REPORT: Dolph Lundgren’s Melbourne Appearance

Dolph Lundgren is currently in Australia for his 2015 Australian tour. He will be attending Supernova at both Melbourne and Gold Coast, and doing screenings with fans. The first of said screenings was tonight’s 30th anniversary showing of Rocky IV. Goodness, has it really been 30 years since this action classic came out?

Unlike Stallone’s ridiculously overpriced events, one ticket to tonight’s Rocky IV showing was a mere $250 AU – including a photo with Dolph, an autograph, a Q&A, and the actual movie. I jumped at the chance to take advantage, especially since I got a discount for getting in early. It was very exclusive, with maybe 50 guests in all. Although Dolph was a little late, he soldiered on through everything and fulfilled his promises – everyone got a photo, everyone got an autograph, and he fielded a bunch of questions.

The Q&A contained some nice tidbits. Chief among them was saying that they might actually be doing Expendables 4. Although he did not elaborate, this has to mean that there is a dialogue going on between the studio and Stallone. Dolph also revealed he was quite close to Brandon Lee after shooting Showdown in Little Tokyo, especially since his mother was Swedish. And he was shocked to learn of his death, especially the tragic circumstances.

Dolph also spoke of his time living in Sydney while studying, and how he was a fighter back in the 1980s.

Seeing Rocky IV on the big screen tonight for the first time was sensational, but it was all the better with Dolph in the crowd. I would often look over too see how Dolph was enjoying himself – he smirked ear to ear during the more iconic bits, including “You will lose” and “I must break you.”

Speaking of, I wore my Ivan Drago t-shirt, which Dolph very much liked. He was humble and had the time to talk to us all and shake hands. He was visibly a bit overwhelmed, probably due to jet lag and because he didn’t know he would get so much love from the land down under, but that just made him all the more human. He came off just like a cool guy, down to earth, and he has definitely made sure I will remain a fan for a long time to come.

It was a magical night, especially with him signing two autographs for me, including writing “I’m all ears” on my Universal Soldier Blu-Ray. Van Damme may be following suit, so I will probably get him to sign the Blu-Ray as well – that would be a real collector’s item!!

The world premiere of Skin Trade is next weekend at the Gold Coast film festival, where Dolph will also be. I plan to squeeze my way into that screening and will report back to the site with my review.