Earlier this year, Netflix’s live-action take on Avatar: The Last Airbender revealed its full cast list, putting to bed speculation as to which actors would be playing which characters. While the adaptation has yet to reveal its release date, leaving fans to wonder when this new take on Aang and company will arrive on the streaming service, the actor that will be portraying King Bumi has revealed the process for becoming the earth bender and why fans should be confident in his take.
Fans of the Avatar franchise know how important Bumi is to the series, with the earth bender shocking Aang and his friends by revealing that he was still shredded despite his old age. Harboring some serious power, the casting of Bumi for the live-action series shocked many as Ambudkar is far from looking like an elderly man, but the actor made sure to re-assure bending fans as he recently stated in an interview with Comic Book Resources that the make-up process was quite intense. Ambudkar stated just how long he was in the make-up chair, while also revealing that fans would be happy with what they ultimately get:
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“It was like six hours in a chair transforming into King Bumi and I think people are really gonna be pleased when they see the series.”
Bumi was one of the only characters that was able to be a part of Aang’s life both before and after the Avatar had found himself encased in a block of ice, and would remain a staunch ally to the protagonist. The earth bender had such an impact on Aang, especially with his joining to the White Lotus to lend a major assist during the first series finale, that the Avatar would end up naming one of his children after Bumi who fans would meet in The Legend of Korra. Much like his namesake, Aang’s son had more than a few personality traits that were in line with the earth bender from the past.
Do you think Utkarsh will manage to pull off the 112-year-old Bumi? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of bending.