'The Fighter's' Dicky Eklund talks to Men's Journal
The real life Dicky Eklund, played by Christian Bale in the Oscar-nominated film "The Fighter," has not had anything close to a simple life since his on-screen story cut to black after the 2000 fight crowning his half-brother, Micky Ward, WBU World Champion.
A story in the March issue of Men's Journal magazine on stands now chronicles Eklund's life. The former welterweight boxing champion, says the article, has been arrested 66 times, several in the last decade and, in the last four years alone, he has been arrested on charges of cocaine possession and a string of assaults, including charges of attempted murder and assaulting his live-in girlfriend.
His relationship with his brother is also strained. Ward, played by Mark Wahlberg in "The Fighter," did a lot better financially than Eklund, lives in a better neighborhood and as Eklund says in the article, "We have to keep each other at arm's length sometimes."
Eklund also reveals that after seeing the film for the first time in Los Angeles, he hated it. "Micky looks like a million bucks, and I look like a two-dollar bill," supporting actor nominee Bale says Eklund complained. Paramount Pictures paid Eklund $193,000 for his life rights but he reportedly blew through all that cash and now survives by training local boxers in Lowell, Mass.
Eklund and Ward's mother, Alice, also hated the movie version of herself, according to the story. "Those women were ugly," says Alice, 47, who reportedly received $500 for participating in the film. She was played by Melissa Leo, who received an Oscar supporting actress nomination for the role.
--Nicole Sperling
Photo of Dicky Eklund and Christian Bale by Getty Images.
These complaints by Dicky Eklund are just the ravings of a myopic, narcissistic, incredibly selfish individual. In short, a longtime addict. The real mistake was Men's Journal interviewing him in the first place -- the last thiong an addict needs is someone feeding his delusions.
Posted by: Ray A. | February 13, 2011 at 07:36 AM
Gerry, I agree with your comment. I'm surprised that the mom stated she was "ugly" in the film....I wonder if these interviews will have an impact on the actors winning? And wasn't Dicky invited to the SAGS and jump on the stage with Bale - stealing lhis thunder? Total ingrates.
Posted by: Chicago48 | February 12, 2011 at 10:00 PM
OMG, they're ingrates! They should be thankful....and for him to blow through $193,000 -- OMG, pitiful.
Posted by: Chicago48 | February 12, 2011 at 09:58 PM
When the HBO documentary first came out, one of the beefs around Lowell was that they put a scene in the Documentary showing Micky's boxing match. People felt Micky had nothing to do with drugs. The Fighter movie is Micky's story and from what you have presented, it seems that it is being pulled down, again, by what Dicky did.
I enjoyed the movie and thought the makers of the movie were being fair by giving a role to Mickey O'Keefe who has a thumbs up reputation around Lowell.
Posted by: Gerry | February 12, 2011 at 05:42 AM