Theo James is back for season two of The Gentlemen, and it’s a return to form for the 41-year-old actor: going toe-to-toe with a colorful cast of international crooks while wearing great suits and delivering snappy one-liners. Both charming and boasting an undercurrent of menace, James’ performance in the show makes it easy to see why he regularly crops up as a bookie’s favorite to become the next James Bond (though he reckons that ship’s sailed).
The key to James’s physique is a 15-year commitment to boxing—and his coach Shahzad Ali. A mixed martial artist turned sometime actor (he has appeared in Guy Ritchie’s sister series, Mobland), Ali began working with James in 2011. “I think he just fancied giving boxing a go,” says Ali. “It’s intense, but you get into a flow state that is useful in acting.”
With middle age and fatherhood acting as new opponents, Theo James prioritizes fitness now more than ever. While Ali keeps the hooks and jabs in check, he also works with strength coach and Third Space PT Ethan Chen.
Come out swinging
According to Ali, James is a quick student in the ring. A decade and a half after they began working together, they’re now giving it all in their sparring sessions, with neither man pulling his punches. Not that you’d hear James bragging about any knock-outs. “He’s very modest, and he never speaks about his boxing skills,” says Ali.
These days, film commitments mean the pair might only train a few times a month, but Ali says James never loses a step, even when it’s been a while. “He’s really built up this resilience over time. Now, he’s at a stage where he defends his ground and when he moves, I’m struggling to catch him.”
There’s a reason so many actors (Marlon Brando, Russell Crowe, Robert De Niro) throw themselves into boxing. The ancient art of pugilism requires focus above all else. Let your mind wander and you’re likely to end up with a bloody nose. Acting isn’t quite as brutal, but the intense focus is an obviously transferable skill. “There are a lot of parallels,” Ali agrees. “You need to be well prepared. You need to work on your fundamentals, and to perform well, you need to be calm.”
It’s this zen-like state that can help James find quiet in the storm. “During pad work I’ll tell him, ‘Look how controlled and calm you are on set. Bring that to the ring with you. Listen to what’s going on and react to that, instead of trying to pre-empt it,’” says Ali.
Dealing with an old injury properly
Not only is James busy with meetings, roles, life, and family, he also finds time to fit in weekly weights sessions with Chen alongside the occasional bout in the ring. “Theo’s very grounded,” says Chen. “He’s always focused. Whatever I tell him to do in the gym, he does it. But sometimes I have to slow him down and get him to relax, because he wants to excel all the time. He’s non-stop, and I find it quite inspirational.”
Chen started working with James a few years ago as he was prepping for the action movie Fuze. The brief at the time was slightly less ‘action star’ and more ‘beat up dad.’ “He was dealing with a torn pec, and a damaged back, I think from jiu-jitsu training,” explains Chen, who is an ex-rugby player for the Philippine national team.
The injuries were so debilitating that James was unable to perform as he’d like in the gym, so he had lost some strength and mass. Chen stepped in, creating a program of isolation and unilateral work designed to strengthen James’ weaker right side, and get the nerves firing once more. “Some of it was getting him used to knowing how to use those chest muscles again,” says Chen.