Zelina Vega Talks Playing AJ Lee in 'Fighting With My Family'

Fighting With My Family is set to hit theaters on Friday, and WWE fans are going to recognize a few familiar faces alongside Florence Pugh as Paige.

The film will feature Paige's WWE main roster debut, where Pugh will defeat AJ Lee for the Divas Championship in similar fashion to how Paige did it the night after WrestleMania XXX in 2014. But instead of having Lee play herself, the role will be played by another WWE Superstar in Zelina Vega.

WWE's YouTube channel interviewed Vega on Wednesday ahead of Friday's nationwide release of the film.

"It was something that I really found a connection with her, because we both are into video games, we're both a little bit of some nerds," Vega said when asked about playing Lee. "So it was really easy to just submerge myself into her and become her for that moment."

Vega explained that she took the role to get her foot in the door with the WWE.

"I've known Dwayne Johnson for around five years now, and I was going through a period of time where I was trying to get to WWE and it wasn't easy," Vega said. "It took me around eight years to get here. At a time where I was struggling to become a WWE Superstar and struggling to become an actress. I texted him one day and I was like, 'I'm at the end of my rope here. What do you suggest what I do? Please give me some guidance.' And he's said, 'Actually I've been working on something for the past few days now, so just give me a little bit and I'll call you.' And I was like 'okay.' I didn't think anything of it.

"He called me and he said, 'So I have this project that we're working on, and it's based off this documentary about Paige and her family and her life in wrestling. And I would love for you to be involved,'" Vega said.

She then said Johnson immediately offered her the role without an audition, to which Vega immediately said yes.

Fighting With My Family is a film adaptation of the 2012 Channel 4 documentary The Wrestlers: Fighting With My Family, which follows Paige (real name Saraya Knight) and her family as they run a small wrestling promotion in Norwich, England. Along with Pugh, Johnson and Vega, the cast features Vince Vaughn, Lena Headey, Nick Frost and Jack Lowden.