In case you were wondering, Andrew Koji clears up a martial-arts movie fact: “Two swords are always better than one!”
Henry Golding jokes that his ninja training for ‘Snake Eyes’ helped his dad skills at home
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The British-born actor wields twin blades as Tommy, aka Storm Shadow, in the new “G.I. Joe Origins” action film “Snake Eyes” (now in theaters). Koji’s Japanese character brings American loner Snake Eyes (Henry Golding) into the fold of his family’s Arashikage ninja clan and even gifts his new friend with a sword of his own. (Just one, though.)
With his new film, Koji, 33, adds cool sword-swinging sequences to an already impressive body of screen stunt work after two seasons of the Bruce Lee-inspired HBO Max crime drama “Warrior.”
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“Weapons in the martial arts are basically extensions of our body, and the two samurai swords very much became that,” Koji says. “You do the basics, but once it clicks, then you can add your own flare to it.”
He’s also carving out his own place in the movie business: After breaking out in “Snake Eyes,” Koji next shares the big screen with Brad Pitt in the action thriller “Bullet Train” (out April 8) directed by David Leitch (“John Wick”). Plus Koji also is looking forward to a third season of “Warrior” playing Chinese immigrant Ah Sahm, who comes to 19th-century San Francisco seeking out his older sister.
Andrew Koji brings an enigmatic G.I. Joe figure to life
While Snake Eyes might be the most popular character in the 1980s cartoon-and-toy franchise, many youngsters had (or wanted) Cobra ninja Storm Shadow in their toy box, too. With the movie version, Koji found “a lot to unpack and explore” with Tommy, who finds himself caught between old and new schools as he tries to bring the Arashikage into the 21st century.
“Tommy fights with grace and purpose, and I wanted to find a movement style that was more still and grounded,” Koji says. “Ah Sahm is very much looking at (his foe). Tommy doesn’t even look. He’s watching, waiting for your move, waiting for your strike.”
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Henry Golding leads the ninja charge of ‘G.I. Joe’ film ‘Snake Eyes’
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Koji has a ton of respect for ‘Bullet Train’ co-star Brad Pitt
Filmed during the pandemic, “Bullet Train” centers on a bunch of assassins who find themselves on the same speedy Japanese bullet train. Koji calls it a “surreal” experience looking around at his all-star castmates, including Lady Gaga, Sandra Bullock, Michael Shannon, Bad Bunny, Zazie Beetz and Pitt. The A-list Oscar winner is “a craftsman, for sure,” Koji reports. “Brad is just constantly thinking and working and figuring it out.”
Strict COVID protocols did make it trickier to connect with his co-stars. “You get more of a feeling of people rather than develop deep friendships just because you can’t hang out, really,” Koji says, before joking, “Brad still hasn’t invited me to his house. A little bit rude, Brad, but we’ll get past it.”
’Snakes Eyes’ inspired Koji to examine his Japanese heritage
Growing up in Surrey, England, Koji was a fan of Akira Kurosawa films but “Snake Eyes” director Robert Schwentke wanted him to dive deeper into culture and cinema to play Storm Shadow. The actor was introduced to films such as 1966’s “The Sword of Doom,” about a samurai’s descent into madness, and studied performers like Toshiro Mifune and Hiroyuki Sanada.
“I was trying to channel all these great actors,” Koji says. “There’s such a sense of honor and respect that I think we’re losing touch of nowadays.”
He’s seen a definite shift in a positive direction for Asian actors
Koji hasn’t started training for the third season of “Warrior” yet – “I’m going to enjoy chocolate for now,” he says with a laugh. His high spirits are a stark contrast to the period before landing his breakthrough TV gig, when Koji considered a career change because of the lack of strong acting roles. “Compared to a couple years ago, even five years ago, it’s completely different,” he says. “It’s definitely getting better.”
Koji didn’t have a “Snake Eyes” growing up, “a fun film like this with a predominantly Asian cast,” and hopes it’ll have a similar effect on the Asian community as “Black Panther” had for Black people. “These kids will be able to feel a bit more empowered and feel represented and seen and heard. That’s important for the future generation.”
With theaters back up and running, and Hollywood returning back to normal, it’s time to catch up on the must-see movies of the year so far.
Anthony Hopkins won an Oscar for his astounding portrayal of a man wrestling with dementia and a gradually decreasing hold on reality in “The Father.”
Here’s how it ranks against the rest of the best movies of 2021:
20. “The Water Man”: Hoping to help his ailing mom, young Gunner (Lonnie Chavis, with Amiah Miller) searches for a mythical figure in the forest said to hold a key to immortality in director David Oyelowo’s old-school family adventure with a 1980s sensibility.
