New Beginnings

Brit Henry Golding on taking on the role of iconic GI Joe action hero Snake Eyes

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THERE ARE FEW BRANDS THAT ARE AS quintessentially American as GI Joe. Which is why it’s somewhat surprising to find a well-spoken, impeccably polite British-Asian actor headlining the latest movie in the series, Snake Eyes.

There’s nothing else like Snake Eyes on Henry Golding’s film CV. Normally the suave, good-hearted leading man in movies such as Crazy Rich Asians, A Simple Favour and Last Christmas, the action-heavy GI Joe franchise was a universe he definitely wanted to be a part of.

“I wanted to do something in this world,” he tells Red Alert. “I want to be involved in films that I would want to pay money to go and watch. I had a meeting with [director] Robert Schwentke, who pitched his idea on the take of GI Joe that we wanted and I was like, ‘This is the type of GI Joe film that I would want to make.’ There’s so much more of a human element to it.”