Andrew Koji was "hesitant" about playing the role of Storm Shadow in 'Snake Eyes' because he is not a fan of the previous G.I. Joe' movies.
Snake Eyes cast and crew
The 33-year-old actor revealed that he had reservations about playing the ninja bodyguard in the 'G. I Joe' prequel due to his lack of interest in the previous two blockbusters inspired by the toy franchise of the same name.
Andrew said: "I thought about playing that character (Storm Shadow) because I didn't like the first two films. I can say that. I'm allowed not to 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."
Koji explained how his role as Ah Sahm in 'Warrior' helped him prepare for appearing in the upcoming blockbuster alongside Henry Golding and taught him that he wanted to play a "human" character.
He told Collider: "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 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 want to do.'"
Andrew – who is half-Japanese and half-English – revealed that he wanted his depiction of Storm Shadow to retain cultural authenticity.
He explained: "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."