MJF On His Reduced Role In ‘The Iron Claw’: The Film Needed To Be About The Brothers

MJF says his scene in “The Iron Claw” was reduced because it didn’t add to the overall story.

MJF says his scene in “The Iron Claw” was reduced because it didn’t add to the overall story.

AEW World Champion Maxwell Jacob Friedman (MJF) plays Lance Von Erich, a kayfabe member of the family, in “The Iron Claw”, but he only makes a brief appearance in the theatrical cut of the film.

Speaking with Liam Crowley for ComicBook.com, MJF, who is also credited as an executive producer of the film, discussed why one of his scenes got cut.

“There most certainly is [an extended scene]. I don’t know where it’s going to live. There was a scene where me and him were talking, but me and Sean both completely understood that listen, I want this film to succeed, and the film needed to be about the brothers. As fun as I had shooting that scene, realistically, it didn’t add to the overarching story and the importance of the story between the brothers and what they were going through in dealing with the pressures that their father put on them. It didn’t fit in the pieces of the puzzle,” MJF said.

MJF went on to note that other things were cut from the film, and he shared his belief that everything director Sean Durkin shot was fantastic. He made it clear that he agreed with Durkin’s decisions and called the film a masterpiece.

“I’m sure that you’re going to find that there was a lot of stuff that got cut and it wasn’t because it wasn’t good. I think everything that was shot was absolutely fantastic. Not just my stuff, but every actor had stuff that got cut. It’s just like there’s only so much time. The story that’s most important is the brothers. That’s what it came down to. I couldn’t agree with Sean Durkin more on the decisions he made. The film is an absolute masterpiece,” MJF said.

In the same interview, MJF shared his thoughts on his future in acting. Check out his comments here.

Click here to see what MJF had to say about meeting John Cena at the premiere of “The Iron Claw”.

MJF and Samoa Joe are set to compete on the December 27 episode of AEW Dynamite. Fightful will have live coverage of the show as it airs.