He might look intimidating in photos but in person, Kai Greene is a soft-spoken man. The New York-based professional bodybuilder, personal trainer and actor, who played the role of Funshine in Stranger Things Season 2, was in town to interact with fans at the Ballygunge Circular Road address of Bodyline Sports, and to inaugurate a fitness studio in Kankurgachhi. t2 caught up with Kai on the things that drive him and the lessons he’s picked up over the years. 

What prompted you to take up bodybuilding?

The idea of improving yourself is something you can do at any age and at any place in your life, provided that you’re ready to take those steps. I started my journey in fitness and bodybuilding much like most people. I wanted a bigger chest and a larger pair of arms, and I began to work towards that. But I ended up discovering a hell of a lot more that relates to development and becoming a better man.

Back then, a lot of people were influenced by the likes of Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger...

Oh yeah, their influences were very much alive in the pop culture (of the time) and that influence is still there. I think there’s a lot of new faces and a lot of great physiques, but yeah, there’s a lot to be said for those influences earlier on. I would dare say that I’m very proud to stand on their shoulders. 

Any women you looked up to or admired?

A lot of my favourite bodybuilding influences were women — the likes of Cory Everson, Lenda Murray, Carla Dunlap, Rachel McLish, Bev Francis. These were very, very big figures. So it really isn’t something that is limited by ‘man’ or ‘woman’.

You’re a three-time Arnold Classic champion and a three-time Mr Olympia runner-up. Who do you dedicate these achievements to?

I dedicate those achievements to just the willingness to find something as important enough to make me put my better foot forward, to make me work. Work is important, and work is most important when you realise that your work is not in vain. So to work towards the achievement of a worthy purpose is something that I think a man needs to do in order to feel and understand that he is living a fulfilled life.

You’re acting now... you were in Stranger Things. How did that happen?

I think the artistic mind has been a part of me for a very, very long time. Everywhere I look, its presence is somewhere being expressed or seeking expression in everything that I’ve had a chance to experience. And I think that at this time of my life, I’ve been fortunate enough to be provided with opportunities that allow me to take it a little bit further. So yeah, I got the chance to do a one-man play called Believe at the SoHo Playhouse in New York a few years ago, and not too long after that we were able to get a spot with an agency in Hollywood. And then Stranger Things was one of the really awesome things I got a chance to do. I’m excited, I’m still working and we have some more things hopefully coming down the line.

Crazy Fist is also a part of that?

Yeah, it’s a movie we got a chance to film in China, scheduled to release this year. Very excited about that.

What’s your role like?

I play a character that is not really well-versed in the martial arts — you know, just a fighter, with a bit of bad attitude. It was a lot of fun to play because we got a chance to do some of our own stunts — well, actually we did all of our own stunts... being hooked up to some really interesting contraptions behind the scenes.

One movie character that you would’ve liked to play on screen?

Hmm…I actually was a fan as a kid of Carl Weathers [who played the role of Apollo Creed in the Rocky series]. That would’ve been really, really cool. Something that I’m able to connect with to do a really, really hell of a good job, so much so that years later when looking back on it I can say, ‘Wow, that was something where I really got a chance to do an outstanding job.’ I recognise that I’m a work in progress and I’m really excited about being able to do the things that will live on.

What do you want to say to your fans in Calcutta?

I’ve learnt that, in order to become not only a competitive bodybuilder but a successful athlete in that discipline, at the root of it, the biggest secret was recognising your own power. I’m not talking about the stuff that’s outside, that we can’t control. I am talking about your ability to make decisions that will have a solid impact on your life. With that, your thoughts becoming things is real.

Sunny Lyngdoh