Adonis’ past comes back to haunt him in the sequel Creed III when childhood friend and former amateur boxing champion Damian Anderson (Jonathan Majors) gets out of prison. Damian wants a fast pass into the professional boxing world and gets his chance when he goes up against a Mexican boxing champ named Felix Chavez (Jose Benavidez), whom Adonis is promoting.
Actress Selenis Leyva (Orange is the New Black) stars as Felix’s protective mother, Laura Chavez, who only wants what's best for her son and his professional career. During a recent interview with the Current, Leyva, who also stars on the NBC sitcom Lopez vs. Lopez, talked about what drew her to Creed III and what she thinks is special about now being part of the Rocky franchise.
Creed III is currently playing at theaters nationwide.
In the first six Rocky movies and the first two Creed movies, there wasn't any Latino representation in the ring. What do you think about them adding that for Creed III?
I think it's about time. Michael B. Jordan and I talked about this today. He was like, “You know, it's kind of weird that we've never had that representation when the Latino community is such a big part of the boxing world and the success of boxing.” So, I love that they introduced it. I love that they are introducing someone like Jose, who is a professional boxer. I'm hoping that means that there will be more of that in the future.
Your character, Laura Chavez, is an important part of the first half of Creed III. What did you like about her when you read the script?
I loved that she is a strong woman who knows about the boxing world. Usually, what we see in boxing films is that it’s always the father or a male figure who is the person in charge. In this case, it's great to play a Latina who is dominating in the world of the men. I love that we have that aspect and that we bring Laura into the mix.
As a mother yourself, was her mentality something you could identify with?
Absolutely. I am a mother, and I'm a mama bear all the way. I am the oldest child too, so I was always the person taking care of everyone and making sure everyone's good. So, I kind of jumped into this role pretty easily.
How familiar were you with the Rocky film franchise? Did you have to go back and refresh your memory?
We all kind of grew up with it. Even if you were too young to see it in the movie theaters, you got to see them later. Who can forget the theme song? (Sings the Rocky theme song.) That's epic. To be part of this franchise is really special. Now that you're in it, people are going to see it forever. That's a really special place to be — not just part of the franchise, but also part of the first one that Michael B. Jordan directs. We are his first, and you always remember your first.
Along with Creed III, I know you have a good thing going with Lopez vs. Lopez right now. What are you looking for when things come across your desk these days? Can you give me an example of something you would say no to?
I think that I say no to things that I've already done. I don't know if I would put on an orange jumpsuit right away [like I did for my role in Orange is the New Black]. I think those days are over maybe. I think it all depends on the story. For me, it's all about the script. What attracted me about the script for Creed III is that [my character] was a woman in the boxing world and not just a mom suffering in the corner because her son is getting beat up. She’s a woman who knows what she wants, who is hustling, who is demanding and who is calling the shots. I don’t want to be pigeonholed as an actress. I believe that when you are a woman, specifically a Latina, specifically an Afro-Latina, you have to make very smart moves on that chessboard. Otherwise, you can get stuck in a world that you don’t want to be stuck in.
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