character inside yourself. I’ve been around mean, nasty people plenty of times in my life and seen that first hand, so somewhere you have to find it inside yourself to relate to the character and hopefully that allows you to tell the truth to a certain degree and stay true to the role.” “

Read More…