‘They Fight’ Interview: Wendell Pierce, André Holland and More

(L to R) André Holland, director Sheldon Candis, and Wendell Pierce discuss ‘They Fight’.

Premiering on Hulu on Disney+ beginning July 17th is the new sports drama ‘They Fight’, which is based on the 2018 documentary of the same name and was co-written and directed by Sheldon Candis (‘Naomi’).

“History is written by the victorious”

Release Date: Jul 17, 2026

The film stars André Holland (‘Moonlight’), Wendell Pierce (‘Superman’), Anthony B. Jenkins (‘Stranger Things’), Samira Wiley (‘The Handmaid’s Tale’), and Mykelti Williamson (‘Forrest Gump’).

Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Wendell Pierce, André Holland, and director Sheldon Candis about their work on ‘They Fight’, adapting the true story, the actors’ research, shooting the boxing sequences, and working with the younger cast.

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(L to R) André Holland and Wendell Pierce in ‘They Fight’. Photo: Hulu.

Moviefone: To begin with, Sheldon, can you talk about developing the screenplay and did you feel a certain responsibility because it is based on a true story?

Sheldon Candis: Yes. Listen, you honor the lives of the people. You know what I mean? You honor the lives of the people, but you know also it’s not a one-to-one. This movie isn’t a direct adaption, there’s no reason to exactly make the documentary again, but how do we elevate this in the world of cinema? I consider myself somewhere in between Michael Mann and Antoine Fuqua and this idea that a movie can intersect genres. But it also can be something that feels so poignant and real where it’s not a documentary, but it’s a feature. The movie is so true on its emotional core that you feel something that’s beyond just the artifice of entertainment.

MF: André, can you talk about any research you did for this project and how it helped shape your performance?

André Holland: I really used the documentary as the primary source for understanding what the world of the movie is and who this character is. I’ve met a lot of people who are that same world who are very helpful, but at a certain point you must make an imaginative leap and I was eager to get to that part and to really go for it. Also, Sheldon was such a wonderful guide in making sure that we honored the lives, but that we also were flexible with the storytelling, flexible enough to make the story feel effective. But I think at its core, we just wanted to be honest about the circumstances and honest about the people. That was the kind of guiding force.

MF: Wendell, what kind of research did you do and how did it prepare you to play this character?

Wendell Pierce: Sheldon was a treasure trove of information and other people within the world, and the documentary of course was very helpful. As André said, at a certain point you must take all that information as you’ve studied it and then place it into executing the portrayal of the role and filming, and trust that your work and discovery continues every day as you are creating it. But it’s not a situation where you’re trying to pinpoint an exact portrayal of someone, it’s really an exact portrayal of the world that you create.

(L to R) Anthony B. Jenkins, André Holland and Wendell Pierce in ‘They Fight’. Photo: Hulu.

MF: Sheldon, can you talk about the challenges of shooting long and complicated boxing sequences with younger actors who can only be on set for a limited amount of time?

SC: I reference Michael Mann again because Michael Mann is a huge research nut, and for me, I’m just a seeker of information. So, I felt like if I’m going to go into this world of youth amateur boxing, I got to hit the road and I got to barnstorm. So, I just basically went to Philly, and I connected with Lamont Roach Sr. and his boxing gym. Then I went to DC because Lamont Roach is in DC. Then I went back to Philly with Coach Wahid. Then ultimately, I went to the Upton Boxing Center in Baltimore to see Coach Calvin Ford, who’s been working with Tank Davis since he was a little guy, and Coach Josh Powell. In that gym, they literally were the technical advisors. Coach Powell led a boxing bootcamp with Toussaint, Anthony, and Tory. It literally was to honor the lives of these kids. During that process of going to these boxing gyms, I’ll meet a kid who’s 10 years old and I’m like, “Hey, so how long have you been boxing?” “Well, since I was four.” So, you meet kids who’ve been boxing more than half their young lives. I just wanted to get as close as possible to that experience for the audience.

MF: André, what was your experience like working with the younger actors in this project and did you learn anything from them?

AH: Well, I feel like they reminded me how to have fun. Sometimes on set it can be laborious. Not on this set, but on some sets the days can be long and sometimes you can lose sight of the play that’s at the heart of this. But to watch them on set go from being between takes and goofing around in the boxing ring and then suddenly when action comes, they just drop right into whatever it is that they’re supposed to be doing. Whereas many actors, we’re sitting in a corner trying to emote and build ourselves up for work, but they just go there. Their imaginations are so swift. So, they reminded me of that and I really appreciate it.

MF: Finally, Wendell, what was your experience like collaborating with Sheldon as a director on set?

WP: Sheldon is a director who is a real student of his craft. Not only the technical proficiency that he has for cinematography, of framing of camera and all of that, but a history of cinema itself. He’s a real keen storyteller and writer. You see his filmmaking in the script immediately. I saw it immediately reading it. Then to get onto set with him and see how he’s an amalgam of all of that, and very flexible and creative. In one scene, I remember he said, “We’re going to shoot this scene tomorrow. We’re going to take it outside because I want to be able to capture the background and the light of the sky that’s going to be happening tomorrow.” He gave a specific time, not just a golden hour, which is easy for everyone to go, “Oh, golden hour in the morning or the evening. We’re going to catch this light.” But he said, “No, the light is going to be happening like this in the sky at around 10am or 11am and this is what we’re going to do because we’re facing north. It’s going to look like the background of a Monet painting because that’s what I want to capture.” To have someone who is that technically proficient and that artistically erudite combined in a free spirit and a filmmaker like Sheldon made it a wonderful set to come to, and a creative set to come to. That’s what you see on film. The film is like a quiet poem at times, with even all the boxing and stuff, it’s a poem. It’s like ‘Tender Mercies’ sometimes, or ‘Nothing but a Man’, which is the film that keeps coming back into my head. A slice of life, cinema verité, and at the same time raising the narrative to something that will touch you hopefully at the end of the story.

Editorial Note: James White conducted this interview and contributed to this article.

‘They Fight’ premieres on Hulu on Disney+ July 17th.

What is the plot of ‘They Fight’?

Recently released from prison, coach Walt Mangian (André Holland) joins a local youth gym to help a ragtag team of adolescent boxers aspiring to a national championship.