5 things you didn't know about 'Strike Back' actor Warren Brown

British actor Warren Brown who shot one season of 'Strike Back' in Malaysia loves it here so much, he hopes to come back.

Action-packed Cinemax drama series Strike Back is going out with a bang.

In its final season, the show follows the explosive escapades of Section 20, an elite, multinational and covert special ops team, as it races across the globe combating a vast web of interconnected criminal and terrorist activities.

It stars Warren Brown (The Dark Knight Rises, 2012), Daniel MacPherson (A Wrinkle In Time, 2018) and Alin Sumarwata (Neighbours, 2014) and has returned for its seventh and final season.

British actor Brown, 41, has played main character Sergeant Thomas “Mac” McAllister since 2017.

Aside from Strike Back, his credits include soap opera Hollyoaks (1995 to present) and British crime drama Luther (2010 to 2019).

Here are five things to know about him.

1. He is a former professional Thai boxer

Brown was a professional Thai boxer who had competed internationally and is a two-time world champion. Thanks to his martial arts background, he has had an advantage on the physically demanding Strike Back.

He says: “Training for Strike Back had always been pretty intense. We were in Jordan for a month, training for four or five hours every day with the Special Forces there. I found myself using the skills that I had acquired during my time as a former boxer.”

2. He loves Malaysia

With previous season Strike Back: Revolution having been shot entirely in Malaysia, Brown had jumped at the opportunity to explore the country outside of filming, visiting states such as Penang and Johor and the archipelago of Langkawi.

The actor recalls: “Malaysia was beautiful. I have fond recollections of jogging along the beach and exploring the jungle during my time there – it had incredible scenery and the people there were just so nice and welcoming.”

He is looking forward to visiting again in the future.

3. He has a substantial military fan base

While working with various special forces from countries such as Jordan and Croatia for the show, Brown discovered that Strike Back is quite popular among military personnel.

He adds: “Their appreciation for our show made us even more convinced to preserve as much realism in the show as possible, such that it may continue to be a show that they can relate to and find some familiarity with.”

4. He is not afraid to show his emotions

The day of the final episode was an overwhelmingly emotional one, but Brown is grateful to have met his co-stars and production team.

“We had all gotten so close over the past few years. As such, it was natural for us all to have felt rather sad about the show coming to an end, ” the actor says.

5. Directing could be on the cards

While he is keen to continue to leverage on his martial arts background, Brown does not wish to take up another military-related acting role in the immediate future.

“But of course, I’ll be all up to take up another role of the same kind maybe later on – I’d be stupid not to use my martial arts training and background to my advantage, ” he adds.

Instead, he could be venturing into something a little different.

Brown says: “I’d actually tried my hand at a little bit of directing on the set. I found it to be something pretty interesting that I might like to venture into in the future.

I’ve currently got a few ideas penned out, so we’ll see about that.” — Gwyneth Low/The Straits Times/Asia News Network

New episodes of Strike Back S7 premieres every Saturday at 11am/10pm on Cinemax (Astro Ch 412).