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UFC, Bellator and Strikeforce veteran Jay Hieron hasn’t stepped into a cage in more than five years, but he’s still doing his share of sparring – in more ways than one.

With Hieron’s fighting days behind, he’s currently carving out a career in Hollywood, largely as a stuntman but increasingly with a speaking roles, as well. “The Thoroughbred” says a recent role alongside award-winning actor Denzel Washington in “The Equalizer 2” proved especially educational.

“We were going by the script, and then he just started ad-libbing, like improving, and saying lines that weren’t in the script, and the first time he did it, I kind of stuttered,” Hieron recently told MMAjunkie Radio. “But I went with it, thankfully, so then after that take – you know, he didn’t really talk to me before that time. … Then after that take, he was like, ‘Oh, I almost had you there, huh?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah.’”

Hieron, who plays an assassin trying to kill Washington’s character, said he felt the veteran actor was trying to test his chops a bit, much in the way a veteran fighter might look for a young athlete to try and prove himself, as well.

“I guess he was just testing me out, like sparring or whatever – you hit a guy with something good, and he still comes forward,” Hieron said. “I don’t know if it was something like that, but that’s what it felt like. And after that, he was totally cool – but still deep in character.

“It was the best learning experience just by watching that you could ever have.”

To hear more from Hieron, check out the video above.

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