19. “Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar”: Kristen Wiig (left) and Annie Mumolo are middle-aged BFFs who stumble onto a plot to take out a Florida vacation spot in a bizarro comedy featuring killer mosquitoes, a helpful water spirit and the very earwormy song “I Love Boobies.”
18. “Honeydew”: After getting stranded in the middle of nowhere, Riley (Malin Barr) wonders about their strange host’s home cooking while Sam (Sawyer Spielberg) chows down in a rural thriller that’s a gory mix of “Hansel & Gretel” and “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.”
17. “Zola”: Stefani (Riley Keough, left) involves her new friend Zola (Taylour Paige) in some seriously shady dealings in director Janicza Bravo’s bonkers but empowering comedic thriller based on A’Ziah King’s infamous Twitter thread.
16. “Plan B”: Strait-laced Sunny (Kuhoo Verma, left) and her rebel BFF Lupe (Victoria Moroles) are South Dakota high schoolers on an epic trip to find a morning-after pill in director Natalie Morales’ fun and heartfelt one-crazy-night caper.
15. “In the Heights”: Anthony Ramos plays a New York bodega owner who dreams of returning to the Dominican Republic in Jon M. Chu’s infectious movie musical version of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Broadway show.
14. “Raya and the Last Dragon”: Young warrior Raya (voiced by Kelly Marie Tran, left) teams up with legendary water dragon Sisu (Awkwafina) in an epic and sassy animated fantasy adventure for youngsters not yet ready for “Game of Thrones.”
13. “Come True”: The intriguingly freaky and clever sci-fi horror thriller centers a troubled teen (Julia Sarah Stone) who dreams of disturbing dreamscapes at night and enlists in a sleep-disorder study where the darkness of her subconscious arrives in reality.
12. “Quo Vadis, Aida?”: A UN translator (Jasna Đuričić) fights for her family’s safety while dealing with inept Dutch officials and ruthless Serbs rounding up Muslims in the excellent and harrowing Oscar-nominated Bosnian war drama.
11. “Night of the Kings”: A jailed pickpocket (Bakary Koné, center) is forced to become a storyteller in a prison run by its inmates in director Philippe Lacôte’s absorbing drama, which pays tribute to the oral tradition of the tale-spinning West African griots.
10. “The Mitchells vs. the Machines”: The Mitchell family – Katie (from left, voiced by Abbi Jacobson), Linda (Maya Rudolph), Rick (Danny McBride) and Aaron (director Mike Rianda) – team up with some screwed-up robots in the joyful animated comedy.
9. “Judas and the Black Messiah”: Daniel Kaluuya (center) plays influential Black Panther leader Fred Hampton in director Shaka King’s timely period drama, which functions as political thriller and historical vehicle.
8. “Cruella”: Emma Stone gamely plays Disney villainess Cruella De Vil as a young London designer in 1970s punk-rock London who tussles with a chic and ruthless fashion icon in an intriguing, colorful exploration of nature vs. nurture.
7. “Riders of Justice”: Mads Mikkelsen (far right) is a soldier who comes home to take care of his daughter (Andrea Heick Gadeberg) and exacts vengeance on the street gang responsible for his wife’s death in the brutal and heartwarming Danish action-comedy thriller.
6. “The Sparks Brothers”: Edgar Wright’s rock doc chronicles the five-decade career of Sparks, how the art-pop band was huge overseas but never in America, and what keeps brothers Russell (left) and Ron Mael passionate and still together today.
5. “The Vigil”: A Jewish New Yorker (Dave Davis) of lapsed faith takes an all-night job that turns into a battle for his soul thanks to the arrival of a demonic dybbuk in a chiller that scares up serious religious mythos and haunting historical connections.
4. “Together Together”: A 45-year-old bachelor (Ed Helms) unlucky in love but who badly wants children, hires a 20-something barista (Patti Harrison) to be his surrogate in Nikole Beckwith’s feel-good pregnancy dramedy.
3. “Summer of Soul”: Sly and the Family Stone perform at the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival in the splendid new documentary, directed by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson and featuring a slew of never-before-seen performances from the event.
2. “I Care a Lot”: Rosamund Pike plays a conniving conservator who bilks aging clients out of their money in the dark crime satire, a genre-exploding effort that’s awash in ethical quandaries and severely lacking in good guys.
1. “The Father”: Anthony Hopkins stars as an elderly London man with dementia trying to make sense of his constantly shifting reality in writer/director Florian Zeller’s immersive character study and exceptional drama.
21/21 SLIDES
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Andrew Koji breaks out in ‘Snake Eyes,’ eagerly awaits an invite to Brad Pitt’s house
