Malden native brings Hollywood theme to Beantown Bootcamp
Malden native John Wayman was called upon by Warner Brothers to promote its recent film "The Book of Eli" at his personal training program in Boston.
For a few hours earlier this month, Malden native John Wayman became Denzel Washington, or at least, he tried to.
"I couldn't really pull off a good Denzel," he admitted. "I'm not really an actor."
But that hasn't stopped Warner Brothers Entertainment from soliciting his help promoting its recent action movie "The Book of Eli," a post-apocalyptic tale featuring a warrior (Washington) embarking on an epic journey to save humankind.
Wayman, owner of Beantown Bootcamp, a personal training program in Boston's North End, was contacted by PR agency Terry Hines and Associates to lead an exercise class with the movie as its theme. He led a similar promotion for last year's G.I. Joe film, also produced by Warner Brothers, and said his clients enjoy the change of pace.
"I think the variation is pretty fun for them," he said. "They look at it as an exciting opportunity."
Beantown Bootcamp, which specializes in military-style classes, received promotional materials from Warner Brothers including posters and T-shirts. Wayman assumed Washington's character during the class, dressing in the outfit his character wears throughout his journey.
"We try to work as much of the movie as we can into the class," he said.
Wayman graduated in 1991 from Malden High School, where he participated in cross country and track. Promoting films through exercise has been a way to combine two of his interests while gaining valuable publicity for his business, he said.
"I love movies, especially action movies" he said. "It's been a real success so far."
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