It was a whirlwind couple of days for Adam Copeland. On March 15, the legendary professional wrestler, fellow grappler spouse Beth and their youngsters attended the third Annual Youngsters’s & Household Emmy Awards. The 51-year-old was nominated for Excellent Supporting Performer in a Preschool, Youngsters’s or Younger Teen Program for enjoying Ares within the Disney+ epic collection Percy Jackson and the Olympians.
Then March 19 throughout Dynamite on TBS, Copeland went from the purple carpet to the bloody purple ring the place he challenged AEW Champion Jon Moxley. A match that noticed “Cope” bludgeoned the again of his rival with a spiked again. One can’t say this WWE Corridor Famer as soon as identified to followers as Edge doesn’t have vary.
Copeland has loved having the ability to soar back-and-forth into each worlds of leisure. We caught up with the star to replicate on the evolution of his appearing profession after 25 years and every thing happening in AEW.
First off, congratulations on getting that first Emmy nomination.
Adam Copeland: I by no means assumed I might be nominated for an Emmy. It wasn’t on my bingo card in any respect. Once I received the information, my supervisor mentioned, “Do you take into account your self an actor now that you simply’re nominated for an Emmy?” I mentioned, “I suppose. Perhaps I’ve to now?” Beth after all was on speaker and mentioned, “I informed you!” To her credit score, in 2011 after I began full-time appearing as a result of I retired from wrestling she mentioned I might be the primary professional wrestler nominated for an Emmy.
There have been much less congratulations and extra, “I informed you.” Then quick ahead to the night time and to have all three of my women there. It was actually enjoyable. It was a kind of stuff you don’t count on, so that you get pleasure from each side of it. To be nominated in opposition to Lance [Reddick], Amanda Lawrence and Eric Stonestreet. You inform somebody you’re up in opposition to Cam from Fashionable Household, and yeah, I don’t have hope [of winning]. It was an incredible expertise to rub elbows with that expertise. I suppose if something it lets you already know you’re stepping into the precise path. Percy itself, my gosh, it was nominated for 16 awards and took residence eight. It’s a beast. It’s a giant hit. I’m simply stoked to be a small a part of that.
Jon Moxley and Adam Copeland (AEW/Ricky Havlik)
You have got an essential a part of Percy Jackson because the god of conflict. What was the vibe on the Season 2 set?
I believe by the point we filmed Season 2, everybody knew precisely what we had been coping with now. Within the first season, you suppose this might be a giant present, however you don’t know. When it did what it did proper out of the gate, I believe it was not essentially shocking, however we noticed it was successful. I believe everybody had that in thoughts going into the second season, which I believe places a little bit stress on everybody. Stress is an efficient factor.
How is juggling the appearing initiatives and wrestling? I simply take into consideration the way you’re doing these brutal matches just like the one you probably did final week and the way you broke your leg within the cage match final yr. How does that issue into film or TV initiatives?
For no matter cause Disney was on board with me persevering with wrestling whereas I filmed. As an illustration, in my scenes for Season 2, I nonetheless had my damaged leg. It was my first day strolling with out my boot. I took off the boot and was like, “Yeah, I can stroll. I’m good.” We received that within the can. I believe my wrestling limits what I can really connect myself to, and that’s superb, as a result of wrestling from a piece perspective is my high precedence. The appearing sort of fell in my lap and the kind of storytelling I like virtually as a lot as wrestling. I nonetheless need to proceed to do it, but it surely should wrap round my wrestling commitments.
Your self and others on the roster went by journey hell to make Dynamite final week amid a blizzard. Lots of dedication there. Is being part of that effort and what the corporate did to assist the neighborhood in your house space of Asheville, North Carolina post-hurricane Milton reaffirm you made the precise resolution signing with the corporate?
Completely. I’ve not regretted it for a single second. I’ve had enjoyable. I’ve been capable of get in with a very completely different combined bag of expertise. Working the gamut everywhere. That’s a very enjoyable place to navigate from as a result of it’s completely various kinds of matches. I had a road combat with Brody King in Edmonton and two days later had a technical match in Vancouver in opposition to Kyle O’Reilly, and I used to be in heaven. That juxtaposition. It’s like going from the Emmys to suplexing Moxley on a spike. That was 5 days aside. It’s unusual on the floor, however a lot enjoyable. To put on a swimsuit and be all dolled up for the Emmys after which be suplexing a person on to nails throughout a blizzard in Omaha. That’s a enjoyable life.
There are deathmatch and hardcore followers, however others who aren’t. How is it attempting to cater to these audiences whereas not turning off others? What do you make of the polarizing response you’ve gotten in your match in opposition to Mox?
I take a look at wrestling as a spread present. Meaning you deliver a whole lot of various things to the desk with that. There might be some comedy, straight up wrestling, hardcore matches. That has at all times been the case. It’s additionally not likely out of the ballpark of what Moxley and I do each infrequently. Take into consideration me and [Mick] Foley. I’m positive there are lots of people that had been disturbed by that too. There are additionally lots of people who get pleasure from horror motion pictures. There are individuals who get pleasure from romcoms. I believe wrestling can deliver that every one to the desk. I believe that’s what AEW does. I additionally really feel like AEW will not be afraid to take some dangers. For a scarcity of a greater analogy, we’re sort of a bit punk rock. It’s not at all times going to be fairly. It’s another. It’s one thing completely different. I believe for those who look all through the historical past of the corporate, it’s not one thing new. Darby Allin was falling off ladders and glass and thumbtacks. It has at all times been there to an extent. Let’s additionally face it. You probably have two wrestlers popping out to wrestle a technical match each match, that may get fairly boring.
What do you suppose it’s going to take for AEW to get to that subsequent degree and take steps ahead as they proceed on after 5 plus years?
