Andrew Koji
Andrew Julian Hiroaki Koji (born 1987) is an English actor, martial artist and stuntman of mixed English and Japanese heritage.
Andrew Koji | |
|---|---|
| Born | Andrew Julian Hiroaki Koji 1987 (age 32–33) |
| Nationality | English |
| Occupation | Actor, martial artist, stuntman |
| Height | 180.34 cm (5 ft 11.00 in) |
| Awards | Best Actor Award on Asian on Film Festival for his acting in Above the Waist (2013) |
Life and career
Born in 1987, Koji grew up in Epsom, Surrey.[1] He is one part English and one part Japanese and due to his mixed heritage Koji identifies as belonging to mixed ethnicity.
Koji started in the industry doing extra work and making short films as a teenager. At 18 he moved to Thailand while still training in martial arts and did some small jobs there where they were making a lot of films.[2] Then he moved to Japan seeking work, where he was able to find work working both in front and behind the camera for a while before returning to England to train at the Actors' Temple Studio in London.[3] Over time he started getting more jobs in theatre and TV, where Koji was quoted as saying, "In the UK my dual heritage has not particularly been advantageous. Opportunities for East Asian actors at the time was and still is quite limited although things are changing."[2]
With dreams of becoming an actor, Andrew Koji dropped out of college at the age of 19 to solely focus on his acting, and he began doing more towards his martial arts career. Into his 20s, Koji studied and competed in taekwondo and trained in Shaolin kung fu at the Shaolin Temple UK.[1] While he writes and produces his own films, Koji also worked as a stunt double; most notably on Fast & Furious 6.[1] In the past Andrew Koji also performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company, at the Regents Park Open Theatre, Hampstead Theatre, Royal Court, Charing Cross, and Ovalhouse among others.[4]
Despite relative success, Koji felt discouraged due to the lack of high-profile roles he had received, but this changed when he auditioned and secured the main role of Ah Sahm on the cinemax series, Warrior.[5] Luckily, although Andrew Koji was again discouraged to take on the role, "I didn't think I was right for it and all those things." but was encouraged by his mother, who told him, "Oh you should just try it. It sounds fun. Let's have fun and we'll do a self-tape.".[6] To which he was able to film his audition tape, which they (he and his mom) filmed in his garage, balancing makeshift lights and a camera on a ladder to film it, and the rest is history.[6]
In October 2017, it was announced Koji would be playing the lead character Ah Sahm in the Cinemax show Warrior.[7] Based on an original idea by Bruce Lee and produced by filmmaker Justin Lin, the series is centered around a martial arts prodigy in the late 1870s who emigrates from China to America in search of his sister, only to be drawn into the Tong Wars of San Francisco.[8] In a nod to Lee's ethnic background, Ah Sahm is of partial European ancestry from his white American grandfather, which Koji found relatable due to his own mixed ancestry.[9] In April 2019 the show was renewed for a second season.[10]
In August 2019, Koji was cast as Storm Shadow for the upcoming Snake-Eyes movie.[11]
Skills
According to his acting profile on the Eamonn Bedford Agency website, Koji's skills include: Acrobatics, Computer Literate, filmmaker, improvisation, Military training/ experience and he is able to speak in the following accents and dialects: American-New York, American-Southern states, American-Standard, Cockney, Irish-Southern, Japanese, London, RP, Scottish-standard, and South African. As for sports he is skilled in, they include: boxing, climbing, gymnastics, karate, kick boxing, kung fu, martial arts, stage combat, sword fighting, tae kwon do, and he is also able to do ADR (Additional Dialogue recording) and voice overs.[12]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Project One | Soldier | Short film |
