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With today's opening of Mildred Burke Queen of the Ring, Ash Avildsen, a filmmaker and entrepreneur known for his work in the music and entertainment industries, delves into the high-stakes world of professional wrestling, bringing a blend of gripping drama, compelling characters, and intense in-ring action, all set in a period piece that runs from the 1930s through the 1950s. No easy task.
In a recent interview with PWInsider, Avildsen discussed the intricate process of adapting the story for the big screen. “I went into wanting to make a story that took place in the world of pro wrestling to be triumphant and inspirational—still have a lot of darkness and grit, but I didn’t want the ending of The Wrestler,” Avildsen explained. “I love The Wrestler. It’s an amazing film, but that was the only one at the time when I got the book rights that was in the mainstream for a pro wrestling story.”
Avildsen emphasized the challenges of deciding what to include in the screenplay, particularly in terms of backstory. Early drafts included scenes from Burke’s childhood, showing her athleticism in school and her struggles with family and relationships.
“That was tough because earlier drafts had her as a little girl at school playing sports, showing how athletic she was, showing her father leave early on, showing her original husband that left before she started pursuing pro wrestling,” Avildsen said. However, he ultimately chose to focus on Burke’s journey once she became a wrestler. “I made the conscious decision to have the bulk of the story really be about once she’s on the journey of being a wrestler. I found that to be more unique.”
A key aspect of the film’s authenticity was the inclusion of real professional wrestlers, such as Kamille, Toni Storm, and Trinity "Naomi" Fatu, who not only contributed their acting skills but also lent credibility to the in-ring action. “I’m grateful for all of them,” Avildsen said. “With Kailey (Kamille) she had the right physique to be June Byers because Emily got into great shape, and she’s no toothpick string bean, so we needed someone that would eclipse her physically to make sure that the stakes were high enough for the ending.”
Avildsen also explained the practical necessity of casting wrestlers for key roles. “From just a production standpoint, specifically with the roles that Toni [Storm] and Kailey play, those are the two shoot matches in the story. And they also have a lot of wrestling. With an indie film, you have a very limited budget and limited time to shoot. So to try and pull those off with just two actors who are rookies to wrestling—even if they’ve been training a matter of months—it takes a lot more than a few months to really know it.” He praised Storm and Kamille for their seamless transition to acting, adding, “I think both Toni and Kailey could have real futures as actors, just in general, separate from their pro wrestling career.”
Emily Bett Rickards, who portrays Mildred Burke, took on an immense challenge in embodying the legendary Burke. Avildsen noted that Rickards delivered a consistent and powerful performance from day one. “She really nailed it from day one, honestly,” he said. “She was so locked in. She was great at adapting scenes based on direction. And she was just so committed, physically and emotionally, to the character.”
The grueling shooting conditions in Louisville, particularly during the heat of the summer, added an extra layer of realism to the performances.
“If anything, it got more gruesome as the shoot went on just because it was so hot in Louisville, and Emily and Josh Lucas (Billy Wolfe) are in almost every scene, either one of them or both of them. So it became taxing on them, but I think that played into the drama when they were doing something because some of the most dramatic scenes were some of the hardest to shoot, whether it was the heat or the location or shooting through the night.”
Looking ahead, Avildsen revealed that he is not done with pro wrestling storytelling just yet.
“I got a great Gorgeous George script. I actually have two different ones from two different writers I’m trying to navigate right now. His story is amazing. The running joke is there’s a dozen characters in Queen of the Ring that all deserve their own biopics.” Beyond wrestling, he also expressed interest in exploring other sports figures, mentioning Pete Rose as a potential subject for a future film. “I think Pete Rose deserves his own movie. I don’t know what we’re waiting for there. What a great story that is.”
As Queen of the Ring, hits screens this weekend, Ash Avildsen's blood, sweat and tears will be apparent on every frame of the film, no different from what Mildred Burke left on the mat during her own grueling career.
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