Francesca Eastwood has been carving out a career for herself outside of her famous last name, taking on a variety of roles across film and television. In Queen of the Ring, she steps into the world of professional wrestling as Mae Young, a trailblazing force in women’s wrestling long before the sport reached mainstream audiences. While Eastwood had no prior connection to wrestling, she dove headfirst into the role, studying archival footage, listening to interviews, and even training in the ring alongside her co-stars.
In our conversation, Eastwood discussed the challenges of bringing Mae Young to life, the physical demands of stepping between the ropes, and the energy of working with a cast that includes Walton Goggins, Josh Lucas, and real-life wrestling stars. She also touched on the parallels between filmmaking and wrestling, her experience working under her father Clint Eastwood’s direction in Juror #2, and whether she might ever be tempted to step into a wrestling ring for real.
[Editor’s Note: This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.]
Did you have any sort of connection to, or affinity for, professional wrestling prior to this project?
Francesca Eastwood: I did not. I had a lot to jump into, and a lot to learn. I love sports, in general, and I had some familiarity with who certain people were, but I was honestly shocked when I got the offer to play Mae Young. First of all, I looked at her, and I was like “oh, I have to.” But then finding out who she was, finding out what this world is… it’s such a joy to dive into something you know about, but don’t really know about, and realize how much goes into it, how many people love it, how many people it touches. It was an absolute joy to discover, and I learned so much working with the other girls. Now I’m a wrestling fan, I think!
What was the research process like? How much did you put into figuring out who she was to help you find the character on the screen?
Francesca Eastwood: The great thing about Mae is there’s so much recent footage of her. I started out with her in her 60s and 70s and watching all of that, and that was really intimidating. And then I tried to imagine “who was this woman at a younger age?” So that’s where I started, but luckily I was blessed with… she’s given a plethora of interviews, on camera and just voice interviews, where she goes into depth about what it was like back then. And I watched as much footage as I could, but it’s harder to find, obviously. But she had given so many voice interviews discussing [wrestling] in depth, so that’s what I listened to every day, and just kind of prayed that I would do her some sort of justice.
Obviously, with getting into a wrestling ring there’s a certain amount of physicality involved. What was the preparation like leading up to the shoot? Did everyone learn to take bumps?
Francesca Eastwood: Yeah, we did! This is what was surprising to me: we didn’t have stunt doubles, and I was kind of expecting that a little bit, because Mae doesn’t wrestle as much [onscreen]. We did go through a lot of the training, and got our butts kicked doing in. It was really fun, but it was really hard work. What I really tried to focus on was just buffing up a little bit, and focusing more on “what’s her vibe, what’s her personality” and then bringing that into the ring as well.
You’re working with a really great ensemble cast, not just on the side of the wrestlers, but also with people like Walton Goggins. What’s the vibe like on set, with so much talent every direction you turn?
Francesca Eastwood: Working with Walton Goggins and having scenes with him was a dream. I was so thrilled and excited. He’s so professional and he’s so lovely, and he’s such a giver and such a mentor and so collaborative. It was just a breeze, it just felt really good; I was pinching myself the whole time. And the same with Josh Lucas! I was intimidated to work with him, but he’s such a talented and lovely actor.
You had a couple of very intense moments onscreen with Josh. Obviously, when the cameras are rolling you have to live in those emotions, but how do you come back to reality so you’re not walking around with these negative feelings toward your costar?
Francesca Eastwood: Yeah, Mae did not like Billy, and I had done enough research that I knew a lot more of the stories that had happened and a lot more of the things that had gone on, so I really had to despise him. But it’s one of those things where once the scene is over, the camaraderie comes right back. I would assume it’s like that in wrestling, too.
I think that’s probably pretty accurate. You also had a chance to work with your dad recently, on Juror #2. He has a reputation for being one of the most efficient filmmakers: doing very few takes, always coming in on time and under budget. Coming in with a pre-existing relationship, was there any sort of pressure to live up to his reputation, or was there more leeway because you’re family?
Francesca Eastwood: Well, I grew up on his sets, so I knew what to expect. There was pressure, because I’ve known the crew my whole life, and he’s my father, so as a daughter I want to do a good job. He’s definitely the boss, but he’s a very calm and powerful presence on set, and he has a way of sharing that energy with all those around him. It was great.
Historically, there’s been some crossover between the pro wrestling world and the world of filmmaking. You’ve had people like Dwayne Johnson and Dave Bautista who’ve left wrestling and come to Hollywood, you have people like Stephen Amell who started as an actor but has occasionally dabbled in wrestling. Is there a possibility we might see you get more involved in the wrestling world in the future?
Francesca Eastwood: You know, it’s tempting, but I think I’m happy being a fan of this world.
Queen of the Ring opens in theaters everywhere on March 7th. For more on the film, check out our review.