Watch the full Generation Iron interview below.

Few people understand the mindset of elite strength athletes better than Kai Greene.

A legendary bodybuilder known not only for his incredible physique but also for his thoughtful approach to personal growth, Kai has a unique ability to move conversations beyond training, records, and competition. That's exactly what makes this interview with Eddie Hall so compelling.

Originally published by Generation Iron, the conversation explores Eddie's journey after becoming World's Strongest Man, his transition into acting and entertainment, the lessons he's learned throughout his career, and the deeper themes that inspired Taming the Beast.
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Rather than focusing solely on what Eddie has achieved, Kai asks the more interesting question:
Who is Eddie Hall once the competitions are over?

For many fans, Eddie Hall will always be remembered for becoming World's Strongest Man and making history with the first official 500 kg deadlift.

But, as viewers of Taming the Beast already know, those achievements were only one chapter of his story.
In this interview, Eddie reflects on what happened after reaching the biggest goal of his life. Like the documentary, the discussion explores how success doesn't automatically bring fulfilment.

​Once the title had been won, Eddie found himself searching for a new purpose—a journey that eventually led him toward acting, filmmaking, and telling stories that reach beyond strength sports.

What makes this interview particularly engaging is the chemistry between Kai Greene and Eddie Hall.

Both men built careers by pushing themselves to extraordinary physical limits, yet their conversation rarely stays focused on muscles or competition.

Instead, they discuss mindset, discipline, reinvention, and the responsibility that comes with becoming a role model for millions of people around the world.
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Kai's thoughtful questions allow Eddie to speak openly about the challenges of life after elite sport and the importance of continuing to evolve long after the trophies have been won.

The interview also offers viewers another glimpse into the documentary itself.

Eddie explains why Taming the Beast became much more than a film about strength. The title reflects an internal battle that everyone experiences in different ways. While people often associate "the beast" with physical power, Eddie describes it as something far more personal—the fears, doubts, expectations, and struggles that must be confronted throughout life.

That idea sits at the very heart of the documentary.
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As the film follows Eddie beyond the arena, it reveals that true strength isn't simply measured by the weight someone can lift, but by the courage to face vulnerability, adapt to change, and keep moving forward.

Another recurring theme throughout the conversation is legacy.

Records are eventually broken. Titles are eventually won by someone else.
What remains is the impact a person leaves behind.

For Eddie, that legacy now extends beyond strength sports. Through Taming the Beast, he hopes to encourage conversations about mental health, resilience, family, and purpose—topics that resonate far beyond the gym.
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It's a message that Kai Greene clearly appreciates, making this interview one of the most insightful conversations Eddie has given about the documentary.

We're grateful to Generation Iron and Kai Greene for this thoughtful conversation with Eddie Hall.

If you've already watched Taming the Beast, this interview offers valuable additional insight into Eddie's mindset and the ideas that shaped the documentary. If you haven't seen the film yet, it's an excellent introduction to the journey behind one of strength sport's most compelling stories.
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You can also read Generation Iron's original article accompanying the interview on their website.
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Watch the full podcast below.

For most people, Eddie "The Beast" Hall is remembered as the man who conquered the impossible.
World's Strongest Man. Record-breaking deadlifts. Television appearances. A larger-than-life personality built on extraordinary feats of strength.

But as Eddie reveals in a recent interview with Muscle & Fitness Magazine's Director of Communications, Frank Sepe, that's only part of the story.
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The conversation offers a powerful preview of what audiences can expect from Taming the Beast—a feature documentary that looks beyond the titles and trophies to explore the man behind one of strength sport's biggest icons.

In a recent interview with Muscle & Fitness Magazine, Frank Sepe (Director of Communications) sat down with Eddie “The Beast” Hall to discuss the upcoming feature documentary Taming the Beast.
The conversation goes beyond Eddie’s achievements as World’s Strongest Man and dives into the deeper layers explored in the film — including mental health, identity, and the pressures behind public strength. Frank skillfully steers the discussion toward the film’s core themes, creating a thoughtful and engaging exchange that reflects the complexity of Eddie’s story. A strong and focused interview that brings real attention to what Taming the Beast is about.

Early in the interview, Frank Sepe makes it clear that what struck him most about the film wasn't Eddie's athletic accomplishments.

It was the honesty.

Having watched an advance screening, Sepe describes the documentary's exploration of mental health as its most compelling element, explaining how deeply it resonated with his own experiences and with the emotional moments involving Eddie's family.
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That response perfectly captures what Taming the Beast sets out to do. This isn't simply a documentary about becoming World's Strongest Man. It's about everything that happened after the applause faded.

Eddie reflects on the journey that began with his first documentary, which followed his pursuit of the World's Strongest Man title.

That film ended with a question: What happened next?

The answer wasn't as straightforward as anyone expected.

Winning the title that had defined his entire life should have been the happiest moment imaginable. Instead, Eddie describes reaching the summit only to discover there was nothing left to climb.

For years, every decision, every training session, and every sacrifice had been driven by a single purpose. Once that purpose was fulfilled, he found himself struggling with a loss of direction that eventually led to depression.
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It's an experience many high achievers quietly face but rarely discuss.
Taming the Beast explores that reality with remarkable openness.

One of the strongest themes throughout the interview is Eddie's determination to challenge outdated ideas about masculinity and mental health.

People often assume that someone known as "The Beast" must be mentally unbreakable—a giant who lifts enormous weights, shrugs off adversity, and never struggles.