I believe what we’ve began to do now could be actually begin to get again into our lane once more. The lane that I watched a few years in the past. I really feel that it’s coming again round once more. The locker room is a superb place to be. I believe you get that blizzard, and we now have the ragtag group right here. The Dangerous Information Bears should placed on a present for these individuals as a result of the those who confirmed up need to have enjoyable, and we should always give that to them. They confirmed up, so we need to give them an additional particular present as a result of they did. I really feel like that’s the mentality. We’re the little engine that might and maintain plugging alongside. I believe finally you’ll begin to see individuals perceive that once more and provides it a shot as a result of everyone seems to be busting their ass. Everyone seems to be busting their ass in wrestling, don’t get me unsuitable. I simply know the locker room purpose is to placed on the perfect present we are able to.
HAVEN — “Highlight” Episode 503 — Pictured: Adam Copeland as Dwight Hendrickson — (Picture by: Mike Tompkins/Syfy/NBCU Picture Financial institution/NBCUniversal by way of Getty Photos)
The hassle has at all times been there. That’s one factor that has by no means been questioned with regards to expertise. Once I see Marina Shafir within the ring going after you, it makes me as a fan need to see your spouse Beth come out to care for some enterprise. Any likelihood we’ll see her down the road? Is there an open door for that?
You by no means know. I don’t suppose she has utterly closed the door on it if the scenario suits. I believe the place we had been at, I believe getting Willow [Nightingale] concerned was good. Somebody who was already on our roster, and I really feel is simply such a pure babyface and has such good vitality. I assumed she can be actually cool to implement her into the story. Why not use somebody who was already on the roster? Beth can also be fairly busy. She has a fairly busy life, so it turns into extra a household subject and the way will we pull it off if we’re each outgoing.
This story with FTR appears to be taking an fascinating activate Wednesday. How do you describe the artistic course of and the way your story finally ends up?
I don’t consider the place I find yourself. I at all times say, “The place do you want me? You need me to go on this path? Cool, I’ll begin placing collectively some concepts.” It’s a collaborative effort, however I actually get pleasure from that. I get pleasure from piecing collectively tales. Opposite to well-liked perception, we don’t give you the finishes. I at all times simply ask the place do you want me? Level me in no matter path you want me, and I’ll get to work. On coming again, it felt like, “Okay, you need me right here as a result of I’m getting back from an harm, I’m nominated for an Emmy and we need to capitalize on that buzz. Cool, let’s do that.” Then we’d attempt to do a cohesive story with the Loss of life Riders and attempt to get them some momentum going ahead.
It has been 25 years since your first notable appearing gig, Highlander: Endgame. What did you are taking from that have?
I used to be so clueless. I didn’t know what I used to be doing. I used to be a child who flew first-class for the primary time to recover from there. I used to be caught on that. By the point I received there and now I’m doing this combat scene in a forest in Yugoslavia. Very surreal, however I can’t say I took quite a bit away from it.
Years later you bought to actually dig into a personality on Haven as Dwight Hendrickson. It has been 10 years because the present ended. That was the primary time you bought the billing of Adam Copeland relatively than WWE famous person Edge, proper?
Yeah, that was after I began to work alone. I’m happy with that truth. From Haven onward, something I received, I received alone resulting from auditioning. Not as a result of it was a tie-in to a present or a tie-in for something. I auditioned like everybody else and received it. Haven was like my boot camp and school. That’s the place I actually discovered and had the takeaways as a result of now I used to be doing it on a constant foundation and getting reps and studying issues and layers and various kinds of storytelling too. I prefer to suppose I’ve taken that sort of storytelling from reveals again with me to wrestling.
For Vikings, that present ended round COVID time. Do you suppose that it ended abruptly or do you suppose the story performed out the way in which it ought to have?
I believe it performed out the way in which Michael Hirst wished it too. Like with Haven, my character was alleged to be out and in. Earlier than you already know it, I’m 41 episodes deep on Haven and 20-something in on Vikings. I take pleasure in that. I believe I used to be introduced in the place you by no means know what you’re going to get. Then for those who’re in there 20 or so episodes in, you’re doing one thing proper. Vikings for me was an enormous problem by way of it’s a drama, it’s a interval piece, you’re taking part in a historic determine. There are accents and all these various things. Initially, okay, I used to be employed to do some cool battle scenes, however I solely suppose I had one. That I took as a praise as a result of it meant they trusted me to have the appearing chops to drag off the scenes that didn’t contain physicality.
Who would you say is a wrestling fan in Hollywood that may shock individuals?
You have got the Rick Rubin’s of the world, however anybody who is aware of wrestling, is aware of that. Pee Wee Herman, my God, Paul Reubens would ship me Christmas playing cards and birthday playing cards and Halloween playing cards yearly. Followers are sort of in all places. You may go down the gamut and sooner or later somebody has achieved one thing, seen one thing or heard one thing that has to do with professional wrestling.
We’re seeing Jeff Jarrett and John Cena’s retirement journey’s unfold. Sting had a pleasant sendoff final yr in AEW. Does all this get you pondering of the way you need your final chapter to play out?
Probably not, That might be extra of the place do you want me? I’d then sit down with Tony Khan and take into consideration what he needs and what the corporate wants and what the present ends. That at all times supersedes to me what you keep in mind for this retirement. I do know I need to work the Swerve Strickland’s, Hangman Web page’s, Jay White’s and the Kyle Fletcher’s and the Will Ospreay’s, Kenny Omega’s and the Samoa Joe’s. I haven’t labored with any of these individuals and would like to do this earlier than I cling them up.
AEW Dynamite, Wednesdays, 8/7c, TBS
AEW Collision, Saturdays, 8/7c, TNT
Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Season 2 Premiere, December 2025, Disney+