Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Marcus Kowal


This is my friend Marcus Kowal, an incredible boxer and a Krav Maga instructor here in Los Angeles. Marcus has trained everyone from Hilary Swank to the LAPD in the intense Israeli martial art. One day when Marcus and his lovely girlfriend, Reema were out for a drive, they were pulled over by an LAPD squad car. After the officers asked Marcus a few increasingly inflammatory questions, they dragged him out of the car, handcuffed him and pushed him to his knees. Then they asked Reema to stand outside the car. “Is this your boyfriend?” the officer asked Reema. “Do you love him?” “Would you do anything for him?” “Yes, of course,” Reema answered. Bewildered, Reema looked at Marcus, who was still on his knees on the side of the road. The officer stepped back and Marcus, handcuffed and surrounded by cop cars, asked for her hand in marriage. This is a tough guy, but with a fiercely romantic side, and I hope I captured that in this portrait. By the way, Reema said yes, and they’ve been happily married for the past year.