Eddie wants to change that perception.

He explains that being vulnerable isn't a weakness. In many ways, it's one of the strongest things a person can do.
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If someone with his public image can admit to battling depression, anxiety, and self-doubt, perhaps it gives others permission to have those conversations too.
Throughout the interview, he repeatedly returns to one message: people shouldn't suffer in silence.

One of the interview's most revealing moments comes when Eddie talks about conversations with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone.

Like many people, Eddie had always seen them as larger-than-life figures—symbols of confidence, success, and resilience.

Hearing them openly discuss their own struggles with mental health was both surprising and reassuring.
Their experiences reinforced an important lesson that echoes throughout Taming the Beast: fame, achievement, and success don't make anyone immune to emotional challenges.
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Mental health affects everyone.

Eddie also speaks candidly about the importance of seeking professional support.

While friends and family play an important role, he explains that trained therapists can provide perspectives and tools that are often impossible to find elsewhere.

It's a refreshingly practical message—one that avoids clichés and instead encourages people to view therapy as a sign of strength rather than weakness.
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For Eddie, learning to ask for help became an essential part of rebuilding his life after achieving the biggest goal he'd ever set for himself.

Perhaps the biggest takeaway from the interview is that Taming the Beast isn't really about lifting extraordinary weights.

It's about carrying invisible ones.

The documentary explores identity, fatherhood, pressure, purpose, and what happens when the world only sees the public persona you've created.

Frank Sepe's thoughtful questions allow Eddie to move beyond headlines and social media clips, revealing a deeply personal side that audiences rarely get to see.

It's an honest conversation that perfectly reflects the spirit of the film itself.

As the release of Taming the Beast approaches, interviews like this remind us why Eddie Hall's story reaches far beyond the world of strength sports.

Because, in the end, the greatest challenge isn't always becoming the strongest man in the world.
Sometimes it's learning to be yourself once you've achieved everything you thought you wanted.
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Watch the full Muscle & Fitness interview and stay tuned for more exclusive stories, behind-the-scenes features, and updates as we count down to the release of Taming the Beast.

As Executive Producer and Producer, my relationship to Taming the Beast is not only professional but deeply personal. The journey began in 2017 and unfolded far differently than originally imagined. A two-year production halt during the pandemic tested the project’s very survival, transforming it into the most demanding film I have ever endured. At several points, it genuinely seemed as though the film would never be finished.


The story itself evolved dramatically over time. What began as a very different narrative slowly reshaped itself through uncertainty, delay, and revision. That process was not without cost. The prolonged production affected my own mental health profoundly. Yet, paradoxically, it was Eddie—and the story we were trying to tell—that helped me endure. In wrestling with his struggles, I found a way to confront my own.

Much of Taming the Beast reflects the lived reality of millions who grapple with mental health challenges, often in silence. I believe deeply that this film carries hope—not through easy answers, but through recognition and honesty. Trusting that vision meant giving the directors full creative freedom, even when the outcome felt uncertain. The finished film affirms that decision.
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What remains is a work shaped by persistence, vulnerability, and belief—belief in the story, in the filmmakers, and in the quiet power of cinema to help us endure what otherwise feels unendurable.

Guido Baechler

One of the central challenges in Taming the Beast was how to portray Eddie’s mental state without turning it into either a diagnosis or an excuse.

From the beginning, we were clear about what we didn’t want to do. We didn’t want to romanticize instability, and we didn’t want to frame mental distress as something that makes harm inevitable or understandable in a simplistic way. At the same time, we wanted to take Eddie’s inner life seriously—to acknowledge that his behavior does not emerge from a vacuum.
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Eddie is a character who struggles to articulate what is happening inside him. Much of what the audience learns about his mental state comes not through explanation, but through pauses, silences, repetition, and moments where language simply fails him. This was a deliberate choice. Mental distress often shows itself not in clarity, but in fragmentation: unfinished thoughts, emotional withdrawal, sudden escalation, and long stretches of quiet that feel heavy rather than empty.

Importantly, Taming the Beast does not attempt to name or label Eddie’s condition. This was not an oversight, but an ethical decision. Labels can be useful in clinical contexts, but in storytelling they can also become reductive, encouraging viewers to “solve” a character rather than sit with them. By leaving Eddie’s mental health unnamed, the film asks the audience to stay with uncertainty—to observe patterns, consequences, and responses rather than searching for a single explanatory key.

Another crucial aspect of Eddie’s portrayal is that his mental health is never presented as a justification for harm. The film holds two truths at the same time: Eddie is struggling, and Eddie is responsible for his actions. These are not contradictory positions. Acknowledging distress does not mean absolving behavior, and refusing to absolve behavior does not require denying distress.

Care, in this context, becomes complicated. The film is interested in the tension between support and containment, between wanting to help someone and recognizing that help alone is not always enough. Eddie is not abandoned by the narrative, but neither is he protected from the consequences of his actions. This balance—between empathy and accountability—was central to how we approached his character.

Ultimately, Taming the Beast is less concerned with explaining Eddie than with asking how we respond to people like him. What does responsible care look like when someone is both vulnerable and dangerous? Where do we draw boundaries, and who gets to draw them? And what happens in the spaces where language, diagnosis, and good intentions fall short?
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These questions don’t have clean answers. The film doesn’t offer them. But it insists that they are worth sitting with.

by: Guido Baechler, Executive Producer