The Big Picture
- Maya Erskine's performance in PEN15 impressed the Blue Eye Samurai creators, who knew she could channel pain into anger and revenge.
- Masi Oka was a perfect fit for the role of Ringo, as the creators had him in mind from the early stages of writing.
- Kenneth Branagh joined the cast of Blue Eye Samurai after the creators called in a favor, and his professionalism and attention to detail elevated the series.
Netflix has rapidly become a home for animation with hits ranging from the long-gestating Nimona to game adaptations like Arcane and Cyberpunk Edgerunners. Coming soon to the catalog is a stylish and violent revenge story with Blue Eye Samurai which tells the tale of a disguised mixed-race blade master slitting throats in the name of her mother who was tragically killed years prior. Maya Erskine gives the swordswoman her voice, but she's far from the only big name attached as Kenneth Branagh plays Abijah Fowler, the man she's after, with Randall Park, Masi Oka, Brenda Song, George Takei, Stephanie Hsu, and many more are also aboard this Edo-period quest for vengeance.
During an interview with Collider's Nate Richard, series co-creators Michael Green and Amber Noizumi revealed how they managed to get so many talented names to say yes to Blue Eye Samurai. Chief among their pursuits was Erskine, who made an impression on both creatives thanks to her role in PEN15. Mentioning Park's performance as well, Noizumi gave some insight into just how early Erskine was considered for the role of Mizu. "As soon as we started writing, we were talking about who would potentially play the cast, and Maya Erskine immediately came to mind for Mizu. We had loved her work in PEN15. I mean, that's where, I think, most of the world was first exposed to her. The way she was able to portray the pain of being biracial as a young person, but she did it with such humor and ease, we knew that she could take that same sort of pain and channel it into anger and revenge."
Green concurred, adding "Yeah, she's such a gifted, skilled, and trained actor that there was just no doubt. We had one conversation with her, and we were done." He then shifted gears to Oka, who plays the overeager aspiring samurai with no hands Ringo. If there were no concerns about Erskine's performance, it was impossible to imagine anybody but Oka playing Ringo according to Green. The Heroes star was in their plans from the early stages of writing, but getting him to say yes was another thing entirely. Luckily, Green said the series was an easy sell to everyone they talked to:
"When we were writing, we used to play the game Who Else Could Be Ringo But Masi Oka? And the answer was always Masi Oka. So, very early on, is the answer to your question, we were talking about cast. It was an easy, fun thing to cast because I think everyone we asked to be in a role said yes, including guest cast. I think we had one person say no to us for schedule. People were kind of psyched about it, and we were really grateful."
How Did Kenneth Branagh Wind Up Playing 'Blue Eye Samurai's Villain?
One of the biggest cast members Richard was curious about was Branagh. The Oscar-winning Belfast filmmaker and actor seemed like a tough get for Green and Noizumi. Fortunately, the former has plenty of experience working with him. Green penned the script for all three of Branagh's Agatha Christie adaptations, working closely with him as he embodied the novelist's famous detective Hercule Poirot.
Green cites that connection as a vital one to filling out Blue Eye Samurai's cast. "Called in a favor," he said while laughing. "I've had the good fortune to work with him on the Agatha Christie Poirot adaptations and had a feeling this would be in his taste bucket. But [we] did it very officially and formally and went to his managers and said, 'Do you think he might be interested in doing something that is [laughs], by all accounts, beneath his time and efforts?' And he was a very quick yes and was just fantastic, fantastic in the role."
Branagh added extra professionalism to a series that was already packed with it according to the creators. Attesting to his abilities as a voice actor, Noizumi recalled how smooth his time in the booth as Abijah went. "Also, Kenneth is such a pro that it's one take," she added. "He goes through, he reads the lines, and we’re like, 'Are we done? Okay, I guess we're done.'" Green was especially taken with the care and attention to detail he brought as the ruthless Irishman, recalling "I think one of our funnier conversations is early on we said we think this character is of Irish descent, and he said, 'Where on the map in Ireland do you think he's from?' Then he sent us options from what towns, and of course, we're like, 'The Irish part?' He was, yes, a very skilled and deft performer."
Blue Eye Samurai premieres in its entirety on Netflix on November 3. Get a Collider-exclusive look at the series here and keep an eye out for our full interview with Green and Noizumi.
