"Lockout" is a futuristic action thriller which takes us on a roller coaster of adventure, and also takes us back to classics of the genre and the good old typical action heroes.

Starring Guy Pearce and Maggie Grace, it follows a falsely convicted ex- government agent (Pearce), whose one chance at obtaining freedom lies in the dangerous mission of rescuing the President’s daughter (Grace) from rioting convicts at an outer space maximum security prison.

We spoke with Pearce about getting in shape for this role. He spent a lot of time on location in Serbia seriously working out. “It was a healthy regime of protein powder, lots of Serbian mate and lifting weights at a Serbian gym,” he said.

As far as physical training went, “We had to learn the choreography of the fights. It was more about staying flexible and going to the gym.”

The English-born Australian actor admitted to hurting himself on set every week. “I did injure myself every week. I fired a gun at one point in this tiny little tunnel and the bullet casing flew out of the gun and bounced off the roof and went straight down the back of my shirt. Of course the casing was really hot it burned a mark on my back the shape of a bullet case which I think is gone now. Literally every week there was something.”  

Costar Maggie Grace also had her share of action scenes. Playing a character that grows into being a badass somewhat bled into her persona, “It’s great to learn combat everyday and bring that home. It definitely made me realize how much I enjoy kickboxing.”  She can next be seen in Taken 2 where she is more empowered this time since her parents are abducted and she has to rescue them.

Comparisons to genre classics like Die Hard and Escape from New York abound to which Pearce said, “I find it best not to delve into that stuff too much. I’m always struggling into trying to feel originally what I’m doing anyway. Sometimes that sort of thing can go a bit wrong for you. If it’s too present you find yourself fighting against it.”

Lockout isn’t the only science fiction film Pearce is starring in this year. He is also part of Ridley Scott’s Prometheus of which he really can’t talk about yet “It’s hard keeping a secret these days but I’m pretty good at keeping secrets,” he said.

Pearce is currently on a six month break. When asked about what would be his next ideal role he stated, “I really thrive on maintaining an openness to the universe and seeing what it brings. I find that the surprise in that is what really keeps me going. That spontaneity is where I find inspiration. I don’t have an ideal character that I want to play.”

Lockout opens Friday nationwide.