An Action-Packed, Historically Important, Cautionary Tale; Star Andrew Koji Talks Up Season 2 of WARRIOR

By BILL HARRIS Special to The Lede HBO’s WARRIOR tends to surprise viewers, and lead actor Andrew Koji admitted it has surprised him, too. “When I first read it, I didn’t think it would be as classy, in a way, or as refined, or nuanced – in all honesty, I thought it might be kind of a trashy martial arts show,” said Koji, whose series returns for Season 2, Friday at 10 p.m. ET on Crave. “I definitely didn’t think it was a classy crime drama at first. It was a pleasant surprise, for sure.” The gritty, action-packed WARRIOR is based on an original concept and treatment by legendary martial arts movie star Bruce Lee (whose daughter, Shannon Lee, is one of the executive producers). The series follows Koji’s character Ah Sahm, a martial arts prodigy who embarks upon a personal quest to find his missing sister, but becomes entangled in the brutal Tong Wars of San Francisco’s Chinatown in the late 1800s. Season 2 sees the Hop Wei and the Long Zii, rival Chinatown Tongs, fighting for dominance against the backdrop of an ominous surge in anti-Chinese racism. “In between Seasons 1 and 2, we had a lot of feedback from the audience,” Koji said. “When I was in Vancouver, filming another thing, people would come up to me and say that this is the story of their ancestors. These are people who are in this country now, because of them. It felt like it was shining a light on a period of time that is mostly not spoken of. I think a lot of people don’t even know about the Chinese Exclusion Act. The show is based on real things that happened at the time. It might not get GAME OF THRONES-style numbers, but it is important.” Koji’s Ah Sahm carries a lot of anger, making it an interesting character study given modern attitudes toward coping mechanisms and mental health. In some ways, Ah Sahm could be seen as a cautionary tale about being consumed by your past. “Wow, you’re a deep thinker, that’s really good,” Koji said. “In terms of any similarity that I felt like I shared with Bruce Lee, it was this feeling that he was a deeply sensitive guy, and I guess when you’re that brilliant, like he was, you’re also probably quite troubled. I think growing up, I had a lot of rage that I dealt with very unhealthily. I was very much going off the rails before WARRIOR. So that’s the one thing I kind of noted when I saw Bruce Lee’s performances, and his fight scenes and stuff. There’s rage there. There’s real expression. You can take away the exterior form of the martial arts, but beneath that, there’s him really feeling something.” That’s what made Bruce Lee’s films so popular, according to Koji, who is trying to infuse WARRIOR with that same emotional energy. “I think certain characters come into your life for a reason, maybe to help you express something,” Koji said. “This guy, when he fights, he’s angry. I’ve spoken to a lot of MMA fighters and people who fight professionally. And it’s very interesting, kind of analyzing them, I noticed they’re all doing the same thing, Yes, they’re fighting in the ring professionally, but a lot of them are just fighting their dads, you know? A lot of them are fighting their bullies that hurt them when they were young. And they’re projecting that, and carrying that on to this life, and then they either fall in love with it or they let it consume them. I know people who have fallen down. So yeah, I think you’re right, the cautionary tale, for certain. Did I answer your question? I kind of just agreed with you, really.” Everyone can agree on this: the fight continues – physically and psychologically – in WARRIOR. billharristv@gmail.com @billharris_tv