Saint Seiya Star Mackenyu Dishes on the Anime's Live-Action Film

If you haven't heard of Saint Seiya, don't worry – you will hear about it plenty in the coming months. After all, the hit anime is being given a live-action makeover in Hollywood with stars like Famke Janssen and Sean Bean set to star. As for its lead, Japanese actor Mackenyu has been tapped to play Seiya, and the actor is opening up about what it means to be fronting the Tomasz Baginski film.

In a recent interview aired in Japan, Mackenyu sat down to talk about Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac once its first trailer was released. The epic promo shows Mackenyu in action as Seiya as they take on impossible threats from the stars. It was there Mackenyu admitted they put in serious work to do as much action on film as possible, and he went on to say this live-action adaptation is a gift to him as an Asian-American actor.

"Not a lot of these opportunities for Asian-Americans, and it's an opportunity to show audiences that Asian-American talents exist and we can bring as much fun and excitement and talent to a lead role," he shared.

Of course, Mackenyu is no stranger to the issues that come with acting in Hollywood while being Asian-America. The star was born in California to Japanese parents and appeared in various TV programs as a child. As a teenager, Mackenyu decided to pursue acting professionally and did so in Japan where more roles were available for young actors. It was there he starred in big titles like Chihayafuru's live-action trilogy as well as Rurouni Kenshin Saishusho: The Final.

Now, the actor is gearing up to take on Hollywood following the industry's recent embrace of Asian-American talent. Movies like Crazy Rich Asians helped pave way for recent blockbusters such as Parasite and even Everything Everywhere All at Once. Fans will be able to catch Mackenyu as the lead in Saint Seiya this spring, and later, Netflix will bring the actor to the screen in its One Piece adaptation as Roronoa Zoro. 

Will you be watching Saint Seiya when it hits theaters this year? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.