• Food
  • Family
  • Beauty & Health
  • Style
  • Great Women
  • Events/Win
  • Best Beauty Buys 2023
  • Food
    • Eating Out
    • Cooking Tips
    • Festive Food
    • Asian Recipes
    • Food
    • Celebrity Recipes
    • Dessert Recipes
    • Healthy Recipes
    • Quick & Easy Recipes
    • Western Recipes
  • Family
    • Family
    • Save Money
    • Parenting
    • Sex & Marriage
    • Travel
  • Beauty & Health
    • Beauty & Health
    • Skincare
    • Makeup
    • Hair
    • Awards
    • Diet & Nutrition
    • Fitness
    • Wellness
  • Style
  • Great Women
    • Career
    • Great Women of Our Time
    • Real Life
  • Entertainment
  • EVENTS/WIN
  • Subscribe
Privacy Menu
SPH Media

Copyright © 2023 SPH Media Limited. Co. Regn. No. 202120748H. All rights reserved.

  • Food
  • Family
  • Beauty & Health
  • Style
  • Great Women
  • Events/Win

Entertainment

John Cho Jokes About Losing “49kg” For Netflix’s Cowboy Bebop Adaptation

Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors
Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors
Entertainment

John Cho Jokes About Losing “49kg” For Netflix’s Cowboy Bebop Adaptation

Netflix has tapped into another intellectual property with their new live-action adaption of the anime ‘Cowboy Bebop’

December 1, 2021

Netflix

The worlds of pop culture and geek culture have mostly been separate for the longest time but that’s changing as Hollywood is tapping on the latter’s rich mine of intellectual properties.

Take Netflix for example — they have boldly tackled the live-action adaptation of The Witcher and now, Cowboy Bebop is upon us.

READ NEXT

The Sexiest Male Korean Celebs Who Speak Perfect English (With Video Proof!)

Here’s How Sandara Park Looks 10 Years Younger Than She Is At 37

Jamie Yeo Is Moving Her Family To England So Her Kids Can Be More Independent

https://www.womensweekly.com.sg/gallery/entertainment/john-cho-jokes-losing-49kg-netflix-cowboy-bebop/
John Cho Jokes About Losing "49kg" For Netflix's Cowboy Bebop Adaptation
This film is based on the 1998 anime series
custom

Cowboy Bebop is an action-packed space Western about three bounty hunters (or ‘cowboys’) known as Spike Spiegel (John Cho), Jet Black (Mustafa Shakir) and Faye Valentine (Daniella Pineda). They form a scrappy, snarky crew ready to hunt down the solar system’s most dangerous criminals for the right price.

It’s considered by anime fans to be one of the best series ever and expectations are undoubtedly high for this one.

If you’re thinking about watching it (whether you’re into anime or just a casual Netflix viewer), here are some things to know about this series.

Cho had to achieve a "functional-looking physique" for the role
image

Just Google the lead character Spike Spiegel and you can already see that the anime character is tall, lean and very athletic.

The anime series also shows Spike working out topless, but unlike topless scenes in live-action productions, those in the anime aren’t generally meant to titillate.

During a virtual roundtable with regional media last Thursday (Nov 11), when asked about his fitness preparation for the role, John joked that he had to shed “110 pounds” (49kg) for it.

Netflix
Cho gave his opinion on today's expectations of the male physique
image

The 49-year-old added, “It wasn’t like a superhero part… I felt that I had to have a functional-looking physique. He was lean, he wasn’t beefed up.”

As for Hollywood’s expectations on the male physique, be it a superhero or otherwise, John said, “Certainly the Hollywood expectations for the male physique have really changed. People like Paul Newman would be considered wimpy-looking in today’s terms.

“I don’t know what to say about it except it must be sort of the comic book expectations of the men in our culture now. I don’t know, I’m just trying to do my kicks as Spike.”

Netflix
A faithful adaptation of the anime
image

An adaptation that is rather niche is always a point of contention but fans of the anime series will be pleased to know that the live-action adaptation sticks pretty close to the source material narratively, stylistically and aesthetically.

Though there are slight deviations, it was very clear that the anime series was a huge influence. From the opening sequence and theme, down to the locations and the characters’ mannerisms and outfits, it’s not hard to see where the similarities are.

In response to a separate question about the joys of filming the series, John said: “The joy for me was just walking onto sets that were so fully imagined and to see something come to life is really magical, you know, and to be able to play in a world that’s so fun and rich and interesting.”

Spike’s suit obviously makes a return as well and John shared: “The suit is obviously iconic and we added a lot of flourishes and easter eggs in the suit itself. And just to know that that kind of care was taken over your wardrobe, it feels very authentic and very individual. It’s imbued with meaning. It isn’t just a suit, you know?”

