By Klep Napier | Wearecritix.com

If you think Fight Land is just another boxing show you are already wrong. And Howard Charles, who carries the emotional weight of this entire series on his shoulders as Duke, made sure we understood exactly what we were walking into before we even finished our first question.

This is a 50 Cent production. That alone should tell you something. But Fight Land goes deeper than the surface level of what the trailer is selling you and the conversation we had with Howard Charles is proof that this one is built differently.

The Trailer Is Deceptive and That Is a Good Thing

Let us get this out of the way first. If you have seen the Fight Land trailer and walked away thinking this is a straightforward boxing series, you have been beautifully misled. Yes the world of boxing is the setting. Yes there is physicality and intensity and everything you would expect from a show operating in that space. But the real fight in Fight Land is happening inside Duke.

Howard Charles knew that from the moment he read page one of the script.

"From page one I felt his pain," he told us. "I really felt for the guy."

That emotional clarity is what drove everything about how he approached the role and it shows in every scene he is in.

Howard Charles Went to the Darkest Places for Duke

Playing Duke required something different from Howard Charles than anything he had taken on before. He was clear about that without hesitation. Every character demands something unique but Duke demanded that he travel further into what he described as the deepest and darkest parts of the human heart.

The questions at the center of Duke are the kind that stay with you long after the credits roll. What happens to a man when he loses everything he ever cared about? His family. His freedom. His future. What has he become? And is there any way back from that kind of darkness?

Those are not boxing questions. Those are human questions. And Fight Land uses the world of boxing as the backdrop to ask all of them.

What makes Howard's take on it so compelling is that he found genuine joy in going to those dark places artistically. Not in a reckless way but in the way that only the most committed actors understand. He follows his curiosity and his instincts wherever they lead and in this case they led him somewhere truly powerful.

Watch our full exclusive interview with Howard Charles about Fight Land on the CritiX YouTube channel.

The Ambition and the Heart of Duke

Duke is ambitious. Driven. Relentless. Howard Charles owns those qualities in real life too and that personal connection gave him a foundation to build from even when the character took him to places that felt less familiar.

The internal battle Duke wages throughout the series is the engine of the whole show. While the physical world of fighting surrounds him the real drama is happening in the spaces between the punches. In the quiet moments. In the weight of everything he has lost and everything he is trying to reclaim.

Howard described working with the talent on both sides of the camera as operating in the big leagues with truly magnificent people. He does not just survive at that level. He thrives there. He likes to push past the line into the space where the abyss stares back and he credits that instinct for leading him to his best work.

What to Expect When You Watch

Howard Charles put it simply and perfectly when we asked what fans could expect from Fight Land.

A revenge saga that has a heart.

That is the whole thing right there. This is a story about family, power, love, betrayal and revenge set against the backdrop of boxing. It is emotional. It is physical. It is the kind of series that pulls you in through the spectacle and keeps you through the humanity underneath it.

With 50 Cent's fingerprints on the production and a cast operating at this level in front of and behind the camera, Fight Land is not a show you stumble into casually. It is a show you commit to. And based on everything Howard Charles shared with us, that commitment is going to pay off in a big way.

Fight Land is the thing to watch. Howard Charles said so himself and after this conversation we believe every word of it.

If you have not started watching yet now is the perfect time to catch up. Fight Land is well into its run on Starz with new episodes dropping every Friday. Episode 3 airs this Friday so get caught up now before you fall any further behind. Trust us, this is not the kind of show you want spoiled for you.

Clear your Friday nights. Starz. Fight Land. Do not miss it.

Where Hollywood Meets Fandom.

Interview conducted by Klep Napier for CritiX Media. MPA-Accredited Entertainment Outlet. wearecritix.com