Portsmouth ex-boxer to feature in SAS thriller as movie begins production

Andy Gatenby had his boxing career cut short when an eye injury botched his medical exam ahead of an English title contest, back in 2014.

Despite winning all six of his fights, his career was abruptly ended and he found himself looking for a new challenge.

Instead, the 34-year-old turned his attention to acting, recently featuring alongside award-winning actor Billy Murray in British thriller film, Nemesis.

Now, he’s back on set again for his next film, Renegades.

Andy said: ‘My first memories of acting were just after I retired from boxing.

‘I was looking for something to fill the void that boxing had left in my life and acting was the perfect substitute.

‘I enjoy playing characters that are gritty – I’ve always loved crime, action and gangster films. These are by far my favourite genres and I fit these roles perfectly.

‘My background in boxing helps me massively, I’ve had loads and loads of fights and that gives you characteristics that can’t be imitated unless you’ve been through it.’

Renegades is about four SAS soldiers that set out to avenge the death of a green beret who is murdered by an Albanian drug gang in London.

During filming, Andy will be rubbing shoulders with the likes of Danny Trejo, Patsy Kensit and and Lee Majors.

‘When I get a role, I first break down the character; I come up with scenarios from their past and try to make them believable memories for me.

‘I find similarities between myself and the character and then give myself a unique attribute.

‘I get to the point where I generally believe the past that I’ve created and put myself in a position where I don’t feel like I’m acting because the story becomes real for me.’

One of Andy’s previous acting roles included re-enactments for the TV show World’s Most Evil Killers, a documentary series about the most prolific serial killers on the planet.

He played The Yosemite Killer, Cary Stayner, for one episode, and was a sheriff in another re-enactment later in the series.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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