Netflix
No skanky clothes for Faye
image

As progressive as the anime was for its time — it included a man, Gren, who grew breasts due to experimental drugs — it also had its failings and one of them was the skanky outfit that Faye wore.

Unfortunately, the anime was also created way before there was a larger discussion about sexism and the start of ‘woke’ culture.

Conversely, the live-action version of Faye sports an outfit that still pays homage to the original.

Netflix
Thought went into honouring the original look, but making it better suited to today
image

The anime version of Faye wore a cropped top that shapes her busty bosom and a plunging neckline that shows it off. She also wore a pair of low-waisted tight yellow shorts that were unbuttoned (for some reason) and only held in place with a pair of suspenders.

Thankfully, American actress Daniella Pineda had “a lot of creative say in [her] outfit”. While the 34-year-old didn’t mention that the original costume was too risque, we are prepared to bet that was at the back of her mind too.

She said: “We tried with the original but in the original outfit — which is so lovely — it’s hard to hide stunt pads and gel pads and back plates and things you’re wearing when you’re falling and kicking and doing stunts.

“And so, [with] Jane Holland (designer and head of wardrobe), we worked a lot together just to figure out how does this Faye Valentine function in the real world with a real human being?”

Netflix
However slick action sequences lack punch
custom

If you’ve caught some episodes of the Cowboy Bebop anime, its action sequences are a joy to watch. Set to jazzy background music, Spike skillfully trades blows with his target while performing athletic and acrobatic feats.

However, something seems lost in translation for the adaptation and though John beautifully recreates Spike’s familiar moves, the action just looks slick with not much going for it. It lacks ‘oomph’ and some of the movements feel strangely sluggish (at times) or superfluous.

That’s not to say that they didn’t train hard for it as Daniella cited the boot camp training as one of the biggest challenges while John tore his ACL during a stunt that resulted in surgery.

 

Some scenes just didn't stick
custom

Case in point, the shot of Spike running during the opening credits of the live-action doesn’t look as cool as that in the anime

But if you’re not one to waste sleep over the minute details and are just there to have a good time, it won’t be much of an issue.

Cowboy Bebop premieres on Netflix on Nov 19.

Correction: An earlier version of this article quoted John lost 49kg for the role. He has clarified he exaggerated it as a joke.

Text: Bryan Lim/AsiaOne

Read Next

Munah Bagharib And Her Brother On Living With Their Mum, Who Has Dementia

10 Netflix Hacks Every Busy Woman Needs To Know About

10 Things You Must Know About Netflix's New Star Jessica Henwick

  • TAGS:
  • cowboy bebop
  • John Cho
  • Netflix
SHARE THIS ON

What’s Hot

Entertainment

Rui En: "I Have Managed To Have A Full L...

Entertainment

5 Revenge K-Dramas With Gripping Plots &...

Entertainment

Here's What Singapore's Famous "Nepo Bab...

Entertainment

Star Awards 2023: Best Dressed Celebs In...

Entertainment

Vacays In Japan & Australia: What Lo...

Entertainment

9 New Korean Reality Shows To Get Excite...

Entertainment

Highlights From The Star Awards 2023: Th...

Entertainment

8 Handsome K-drama Actors Getting Us Dre...

Entertainment

Pre-Wedding Shoots & Easter Egg Hunts: W...

Entertainment

From Getting Fit To Travelling With Best...

Entertainment

10 Facts To Know About Singaporean Actre...

Entertainment

10 Things You Didn't Know About Singapor...

Don’t Miss These
  • Skincare 7 Women On The Products That Really Soothed Their Sensiti...
  • Beauty & Health Mid-Year Recharge: Great Ways To Rest And Revitalise Your...
  • Family From A Cruise To Phuket To A Deluxe Skincare Set: Six Ste...
  • Skincare No More Razor Burn And Ingrowns: An Easier Way To Remove ...
  • Food Skip Food Planning And Cooking: Get Tasty, Healthy Dishes...
Editor’s Picks
  • Entertainment Rui En: "I Have Managed To Have A Full Life Without A Husband"
  • Entertainment 5 Revenge K-Dramas With Gripping Plots & Satisfying Endings
  • Entertainment Here's What Singapore's Famous "Nepo Babies" Are Up To
  • Entertainment Star Awards 2023: Best Dressed Celebs Including Jeanette Aw, Chantalle Ng & More
  • Entertainment Vacays In Japan & Australia: What Local Celebs Did This Week
  • Entertainment 9 New Korean Reality Shows To Get Excited About In 2023
Don't Miss Out Ever Again!
Tips & tricks to stay sane + win invites to our events!

By signing up, you indicate that you have read and agreed with our Privacy Statement
Footer Menu
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Conditions of Access
  • PDPA
  • Privacy Policy
?>">
SPH Magazine

Copyright © 2023 SPH Media Limited. Co. Regn. No. 202120748H. All rights reserved.