Sean Faris, star of Never Back Down, is on a nationwide press tour for his new movie. The Houston native stopped in Chicago and spoke with North by Northwestern about his career and southern vacations.

NBN: Some people may remember you from the TV show Life As We Know It. How have things been since then?
Sean Faris: Things have been kinda crazy. I did a film called Yours, Mine, and Ours. I did a show called Reunion that got cancelled after 13 episodes. After that, I decided: no more TV.

NBN: Really, why?
SF: It’s hard to sign your life away [and not know the pay-off]. I decided film only. It was a battle, though. I did two independent films. And then, I landed this.

NBN: So, how would you sum up Never Back Down?
SF: It’s a coming-of-age story about a young man who spends a lot of time fighting due to the untimely death of his father, which he blames himself for… [Eventually], he learns to fight for the right reasons.

NBN: The movie looked pretty physically demanding. What was training like?
SF: It was three months, six hours a day, six days a week of pure hell. [He laughs]. Some moments I enjoyed it, some I hated it. But, I learned Muay Thai, JuJitsu, and Tae Kwon Do, and put on 15 pounds of muscle. We got pushed to the limit.

NBN: Who from the cast trained?
SF: Me and Cam Gigandet trained the most. Djimon Hounsu trained too. Even, Evan Peters trained a little. He plays my best friend in the movie.

NBN: What was most rewarding about Never Back Down?
SF: Most rewarding? Finishing it. [He chuckles]. No, seriously, working with Djimon Hounsou. To have worked with him was probably the most amazing film experience. One can learn a lot from him. There’s a lot of character traits that Djimon has that can help one improve.

NBN: Have any plans for the future?
SF: I’m producing a film with my manager called The Glass Eye. There’s another film that I’m working on closing that shoots in Amsterdam.

NBN: You’ve seem pretty busy lately. How do you relax when you’re not working on a project?
SF: I go to Texas. I fish and hunt. I hang out with my Grandma and Pops. I go down there and eat crawfish, too. I’m actually going down in spring.

Check out our Never Back Down review.