

I’m happy it came off.”Īs to the pressure of meeting the expectations of that devoted fandom, Cho eventually did wade into some of the online fan forums. “Moving around is complicated and having that be very early in our shooting schedule was quite a challenge. “And that was an extremely technically difficult sequence, and a really difficult skill to learn. “I was much more concerned with getting the moves right because I couldn’t hide behind a stuntman in that one,” Cho said of the scene. When the image of the 49-year-old Cho with his washboard abs was released in the weeks before the premiere, the Star Trek, Searching and Harold and Kumar actor became the object of a desiring gaze. His moves are swift and balletic – and he also happens to be shirtless, filmed in soft light with his hair swishing around. Specifically, there is an early scene in the first episode, recreated from the anime, in which Cho as Spike is training with a wooden dummy. “I got into shape and worked on it, but then it was studying Spike’s physicality.” “The first worry was competency with the martial arts and being believable there,” he told. He had other expectations he wanted to meet. So that anticipation isn’t only excitement, there’s also a decent dose of apprehension too.Īmerican actor John Cho, who plays the lead role of interplanetary bounty hunter Spike Spiegel in the Netflix series, said he was “too ignorant” to feel the pressure of the fandom at first.

So, it’s not an exaggeration to say that a live-action remake of the anime has been long-anticipated, especially after previous adaptation attempts were aborted.Įven this production had its share of drama after an on-set injury led to a months-long production break which was then extended by covid shutdowns. In the two decades since Western audiences discovered Cowboy Bebop, it has become a revered institution as the gateway drug for anime.
