Bodybuilder Relives Movie Memories

Last Sunday, Farmington Hills personal trainer Rob Rickman traveled to the Sheraton hotel in Novi and talked with the director of a new DVD.

It wasn't a screen test or an audition. Rickman, now 62, and other Michigan cast members of the 1985 feature Thou Shalt Not Kill ... Except (initially titled Stryker's War) are being interviewed to add bonus features for a special re-release of the movie. Director Aine Leicht will also interview Sam Rami, a cast member who went on to direct cult horror films and produce the blockbuster Spider-Man movies.

While Rami has made a career in the field, Thou Shalt Not Kill ... Except was a singular experience for Rickman, who might not have been found for the new project except that a friend set him up with a Facebook page.

He said Leicht "wanted to know my life story, how they found me for the movie. I went over that history."

The story starts with Rickman's arrival in Michigan 40 years ago after leaving West Virginia. He came looking for work, and he found it at an iron plant in Albion. After a few years, he moved into the auto industry, working at General Motors' Pontiac Motor Division for 20 years.

All along the way, he kept one dream alive.

"At 13, I wanted to be a bodybuilder," Rickman said.

Learning how to do the different poses required for competition, how to flex his body and how to keep flexing, even when his body was aching, taught him valuable skills he used when he got into acting.

"It gave me that edge of presenting something I really wasn't feeling," he said, adding that the skill came in not getting lost in a character and being able to pull back.

Being cast as a Mr. T look-alike for local television commercials led to his big break, he said. Rickman immersed himself in his role as the notorious character from The A-Team, a popular 1980s television series. From multiple ear-piercings to modeling his hair after T's famous mohawk to donning 44 pounds of gold jewelry, he added every possible authentic touch.

"You practice, and you become that person," he said. "I believed in being that character."

In addition to commercials, Rickman traveled with The A-Team bus for eight years, appearing at auto shows and visiting children's hospitals. He said his agent once showed a picture of his portrayal to the real Mr. T.

"He told my agent, 'He don't look like me. He look better than me,' " Rickman said with a laugh. "He's a good guy."

Rickman's Mr. T commercial for the Michigan State Fair, seen by movie director Josh Becker, led directly to his being cast in Thou Shalt Not Kill ... Except.

For the DVD project, Rickman was even able to recall the lines from the commercial Becker saw 27 years ago. "They asked me to do it in front of the camera," he said.

Becker cast Rickman in the role of Walker J. Jackson, a war buddy of lead character Jack Stryker, played by Brian Schulz. The role turned out to be a one-time film experience for Rickman, but he doesn't have any regrets. He has seen The A-Team movie, released in 2010, but didn't have any desire to be a part of it.

"I had already been there," he said.

Rickman didn't mind leaving Hollywood, either. "I had a thing about the parties," he said. "I'm really conscious about my health — not just what I'm taking in, but my surroundings. I didn't think that hard about pursuing (acting) ... I think everything happens for a reason."

Since the movie, Rickman has pursued bodybuilding, holding the title of Mr. Michigan three times and Master's Mr. Michigan, among other titles. He also sports a National Bodybuilding Championship ring, earned in 2000.

He kept training clients, first at gyms in Northville, Livonia and in Farmington Hills, and now in his home studio. He also has kept himself tight, so much so that the makers of the new DVD were surprised he was "still in shape from 27 years ago," he said.

"I didn't get in shape for just the movie," Rickman said. "I've always practiced what I'm teaching ... eating right, training and keeping my focus."

Client and good friend Alida D'Angelo of Farmington Hills started working with Rickman 20 years ago and believes his training helped make the delivery of her two children go quickly and smoothly. She pointed out that Rickman has never gone "the steroid route. He's always been natural."

"As long as I've known Rob ... everything he does, he does 150 percent," she said. "That's what makes him stand out."

Rickman said he knows he won't get as big as athletes who use enhancement drugs. "I just didn't want to do it, so I didn't have any regrets," he said. "I want to be true to myself."

To learn more about Rickman's training studio, contact him at 248-788-5672.