1782: When the boxing coach to the Prince of Wales spots a Jewish boy dominating in a street fight against a bigger man, one of the great boxing rivalries in history is born as young Daniel Mendoza becomes first the protege and then bitter adversary of Gentleman Richard Humphreys, rising to be the first Jewish boxing champion of England, an underdog who fights as “Mendoza the Jew," but is known as “The Lion of Israel” to his people.

Q&A with screenwriter Robin Uriel Russin

What inspired you to write a screenplay about Daniel Mendoza and his rise to fame?

I’m Jewish myself, growing up the only Jewish boy in a western cowboy town in Wyoming, so I had my share of, let’s say, encounters; there is a lot that resonated with me.

I actually came across Mendoza’s memoir in our synagogue library years ago, and it just stayed with me (though I’ve taken some necessary liberties in my telling of his story). Also, I have a 2nd degree blackbelt in kenpo-jujitsu, so there’s that connection.

But I’ve always been drawn to stories of Jewish strength and resilience. Some years ago, I wrote a pilot for a series about King David. ABC television bought it, but as things go in Hollywood, there was a regime change at the network, and so another team was brought on to redevelop it, as "Of Kings and Prophets"; not quite the series I’d envisioned, but that’s the screenwriter’s life.

I’ve written several screenplays around events in the Holocaust, as well as a full-length play set in a Passover dinner, about a family struggling with issues of mortality and Jewish identity. It had a nice, sold-out four month run in Santa Monica, CA. So… I guess I gravitate to stories about the Jewish experience. As long as the protagonists have a moral core, sadly unlike some characters in the political scene today, I might add.

How did you research and approach the historical context of the story to create an authentic portrayal of 18th-century England and the boxing scene of that time?

I did quite a bit of reading about boxing back then, and the Jewish community, as well as their somewhat precarious existence in east London. I also went to Oxford as Rhodes Scholar, so that gave me some on-the-ground sense of things British as well. And there’s a terrific historical novel that came out about fifteen years ago, "A Conspiracy of Paper" by David Liss, that has a Mendoza-like character later in life working as a kind of detective. That was helpful as well in getting tone and voice.

Boxing is a sport that requires a lot of physicality and intense training. Can you describe how you approached writing the fight scenes to create tension and realism?

Mostly from Mendoza’s own descriptions of his fights, and my own experience in the dojo, sparring and boxing.

Mendoza was not only a skilled fighter but also a symbol of Jewish pride and resilience. How did you balance the themes of boxing and cultural identity in the screenplay?

I think, for me, the balance is about someone in a disadvantaged status, but with an intense self of self-worth and pride, and who sees this most physical, elemental sport as the way to gain honor and recognition.

It’s really the story of all combat sports through history, whether the slave-gladiators in Rome, or the immigrant Jewish boxing champions in early 20th century America, or black and Latin and Asian fighters more recently. Mendoza saw fighting as an expression of Jewish strength and survival, as part of our 'biblical genetics.'

The rivalry between Mendoza and Humphreys is a central element of the story. Can you talk about how you developed their characters and their relationship throughout the script?

I really wanted this idea of a mentor character who seems to come from a place of privilege, but who actually had to achieve his place in the world through his skill as a fighter himself.

When he sees young Mendoza, it’s both a chance at a novelty to earn more public attention and money, but also it’s because he sees sometihng of his younger self in Mendoza. That is, until Mendoza starts becoming more popular, and a better fighter, and challenges his own sense of status. Then it becomes a bitter rivalry.

What do you hope audiences will take away from this story?

Obviously I hope they are entertained; but more than that, I want them to be in the position of rooting for an underdog whose challenges of discrimination and exclusion are very much the same today for so many people.

Mendoza was from a barely tolerated community, and a barely tolerated religion, but he refused to let that define or defeat him—instead, it became his source of power. That resonates today, I hope.

Finally, can you tell us about any challenges you faced during the screenwriting process and how you overcame them to bring this story to life on the page?

Well, Mendoza in his memoir is always right in his own mind, always doing everything for honor — I needed to keep that, but moderate it.

Also, he had literally dozens of fights, both famous and casual, and other life events, so it was a challenge to wean and combine and shape some of those elements into a coherent screenplay structure. And I had to invent what I imagined the personalities of his family and friends were like, and create some composite characters that could recur meaningfully through the story.

I'm sure there’s still work to be done on it! I just hope it finds the right producer and director to help those last improvements along, and get it to the screen.

About Robin:

Robin Uriel Russin is a professor of screenwriting and playwriting in the Department of Theatre, Film & Digital Production at the University of California, Riverside, where he has served as both graduate advisor and director of the MFA in Creative Writing and Writing for the Performing Arts. Robin has degrees from Harvard, Oxford, the Rhode Island School of Design, and UCLA, where he received his MFA in screenwriting.

Robin has written, produced and directed for film, TV and the theater, including Warner Bros.’ On Deadly Ground, America’s Most Wanted on Fox, and Vital Signs on ABC. His original pilot script about King David was adapted by ABC as Of Kings and Prophets. He recently directed the independent feature film When I Sing, co-starring Chris Mulkey.

Another feature Robin co-wrote with Veronica Hool, 2 Hearts, starring Jacob Elordi and Radha Mitchell, is currently on Netflix. In 2021 Robin also directed another independent feature about the humor and challenges of disability, The Anxiety of Laughing, which premiered at Dances With Films.

Robin is co-author with William Missouri Downs of the books Naked Playwriting and Screenplay: Writing the Picture. Born and raised in Wyoming and Italy, Robin currently lives in Los Angeles. He also works as a sculptor, and has taught art, literature and art history.

Manchester Film Festival Screenplay Competition Winner Q&A | Mendoza The Jew by Robin Uriel Russin

Q&A with screenwriter Robin Uriel Russin