Jean Claude Van Damme to fight for fans' respect
* By Entertainment Reporter, Alison Stephenson
* From: news.com.au
* November 30, 2010 1:11PM
Jean Claude Van Damme is swapping movies for reality TV. Picture: Sony
The former Kickboxer star will contest a real fight in August 2011. Picture: Supplied
JEAN Claude Van Damme is tired of playing the action hero on the big screen, so he's turning to the small screen to fight for real.
After almost 30 years of "kicking butt" in action films, like so many jaded stars, Van Damme is entering the reality TV ring.
"I lost some of my excitement in the film business after 35 movies it was the same story, I go in, become the hero, I kick butt," Van Damme told news.com.au.
"I've been around the world I'm not joking at least about 10 or 15 times... I'm tired of the same choo-choo train."
The former martial arts champion has signed a contract to face former Olympian Somluck Kamsing in Las Vegas in August 2011 and the cameras will be following his journey to the ring.
After the actor's highly-publicised fall from grace, including an alleged $10,000 a week cocaine habit and several stints in rehab, the Kickboxer star says the move is an effort to mentally repair himself and regain the respect of his fans.
"Some people said 'c'mon it's over,' (the bad press) but I feel guilty about it and I made some mistakes in Hollywood and now I want to make good in Vegas.
"(I want) to be loved again because that's the truth, even if the movie stars aren't saying it, we love to be loved."
It's a brave ambition at 50, and the "Muscles from Brussels" admits he's no spring chicken.
"I'm thinking like a 20-year-old, but the problem is when I see myself in the mirror, I don't look 20, it ****es me off that that's the way it is.
"Face-wise I'm 50 for sure. Believe me, I've got some boo-boos left and right."
* JCVD is promoting the Sony Entertainment Great DVD Amnesty which encourages people to clean out their DVD collections for a cash redemption.