Gina Carano Steps Into The Acting Ring For 'Haywire'

By Michael Lopez

It seems like for the past several weeks, the name Gina Carano has been popping up a lot. A superstar in the world of mixed martial arts, Gina is now ready to break into the movie world with her new film Haywire. And though many doubted her acting abilities, the bare-knuckled beauty has been wowing critics with her performance. Carano spoke to us at a recent press conference about her exciting new career.

"Working on Haywire was one of the most beautiful experiences I've ever had," she confessed. "I got to see places I’ve never seen and travel to places I’ve never been."

The daughter of former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Glenn Carano, Gina grew up in a very loving (and very competitive) household. She described herself as a "tomboy," with a soft spot for Jane Austen.

"I actually grew up on Pride & Prejudice and Anne of Green Gables," Carano jokingly told us. "There were no real female action stars on the TV at our house."

But she did grow up loving martial arts and eventually channeled that into a career fighting for the Strikeforce organization. As she told us, her years in the ring helped bring her to the attention of Haywire’s casting agents.

"My martial arts background is how I got the Haywire job. My agent called me after a fight and told me [director] Steven Soderbergh wanted to meet me. We had lunch and after that he offered me the movie."

A few months later, Gina was going toe-to-toe with some of the acting world's biggest heavyweights. Throughout the film, she shares screen time with Michael Douglas, Ewan McGregor, and Antonio Banderas.

But Carano assured us that it was a very comfortable set and she seemed eager to return to the big screen again.

"I would love to do more acting," she said. "We have a lot of ideas for a Haywire Part 2, but I think we're going to wait and see how this film does before we talk about any sequels."

You can see just how well Gina "acts" when Haywire arrives in theaters this Friday.

Are looking forward to Gina's big screen debut? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Antonio Banderas, Blogger: Michael Lopez, Ewan McGregor, Exclusive Entrevistas, Gina Carano, Haywire, Michael Douglas, MMA, Movies & CineMás, Steven Soderbergh, Strikeforce, Tr3s Exclusives