Martial artist and actor Andrew Koji sat down with Collider for an interview regarding his portrayal of Storm Shadow on the upcoming movie Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins.
“I thought about playing that character [Storm Shadow] because I didn’t like the first two films. I can say that. I’m allowed to not like a film. So, I was hesitant, at first, to even accept that. That’s a big studio film and my first role in a big studio film, so I was very hesitant because I didn’t have that trust in Hollywood to do that. What Warrior taught me and the voice that it gave me helped my work on Storm Shadow. I don’t wanna play a character with a six-pack. I wanted him to be human and flawed; he’s going through stuff. For me, when I saw the first G.I. Joe films, I was like, ‘I don’t wanna do that. That’s not the kind of thing I wanna do.'”
“So, when I spoke with the director [Robert Schwentke] about that I said, ‘If I’m gonna play him, I have to do my research into Japanese culture and embrace that.’ There was an opportunity for me to do a performance in that kind of film for the next generation. My time in this business might end in a few years but a kid growing up might be able to watch that film and see a more realistic, grounded portrayal and feel like they can act and they can do this. Even if it’s in ninja form, they can still bring their own humanity to it. So, it was quite a deep thing for me, just because I had a lot of reservations about it, at first, but then they allowed me to do that. I’ve gotta give credit to those guys but that was all because of the skill I got from Warrior.”
SilverOptimus says
News Post: Andrew Koji Talks About Humanizing Storm Shadow
Cobra Agent 66 says
All he needs to do is read a few key issues of the Marvel comic, starting with #21. Storm Shadow was always a deep, human character, even when he was a killing machine.
deathvalleymachine says
captain N says
I fell like it time for a trailer.
sbartek1974 says
ZombieSnake says
I've used the delay time to watch Warrior (the show that Andrew Koji stars in) and it's become one of my favorite shows on TV right now. If nothing else we should get a pretty good Storm Shadow.
tylerzero says
Warrior is fan-freaking-tastic.
Knowing next to nothing about Shang-Chi, I wouldn't have objected to Koji being cast in the role (still looking forward to what Simu Liu brings, though).
Full Thread: Andrew Koji Talks About Humanizing Storm Shadow
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