God damn, Carl Weathers is fucking awesome.
First off, I looked him up, and the dude is friggin 75. He still looks pretty damn fit for a 75 year old.
The guy has always been a hyperfit monster, from Rocky to Predator and even in Happy Gilmour. One of my workout idols for sure… a nice goal to aspire to, even though I’ll surely never reach 10% of his athletic excellence. But it’s good to have goals.
I first saw him as a kid in Predator, as I hadn’t watched the Rocky movies yet. The gravity and depth he brought to Dylan in Predator ends up being the dramatic rock that anchors the film. This movie did not need to have such well-developed characters, but Weathers is such an amazing actor that he brings a depth to the role that goes beyond the words of the script.
Weathers also steals every scene he’s in in Happy Gilmour. I didn’t realize that the guy had such good comedic chops, but my god, he absolutely kills it in that movie. Pretty much every one of his lines is semi-iconic at this point.
The guy is currently in (and directing episodes of) The Mandelorean, and while it’s not a show I watch, I’m glad audiences are still getting to see this criminally underrated actor.