DIRECTV and the cyclone design are registered trademarks of DIRECTV. (NASDAQ:DTV)
>
ALVEY KULINA
PLAYED BY FRANK GRILLO
What's a warrior without something to fight for?
Alvey owns NAVY ST. MMA, a gritty storefront gym/dojo in Venice, CA. A beloved MMA legend, he is a man of big appetites. He came up in a savage world, when MMA was closer to human cockfighting than a mainstream sport. He is a true warrior, carved on the Mt. Rushmore of MMA, but he doesn't have a dime to show for it. He is in love with Lisa Prince, his girlfriend and business partner, and an extraordinary woman who's always honest with him. He's trying to repair his fragile relationships with his sons, Jay and Nate, while trying to save his gym, which could include bringing Ryan—a former All-American wrestler, world-class athlete, and Lisa's old flame—back to his prime in hopes of saving the gym.
FRANK GRILLO
Frank Grillo can currently be seen in The Purge: Anarchy opposite Kiele Sanchez. He recently finished production on the thriller Big Sky alongside Kyra Sedgwick and Bella Thorne. Frank will also be seen in the upcoming movies Demonic, alongside Maria Bello and Cody Horn, and A Conspiracy on Jekyll Island opposite Anna Sophia Robb and Dianna Agron. Grillo's most recent film work includes roles in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Home front, Zero Dark Thirty, and The Gangster Squad, opposite Sean Penn, Ryan Gosling, and Josh Brolin.
×
<
>
LISA PRINCE
PLAYED BY KIELE SANCHEZ
Smart and beautiful, Lisa's a different kind of fighter.
Stunning, intelligent, generous, savvy, intuitive, and deliberate, Lisa is Alvey's girlfriend and business partner. She runs the gym with military precision, always looking for ways to keep it afloat. Years ago, she met an MMA star named Ryan. They fell in love and she fell into the world of fighting. When Ryan crashed and burned and tore down Lisa's life, Alvey was there to pick her up. She started working at his gym, it became her family and eventually she and Alvey fell for each other. Nothing about their relationship is conventional, but they have great respect for one another.
Kiele Sanchez
Actress Kiele Sanchez currently stars in Universal's The Purge: Anarchywith Zach Gilford and Frank Grillo. Sanchez's film credits include the psychological thriller A Perfect Getaway, as well as Redemption Road, Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium, and Stuck on You. Sanchez last starred in A&E's detective drama The Glades. Other television credits include recurring roles on Lost, Samantha Who, and a starring role on WB's Related. A Chicago native, Sanchez currently resides in Los Angeles.
×
<
>
RYAN WHEELER
PLAYED BY MATT LAURIA
Ryan was on top of the world. Now he's down for the count.
Charming, intelligent, great looking, a physical presence, Ryan is a former three-time, All-American wrestler and a world-class athlete. Four years ago, Ryan was on top of the world. He had money, fame and Lisa Prince until he landed in prison. When he shows up at Alvey's gym after his release, he is a changed man; humbled. Even though Lisa is suspect of Ryan's intentions in returning to the gym, Alvey, despite the risks, sees the return of a superstar fighter as an opportunity that can change the fortune of his struggling gym.
PLAYED BY MATT LAURIA
Matt Lauria first made audiences take notice when he portrayed Luke Cafferty, the charismatic Texas football phenom, on NBC/DIRECTV's critically acclaimed drama Friday Night Lights. After FNL, Lauria worked on the FOX drama The Chicago Codethen returned to NBC, reuniting with Friday Night Lights writer/producer Jason Katims, on Parenthood. Additional television credits include recurring roles on Lipstick Jungleand CSI, and roles on Burn Notice, The Forgotten, and 30 Rock, among others. In 2013, Lauria starred in Paul Downs Calaizzo's play Really Reallyat MCC for director David Cromer. He previously starred off-Broadway in David Auburn's An Upset. As a graduate of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Lauria received his B.F.A. in Drama and performed on stage in Romeo and Juliet, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and Habeas Corpus. Lauria was raised in Dublin, Ireland, and is an avid blues-rock guitarist.
