LOS ANGELES: Florian Munteanu is unique, says actor-producer Sylvester Stallone, who cast the German-Romanian boxer in "Creed II".
"I had a feeling about Florian. It's very hard to get the whole package when you're casting a role like this. We could find big guys who could fight but couldn't act. Or guys who looked great but couldn't fight. Florian is unique, said Stallone in a statement to IANS.
Florian was interviewed by Stallone on a Skype video. Recalling his interview moment, the 27-year-old boxer said he was "spellbound" to seeing Stallone.
"It was absolutely surreal, doing a Skype audition with Stallone, who was a childhood hero of mine. Especially as a boxer, growing up with all the Rocky movies that I watched over and over again. I couldn't really describe the feeling I had when that computer screen opened, and I saw Stallone in front of me and realized it was actually happening."
Florian plays Ivan Drago's son Viktor in the movie. The film, being brought to India by Warner Bros Pictures, follows Adonis Creed training in order to defeat Viktor, the powerful athlete who killed his father in the ring more than 30 years prior.
"Creed II" is a sequel to "Creed" and the eighth instalment in the "Rocky" film series. It also stars Stallone, Tessa Thompson, Dolph Lundgren, Phylicia Rashad, Andre Ward, Wood Harris, Brigitte Nielsen and Milo Ventimiglia.
The sports drama film, which was earlier scheduled to release in India on November 30, will now release a day earlier.