| 2007 | FB: Fighting Beat | Kali | |
| 2009 | 20th Century Boys 2: The Last Hope | Thai Gangster | |
| 2011 | The Missing Day | Huan | |
| 2011 | Mercutio's Dreaming: The Killing of a Chinese Actor | Lawrence Yang | Short film |
| 2011 | Gorjilla (Gojira) Suit | Yoshi | Short film |
| 2013 | Fast & Furious 6 | Undercover Police, stunt double for Sung Kang | Extra Role (Uncredited) |
| 2013 | Scrutiny | Stefan Aire | |
| 2013 | Above the Waist | Ken | Short film; Writer and Producer; Won Best Actor Award, Asian on Film Festival |
| 2013 | A Situation | Yuji | |
| 2014 | Way of the Warrior | Goro | Short film |
| 2014 | Hollow | Swordman | Short film |
| 2014 | Chameleon | Guard Kuro | Short film |
| 2015 | Backwater | Justin Lau | Short film |
| 2015 | Luck | Rai | |
| 2015 | Deep Pan Fury | Katashi Kimoto | |
| 2016 | Hall of Mirrors | Basil | Short film; Writer and Producer |
| 2017 | Trendy | Estate Agent 1 | |
| 2019 | Sandwich | Michael | Short film |
| 2021 | Snake Eyes | Storm Shadow |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Narrow Escapes | WW2 Soldier | |
| 2012 | Seconds from Disaster | ATC Officer-JAL 123 | |
| 2013 | The Wrong Mans | Jason | |
| 2014 | Film Lab Presents | Sam | |
| 2015 | Aquited | Chen Liang | |
| 2010-15 | Casualty | Keong Murong / Haro Reid | |
| 2016 | Call the Midwife | Benny Su | |
| 2017 | Jade Dragon | Mikey | |
| 2017 | Finding Akira | James | |
| 2018 | The Innocents | Andrew | |
| 2019 | American Gods | CEO | |
| 2019 | Warrior | Ah Sahm | |
| 2019 | Peaky Blinders | Brilliant Chang | |
Theatre[12]
| Year | Title | Role | Production Company |
|---|---|---|---|
| Star Wars Stage Show | Jedi | Weird and Wonderful | |
| Richard III | Richard | The Actors Temple | |
| A Streetcar Named Desire | Stanley Kowalski | The Actors Temple | |
| 2013 | The Fu Manchu Complex | Dr. Petrie | Moongate Productions/ Mark Cartwright Productions |
| 2013 | The Arrest of Ai Weiwei | Policeman/ Soldier | Hampstead Theatre |
| The Forgotten of the Forgotten | Guo | Radar Festival | |
| Hidden | Jason/ Various other roles | Royal Court Theatre | |
| 2016 | In the Bar of a Tokyo Hotel | The Barman | Charing Cross Theatre |
| 2016 | Shangri-La | Karma | Yellow Earth |
| 2017 | Snow in Midsummer | Fang | RSC |
| 2017 | A Tale of Two Cities | Jacques | Regents Park Open Air Theatre |
References
- "Andrew Koji". Martial Arts & Action Entertainment. 2019-03-02. Retrieved 2019-08-05.
- "Andrew Koji Talks Cinemax's New Martial Arts Series WARRIOR". ScreenAnarchy. 2019-04-02. Retrieved 2019-10-28.
- Tau, Timothy (2019-04-02). "Andrew Koji Talks Cinemax's New Martial Arts Series WARRIOR". ScreenAnarchy. Retrieved 2019-04-27.
- "Andrew Koji Biography". IMDb. Retrieved October 28, 2019.
- "Andrew Koji Wiki, Parents, Height, Wife, Movies and TV Shows – Stars Offline". Retrieved 2019-10-28.
- "Warrior Star Andrew Koji on Nearly Giving Up on Acting, Larger Than Life Fight Scenes, and More". TV Shows. Retrieved 2019-10-28.
- Andreeva, Nellie (2017-10-11). "'Warrior': Cinemax Sets Cast & Director For Bruce Lee-Inspired Martial Arts Series". Deadline. Retrieved 2019-04-27.
- Hale, Mike (2019-04-02). "Review: 'Warrior,' Pitched by Bruce Lee and Made by Cinemax". New York Times. Retrieved 2019-08-05.
- Bundy, Andrew (2019-04-03). "'Warrior' Star Andrew Koji Discusses Shooting Fight Scenes For A TV Series & His Multi-Ethnic Connection To Bruce Lee [Interview]". The Playlist. Retrieved 2019-08-05.
- Andreeva, Nellie (2019-04-24). "'Warrior' Renewed For Season 2 By Cinemax". Deadline. Retrieved 2019-04-27.
- Gonzalez, Umberto (August 23, 2019). "'Snake Eyes': Andrew Koji to Play Storm Shadow in 'GI Joe' Movie Spinoff (Exclusive)". The Wrap. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
- "Andrew Koji » Eamonn Bedford Agency". Retrieved 2019-10-28.
External links
- Andrew Koji on IMDb