Raj Dhesi Reflects On Making Transition To Acting, Film Debut Premiering At TIFF

Raj Dhesi makes his feature film debut in Strong Son which premiered at TIFF, and he reflected on making the move into acting. The former Jinder Mahal co-stars in the film by Ian Bawa, which had its premiere at Toronto International Film Festival on September 11th.

Dhesi spoke with Popternative for a new interview and talked about the film, the skills he brought from wrestling into the movie, and more. You can see highlights below:

On the Film Premiering At TIFF:

“Bro, I’m inspired. I’m actually inspired. So, the first time I even heard about TIFF was in 2011. WWE had a show during TIFF. And in those days — this is pre-Rockstar days, pre-3MB days — I went out and partied, and like every place was bumping. And I asked, ‘What’s going on?’ They’re like, ‘It’s TIFF, it’s a film festival.'”

“At that time, I was just focused on wrestling. But then post-wrestling obviously, I want to do acting, right? It’s a kind of a natural progression. So, as you mentioned, Strong Son is my debut film, directed by Ian Bawa. I’m excited to do more, brother. It’s like wrestling, but it’s very different. But the performance, it’s acting at the end of the day.”

On What He Brought From His Wrestling Experience To the Film:

“Being flexible on set. Ian gave us creativity to do things our way. In this in the film I have essentially a monologue where I’m talking about pro wrestling — I’m a professional wrestler also in this film, coincidentally — where I’m talking about wrestling. And the words that I’m using, babyface and heel, and he gave me flexibility. And I wasn’t tied to like the script as it was written, he gave me a little bit of wiggle room. Which, wrestling prepared me for the ability to improvise and think on the spot and adjust on the spot.

“But the acting style is so different in WWE. It’s over the top; you’re projecting in a big stadium. Acting on film or television is very subtle. It’s very small. And oftentimes, WWE wrestlers think they know how to act because of the WWE style, but it’s completely different. I luckily started acting lessons the last year and a half of my time in WWE.”

On What He Hopes People Get From the Film:

I just want people to open up the dialogue for the idea of masculinity. Men oftentimes, we have this facade of masculinity, and always proving that we have to be tough. It’s okay to be vulnerable. It’s okay to lean on other people. It’s okay to open up the discussion, seek therapy, anything to help your own mental health.”

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Popternative with a h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.