Henry Golding has shared details about his intensely physical work on the upcoming GI Joe reboot, describing the first week of shooting as “literal hell”.
The Malaysian-British Crazy Rich Asians star is set to portray the lead ninja commando in Snake Eyes, adapted from the famous US toy and film franchise.
The film, which is an origin story, finished filming just before the first coronavirus lockdown, although the pandemic has pushed the film’s release back to 2021.
In an interview with NME, Golding said: “To be honest, it was painful. It’s definitely much more of a martial arts film than a superhero movie. It’s very, very physical.
“I f***ing hated it in the beginning because I couldn’t even squat down and go to the bathroom. The first week was literal hell. I think I cried on the phone to my manager. I was like: ‘I don’t know what I’m doing!'”
The role reportedly involved extensive amounts of script work, stunt choreography and personal fitness training.
However, despite his initial misgivings, Golding speculated that the film could kick-start its own “brand-new” franchise.
“Snake Eyes has just blown me away,” he said. “They’ve recreated GI Joe into something very cool and a far throw from what we’ve seen thus far on the big screen.
“I think there’s room for many spin-offs, to be honest. This, I think, will be the launch of a brand-new franchise.”