×
<
>
NATE KULINA
PLAYED BY NICK JONAS
Nate's a warrior fighting more than his own battles.
Nate is Alvey's youngest son and the prized fighter at the gym. He has always looked up to his older brother but he is the polar opposite of Jay. Nate is reserved, disciplined, and dedicated. He does what is expected of him: he eats right, he trains hard, he gets in the cage, and he takes down his opponent. Nate is an explosive athlete but he feels empty. He feels like he is living someone else's life. He loves his family, but he feels stuck in the middle of the war between his brother and father.
NICK JONAS
Nick Jonas has been an artist and performer since childhood. After roles in Broadway musicals including Les Miserables, Beauty and the Beast, Annie Get Your Gun, and A Christmas Carol, Nick formed the double-platinum-selling band the Jonas Brothers with his brothers Kevin and Joe. He's since launched a successful solo career and continued acting, taking lead roles in London's West End production of Les Miserables and on Broadway in How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying. In 2011, he joined the Los Angeles stage production of Hairspray, while appearing in ABC shows Mr. Sunshine and Last Man Standing, and NBC's musical drama, Smash. Nick's first lead role in a feature film is in the edgy thriller, Careful What You Wish For.
×
<
>
CHRISTINA KULINA
PLAYED BY JOANNA GOING
The mother of warriors, Christina fights her own demons.
Christina is Alvey's estranged wife, and mother to Jay and Nate. She is an engaging and beautiful woman, undone by mental illness and drug abuse. Her eldest son Jay blames Alvey for turning his back on his Christina, while her youngest son Nate barely remembers her. Alvey could have done better as a husband and father, but he shielded his sons from darker times. Christina is the heartbreak of Jay's life, and he will do anything to help his mother.
JOANNA GOING
Joanna Going recently played resolute First Lady Tricia Walker in season two of Netflix's Emmy® winning dramatic series, House of Cards. She also played swinging soap opera diva Arlene in season six of AMC's Mad Menand was a recurring character on Robert Rodriguez's new horror series, From Dusk Till Dawn. Other television credits include cult drama Dark Shadows, CBS Emmy® nominated miniseries Children of the Dustwith Sidney Poitier, and the ABC drama Going to Extremes. After several years of working in television, Joanna returned to the big screen in The Tree of Life. She stars in two upcoming feature films: Beach Boy Brian Wilson's biopic Love & Mercy, directed by Bill Pohlad, and The Sphere and the Labyrinth opposite Bill Sage.
×
<
JAY KULINA
PLAYED BY JONATHAN TUCKER
Jay is a star that burns bright, but could burn out fast.
Jay is Alvey's oldest son and a one-in-a-million talent. He's not the biggest or the strongest, but he is the most natural, fluid and creative in the game—except he's not in the game. He's undisciplined, unpredictable, and invites confrontation. Jay is a livewire who lives life with very little thought about consequences. He has a complicated relationship with his father. He hasn't forgiven him for turning his back on his mother, Christina, or for disappearing on him and his brother, Nate
JONATHAN TUCKER
Jonathan Tucker led the cast of director Carter Smith's DreamWorks thriller The Ruins(based upon the bestselling novel), and has since starred in a succession of films including Meskada and The Next Three Days, which reunited him with Academy Award-winning writer/director Paul Haggis, for whom he previously starred in NBC's drama The Black Donnellys. Tucker has since transitioned into a memorable arc on Ron Howard's acclaimed series, Parenthood. Audiences and critics alike first took notice of Tucker when he portrayed Tilda Swinton's sensitive teenage son in Fox Searchlight's critically lauded The Deep End. Additional films include The Virgin Suicides, Ball In The House, Sleepers, and the comedy Two If By Seawith Sandra Bullock.
×
