Snake Eyes: Who Plays Storm Shadow (And Where You’ve Seen Him Before

Paramount’s Snake Eyes offers a fresh take on longtime G.I. Joe antihero/villain Storm Shadow; here’s who plays him and where you’ve seen the actor before. The G.I. Joe franchise has had a long and interesting history; the multimedia franchise of action figures and toys, comic books, and animated TV series has thrived, but the big-screen portion of it has repeatedly failed to gain traction. While getting mixed reviews, Snake Eyes is the best attempt so far, largely because it wisely eschewed the larger G.I. Joe mythology to focus on the relationship between Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow.

Storm Shadow has long been an integral figure in the G.I. Joe universe, with the elite ninja’s loyalties often shifting between G.I. Joe, Cobra, and, reluctantly, to Snake Eyes, with whom he’d made a blood pact. No matter what, every iteration of Storm Shadow has had a rivalry with Snake Eyes, his blood brother-turned-enemy. While Tommy Arashikage, a.k.a. Storm Shadow’s backstory has been changed somewhat in the new movie, the setup for that falling-out is intact. In fact, throughout the movie, Tommy is arguably far more interesting than Snake Eyes (Henry Golding), with recurring criticism from critics and audiences alike pointing out the movie should have been Storm Shadow’s origin story and not Snake Eyes.

Tommy being the more compelling of the two is thanks to actor Andrew Koji, who brings some serious and legitimate martial arts cred to the role of the Arashikage Clan’s destined heir and master swordsman. Koji comes by his martial arts skills in Snake Eyes‘ fight scenes honestly: The British-born actor grew up as a Tae Kwon Do fighter, as well as practicing Shaolin Kung Fu, and he continued using his martial arts skills not just as an actor, but also as a stunt man. It led to his biggest breakout role to date playing Ah Sahm in Warrior, the Cinemax Max martial arts drama series based on an original idea by Bruce Lee. With Warrior, Koji has established something of a cult fan base. While that was his not notable role before Snake Eyes, however, it’s certainly not the only one audiences may recognize him from, especially fans of martial arts and action movies.

Koji’s first film was in the Thai martial arts movie FB: Fighting Beat in 2007, later switching gears to appear in 2011 horror movie The Missing Day. Eagle-eyed viewers can also spot Koji in Fast & Furious 6 playing a Hong Kong police officer while also standing in as Sung Kang’s stunt double for that movie. Koji has also had recurring guest spots on TV series The Wrong Mans, Casualty, Jade Dragon and The Innocents, but in 2017, he grew frustrated with the lack of TV roles for Asian leads and thought about quitting before his agent and mother convinced him to try one last time for the role of Ah Sahm. It proved to be the breakout role he needed. Since landing Warrior‘s lead role, he’s had guest roles on higher-profile TV shows like American Gods and Peaky Blinders, where he played Brilliant Chang. Koji will also return for Warrior season 3, which moves to HBO Max.

Koji isn’t just a one-note fighter, however. After working in Thailand, he also worked in the Japanese film industry before moving back to London, where he expanded his career onto the stage, performing with such notable theater companies as the Royal Shakespeare Company and at well-known theaters such as the Regents Park Open Theatre, Hampstead Theatre, Royal Court, Charing Cross, and Ovalhouse. That theater background comes to the forefront in Snake Eyes, where he brings gravitas and magnetism to the role; hopefully, the theoretical Snake Eyes 2 G.I. Joe sequel will give him more room to flex his acting and martial arts muscles. Koji will next be seen in David Leitch’s highly-anticipated adaptation of Kôtarô Isaka’s novel Bullet Train, starring alongside an A-list ensemble cast that includes, among others, Brad Pitt, Michael Shannon, Sandra Bullock, and Hiroyuki Sanada.

About The Author