From studying Judo as a child and being a little scared of his first stage role to now starring in this Summers huge Blockbuster X Men Chronicles Lee finds out a little more about this rising Action star.

Scott Adkins was born on 17/06/1976 and comes from a small town in the West Midlands UK where he grew up with a loving family and one elder brother.

Hi Scott, when and why did you start getting into Martial Arts.

Hi, I suppose as a child I was constantly watching martial Arts movies but the one that stands out was Enter the Dragon with Bruce Lee.
Bruce Lee was my inspiration to learn Martial arts and as a child I thought that’s what I want to do.
Then along came Van Damme with the muscles and Jackie Chan and Jet Li with the combined acrobatics and I thought that’s cool.
I Started Judo at 10 with my brother & father because I didn’t want to miss out.
I got hooked and at 13/14 went on to study Tae kwon do and at 18 Kickboxing and I’m now trying out MMA. (Mixed Martial Arts)
I’ve also Trained in gymnastics for many years.

When did you decide to become an actor ?

One earliest memory I have was to become a stuntman.
Then after watching lots of movies I said I wanna do what they do. I wanted to be Bruce Lee.
My Parents humored me but eventually gave in after a few years when they realized I was serious.
I had the passion for it and that’s all I could think about.
I studied performing arts at Sutton college and I remember the first performance we did I took the smallest role possible, I knew I wanted to do it but just felt so scared.

One of the big movies to come out this summer is X Men Origins. Explain your character... weapon XI?

Ok yeah, there is a weapons experiment project in the film & Wolverine is weapon 10 (X) & Captain America is weapon 1.
Bit of trivia for you.

In Wolverine you will see weapon XI (11) as the failed experiment which eventually becomes deadpool.

Ryan Reynolds who plays Wade Wilson, gets turned into Deadpool which is a Popular comic book character and they are looking at doing a Spin off movie with Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool.

I’m a similar build to Ryan and he couldn’t be there at the end so they hired me to play Weapon XI.
Like I said weapon XI is a failed experiment so his mouth is all stitched up, you see the scars of the experiment and his eyes shoot fire beams like Cyclops. He does have some cool swords that come out of his hands a bit like Wolverines claws.

How did the part come about?

J J Perry, He was the fight co-coordinator of Undisputed 2 and The Shephard (Van Damme)a great guy and a good friend.

I used to idolize Van Damme as a young teenager and then I’m fighting him in the movie...

How was Hugh Jackman to work with?

Awesome guy very Classy in every way.
I found him to be very comfortable in his own skin and he made me feel at ease very quickly.
His dedication is second to none and his physique in the film is just incredible.

From the UK soaps of Eastenders, mile high and Holby city to the Hollywood glits and glamour of The Bourne Ultimatum, (matt damon) The Shepherd (Van Dam) and X Men Origins -Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) among many more, what's been your proudest role to date.

Boyka, a Russian MMA Fighter in Undisputed 2.
This was a low budget martial Arts movie and the film came at a time when everyone seemed to have something to prove from myself to the Director and JJ Perry (fight co-coordinator) which was when we first met.
We all came together and created a cult favourite low budget film which did extremely well.

Ever been star struck?

Oh yeah plenty of times, when I worked with Jackie Chan and Van Damme.
I used to idolize Van Damme as a young teenager and then I’m fighting him in the movie The Shephard.
How can I not get star struck when I’ve just been in Wolverine!

Do you live in England or America and where is home?

I live in England and Home is always England.
My friends and Family are in the North UK and now I work a lot in films I travel all over the world so its nice to have a relaxed home environment.
I’m not one to party much and I’ve never really been into the London lifestyle.

What's next for Scott?

Ninja, My first starring role which is a full on Martial Arts movie.
This was exciting for me as its my first lead role and I hope the fans will really enjoy it. Ninja should be out end of the year.

‘The Tournament’ is an upcoming action film which also stars Robert Carlyle and Ving Rhames.

I’m also going back to Bulgaria to film Undisputed 3 so I will be back in Boyka’s shoes this summer.

Health and Fitness

How would you describe your training schedule?

It totally depends on what film I’m doing and if I need to train for a character.
At the moment I’m training heavily in MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) because I’m preparing for Undisputed 3.

What is your typical diet?

3 meals a day with a health shake in between each meal and one before bed.
Yes I like my shakes but it is also easy with my schedule.
I would also make sure I have a fist size portion of carbs, veg and Protein on my plate especially if I’m training for a part.

How many times a week do you train.

I would train everyday with one day off for rest.

How often do you practice martial Arts?

I would probably train in Martial Arts everyday especially if preparing for a role.

If you want a six pack you have to get to it before building it.

What are your Martial arts gradings?

I’m a Black belt for the PKA. (Professional Karate Association) but in traditional Martial arts sense these days it is not like it used to be. I remember days when I would not be able to grade higher than a yellow belt in Judo if I was under 14/15 years of age but now I see 11 yr old Black belts.
I think gradings and belts are great for rewards and more for teaching but with the movie industry its pretty much you can either do it or not.

You have a great physique any Advice on Health & fitness?

I believe in weights and cardio, you need the weights to build the muscle but I use the cardio to strip away the fat. If you want a six pack you have to get to it before building it.

Whats your one true Vice?

I like a drink with friends!

Quick fire round

Fave Drink? Orange squash

Fave Food? Crunchy Nut Cornflakes.

Fave Holiday destination? Cancun Mexico.

Fave Clothes Designer? D&G

Fave all time action hero? Bruce Lee

Perfect woman? A mix of Jessica Alba, Sandra Bullock and Eva Mendes.

Three things you can't live without? Films, Training & Crunchy Nut cornflakes.

Scott Thank you and good luck with all your future endevours.

Cheers, Thanks a lot.

To view some of Scott's training check out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWu_LXME510&feature=related

Interview by Lee Latchford Evans, Ex Steps Star turned Celebrity Personal Trainer