Living The Red Life
Episode: Icon. Fighter. Founder: Dolph Lundgren’s Story
Host: Rudy Mawer
Guest: Dolph Lundgren
Date: September 15, 2025
Overview of the Episode
This special episode of Living The Red Life dives deep with Dolph Lundgren—legendary action star and founder of Hard Cut Vodka. Host Rudy Mawer explores Dolph's incredible journey from a challenging childhood in Sweden to global fame and his current entrepreneurial ventures. The conversation covers hard-won life lessons from Hollywood, personal transformation, risk-taking, and transferring the grit of the movie business to entrepreneurship.
Key Discussion Points and Insights
Dolph’s Early Life and Dream of America
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Grew up in Sweden to academic parents, with a difficult, sometimes abusive home environment.
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Channeled his childhood struggles into becoming physically and mentally strong through martial arts and sports.
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Studied chemical engineering, earning a full scholarship to MIT, primarily to please his father.
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Despite his achievements, Dolph realized his passion lay elsewhere.
“I discovered show business, and I realized I wanted to be a creative person ... I wanted to express myself.”
—Dolph Lundgren [02:44] -
He didn’t initially dream of acting, despite admiring Clint Eastwood and Charles Bronson as a kid.
“I was attracted to the American society, to the opportunities and the people seemed to have fun, to work hard, to believe in yourself... I didn’t really know I wanted to be an actor until I was 27 years old.”
—Dolph Lundgren [03:16]
Pivotal Career Risk: MIT vs. Acting
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Dolph’s life could have followed a secure, academic path, but he took a huge risk, trading an MIT scholarship for the unknowns of New York and acting.
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Reflected on personal happiness vs. safety; advocates for following your true passion if you’re not fulfilled.
“It’s always good to have some kind of safety in the back of your pocket ... But I knew it wasn’t going to make me happy, so I wanted to follow my passion.”
—Dolph Lundgren [05:30]
The Rocky IV Breakthrough and Impact
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Landing “Ivan Drago” in Rocky IV felt surreal; only fully appreciated the impact of his character when watching the premiere in a packed theater.
“I could tell in the theater, you know, it’s a communal experience ... when he [Drago] kills Apollo Creed, I was shocked myself. I felt really bad—have I done this?”
—Dolph Lundgren [06:43] -
The power of cinema: decades later, fans’ personal stories move him, demonstrating the lasting emotional impact of his work.
“Now I’m realizing ... that was the gift that I had — to make people feel better or give them something and enlighten their lives.”
—Dolph Lundgren [08:47]
Success Is Not a Straight Line
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Hollywood success wasn’t instant or easy. For every triumph, there were struggles, unknowns, rejections, and self-doubt.
“The truth is that it’s a struggle. Every day is a struggle ... you have to push through, because that’s what gives you the success ... The people who push through, they’re successful. The ones who don’t, they’re never successful.”
—Dolph Lundgren [09:30] -
Shared stories of hustle – borrowing money from his agent, uncertainty, and sacrifices prior to Rocky IV’s release [07:50].
The Dynamism of Hollywood: Recent Experiences
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Filming with icons in Expendables is “just a good time” and “almost weird, you know, bizarre” to see so many legends together [10:22].
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Aquaman—high-budget, cutting-edge, but challenging due to extensive CGI, requiring actors to imagine settings and repeat takes for technical accuracy.
“I’m not crazy about the Marvel movies for that reason that it’s very, very tedious. It’s kind of hard to enjoy the act.”
—Dolph Lundgren [11:46] -
Praises directors like James Wan but asserts he’d never want to direct such CGI-intensive films: “just too tedious for me.” [11:53]
Transition to Entrepreneurship: Hard Cut Vodka
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Entrepreneurship, like acting, is full of ups and downs and requires perseverance.
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While making a movie is intense but time-limited, running a business is “a year, five years” of relentless challenge.
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Skills from Hollywood—leading people, creativity, perseverance—translate, but regulation and complexity in the alcohol industry make it uniquely tough.
“Shit happens every morning you wake up and you have, like, this email. What’s going on?”
—Dolph Lundgren [12:25] -
Enjoys the process and loves the “wonderful challenge” of building something new [13:18].
Dolph’s New Ventures and What’s Next
- Hard Cut Vodka: “HardCutVodka.com ... Hard Cut, smooth finish, very smooth vodka.” [13:29]
- Upcoming documentary about his life, launching at film festivals (Newport Beach, Turin, possible Sundance, TIFF) [13:41].
- New book coming from Harper Collins.
- Additional secret film projects, reboots of past successes.
- Co-producing a Hollywood-set action comedy featuring himself.
- Staying active and creative in numerous directions.
Dolph’s Closing Reflections
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The value of adventure, persistence, and contribution.
“Life is an adventure, and you just got to keep pushing forward and believe in what you got to do ... believe in this world and believe in what you can give to it. I think that’s the important part.”
—Dolph Lundgren [14:44]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |-----------|---------|-------| | 02:44 | Dolph | “I discovered show business, and I realized I wanted to be a creative person ... I wanted to express myself.” | | 05:30 | Dolph | “You have to follow your passion... If I would have been very passionate about engineering, I would have done it, but I wasn’t.” | | 06:43 | Dolph | “I could tell in the theater ... when he kills Apollo Creed, I was shocked myself. I felt really bad—have I done this?” | | 09:30 | Dolph | “The truth is that it’s a struggle. Every day is a struggle ... The people who push through, they’re successful.” | | 12:25 | Dolph | “Shit happens every morning you wake up and you have, like, this email. What’s going on?” | | 14:44 | Dolph | “Life is an adventure, and you just got to keep pushing forward and believe in what you got to do ... and what you can give to it.” |
Important Timestamps
- 02:17–03:45: Dolph’s early life, academic ambitions, and journey to America.
- 04:16–05:53: Debate between playing it safe vs. risking for passion.
- 06:29–07:24: Rocky IV breakthrough; power of iconic screen moments.
- 09:07–10:08: The non-linear path to success; daily struggles and perseverance.
- 10:16–11:53: Modern film projects; the challenges and rewards of Hollywood today.
- 12:22–13:18: Transition to business; lessons and mindset for entrepreneurship.
- 13:29–14:27: Upcoming ventures; personal brand projects.
- 14:44: Dolph’s closing life philosophy.
Tone and Style
The conversation is candid, raw, and motivational, balancing humor and humility. Dolph is authentic, self-aware, and grounded, encouraging listeners to pursue meaningful risks and stay resilient, whether in Hollywood, business, or life.
In Summary
Dolph Lundgren’s story is an inspiring testament to the power of adaptability, pursuing your passion, and using the lessons of past struggles to fuel new adventures. Whether you’re scaling your business, building a team, or navigating personal challenges, this episode is a blueprint for punching through adversity—and doing it with intensity and heart.