Great partnerships can fail - even in the face of world-beating success. The boxing partnership of coach Brendan Ingle and boxer Prince Naseem Hamed began to break down in the mid-1990's; even as Naz’s star continued to rise. The movie Giant - out now in cinemas - charts the relationship between Irish-born trainer and British-Yemeni boxer Naseem Hamed; from the earliest days in Sheffield, through to international success and the unwinding of their once-close professional and personal relationships.
The film has also launched a collaboration between two men at opposite ends of their careers – Pierce Brosnan, who plays Ingle and Amir Al-Nazri who plays Naz. It’s a friendship that looks like it will go the distance, if their recent interview with Miriam O'Callaghan is anything to go by. Both actors spoke warmly about their professional relationship and their contact with the now-retired boxer Naseem Hamed, as well as with the family of Brendan Ingle; who died in 2018.
Ingle was a Dublin-born steelworker who enjoyed some success as a middle-weight boxer. He founded a gym in his adopted home of Sheffield and he guided numerous young boxers to world championship success – most famously Prince Naseem Hamed. For Pierce Brosnan, playing the role of Brendan Ingle was something of a revelation, as he told Miriam:
"I didn’t know Brendan’s story, Miriam, no. I knew of Naz and I watched the glory of his life step onto the stage, the world stage of boxing. It wasn’t until Rowan Athol sent me the script that I began to discover this great man’s legacy and the kinship and the friendship of their relationship – and it really comes across so strongly in the film."
That sense of emotional truth was what ultimately persuaded Brosnan to say yes, even as doubts crept in:
"It was a journey that I will forever cherish. It was daunting because I read the script, I was enamoured and I was bewitched and beguiled by it. The story had such a human heartbeat to it. And then this chasm of doubt appeared before me when I realised I had to portray this man – how beloved he was, how mighty he was."
For Amir El-Masry, the challenge was as physical as it was psychological. Playing a boxer of Hamed’s stature meant a rapid, punishing transformation:
"It was very, very challenging. I had four weeks to get into Naz’s head and mind and soul and body. I lost about eight kilos and was training twelve hours a day. We left no stone unturned – dialect, movement, physical training – and then the cherry on top was working with an incredible actor like Pierce."
Beyond the boxing, Giant confronts the racism Hamed faced and the way Ingle helped him navigate it. El-Masry said the story resonated with him personally:
"I wasn’t shocked, because a lot of it I could personally relate to. And even Brendan himself, being an Irishman in Sheffield, came with its own baggage. What’s beautiful about this film is that there was a sense of community and home – a place Brendan held for people like Naseem when the outside world made them feel isolated."
That sense of shared humanity prevents the film from slipping into easy hero worship. Asked whether the boxer or the trainer ultimately emerges as the hero, El-Masry was clear:
"I think you end up liking them both. You have to champion everyone’s decisions, with all their flaws. No one is born a villain. We all make decisions that come from somewhere – trauma, triggers – and that’s a relatable factor in this film that anyone will get, boxing fan or not."
For Brosnan, moral complexity was central to the story Rowan Athol crafted, particularly as fame and ambition begin to strain the relationship, he says:
"They both had a burning ambition to be great. There was a contract made – a father making a contract with a young lad – and they got caught up in life and money and fame. Everything fell apart and they didn’t know how to make it whole again. Rowan creates such ambivalence that you can truly sympathise with both men."
Both actors stressed that the ultimate test was whether the real people portrayed on screen felt their perspective was honoured in the movie. By that measure, Giant has already landed its most important victory. Prince Naseem Hamed has publicly backed the film – even placing his WBC belt over El-Masry’s shoulders after a screening; a gesture the actor says he will never forget.
Giant is in cinemas now. Listen back to the full interview on by clicking above or on the RTÉ Radio app.