Peacemaker star Nhut Le recently opened up about embracing his individuality and personality when he auditioned for the HBO Max series.
Le discussed reading for the Judomaster role during the “Diversity in Film, TV, Games, Comics: How YOU Can Help!” panel attended by CBR at WonderCon 2022. “For years growing up in Pennsylvania I was maybe one of five Asian kids in the school, so I learned to assimilate, y’know, just to be like everyone else and just blend in,” he said. “And in doing that I sort of [forgot] my individuality and my personality and who I am… and so with the audition [for] Peacemaker, it was just — it was sort of like my surrender. I’m like, y’know, ‘I could get this or not, I’m moving in a month’… so I was just myself and just did that character.”
Le also revealed that he considered quitting acting before being hired for The Suicide Squad spinoff, fearing that his career was never going to take off. Discussing his mindset at the time, the actor said, “I’m like, I’ve been at this for so long, sacrificing so many things and so, I was going to move and then like a week before I get offered Judomaster.”
The Peacemaker star added that seeing himself in Judomaster’s distinctive green costume was “bizarre”. Le further elaborated that the costume creation and fitting process was equally disconcerting, as it included coming face-to-face with a “life-size version of [himself] in all white and posed like an alien.” The ordeal additionally caused Le to re-evaluate his physical stature, too. “I was like, ‘I look a lot shorter than I thought,'” he said.
Peacemaker creator James Gunn recently explained why Judomaster’s suit is markedly different in the show from what the character wears in the comics. While the show put the character into a sleeveless green outfit, his comic counterpart wore a supersuit of yellow and red with a logo like the Japanese flag. Responding to a fan question about Judomaster’s revised threads, Gunn tweeted, “I thought a non-Japanese character in a costume based on the Japanese flag would be odd, to say the least (as it was to begin with).”
Gunn also revealed that he cut a major scene involving Judomaster from Peacemaker Season 1, Episode 7, “Stop Dragon My Heart Around.” The scene would have shown Judomaster piecing together the location of Emilia Harcourt and Leota Adebayo before confronting them later in the episode. However, Gunn said it was ultimately removed because it took viewers “too much out of the story.”
All eight episodes of Peacemaker Season 1 are currently streaming on HBO Max.
Source: WonderCon 2022