Acting legend Richard Chamberlain, known for his roles in "The Thorn Birds" and "King Solomon's Mines," has taken on a new role as a boxing coach in the Mark Mahon film "Strength and Honour." Celebrity News Service got a chance to sit down with award winning actor on Friday at the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival to discuss his character and the challenges the role brought.

"Strength and Honour" tells the story of an Irish-American boxer who accidentally kills his friend in the ring and afterwards, promises his wife that he will never box again. Years later, the boxer, played by Michael Madsen, discovers that his only son is dying of the same hereditary heart condition that killed his wife and is forced to break his promise in order to pay for the surgery needed to save his son.

Chamberlain plays Denis O'Leary, a boxing coach that must train the retired boxer and help him to get in shape to fight a legendary boxer. There were several aspects of the film that attracted Chamberlain to the film including the chance to play the Irish boxing coach, the opportunity to film in Cork, Ireland and the chance to work with the director Mark Mahon.

"It was always going to take a special script to tempt me back to work again. When I read 'Strength and Honour' I knew straight away it was the right one for me," says Chamberlain. "I think the very human nature of the script is what attracted me to it in the first place."

Chamberlain said working with Mahon was a great opportunity saying, "Mahon is a wonderful director and extraordinary guy. He is largely responsible for writing and financing the film and was deeply involved in the project."

Chamberlain also relished the opportunity to learn an Irish accent telling CNS, "It was a tough accent to learn, but they had a wonderful teacher there who worked with me every day. I'm not very good with accents, but it was fun to learn."

Chamberlain loved filming in Ireland and the chance to mingle with the locals saying, "It was a deeply felt movie that really concentrated on the characters and their personal dilemmas. It was fascinating because of the travelers involved, normally known as Irish gypsies, and real people that were involved in the film."