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Iko Uwais: I'm more comfortable being called a fighter
In an interview, Iko Uwais shares the challenges and experiences he faced in making Netflix series Wu Assassins.
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Indonesian action star Iko Uwais poses for a photo in Jakarta on Aug. 1. (JP/Wienda Parwitasari)
Indonesian martial arts star Iko Uwais shows off impressive fighting chops in his latest feat, the Netflix series Wu Assassins.
Created by John Wirth and Tony Krantz, the series premiered on Aug. 8 and has been garnering praise for its fighting scenes.
Iko stars as Kai Jin, a Chinese-Indonesian chef in San Francisco’s Chinatown who is suddenly tasked to kill the five Wu Warlords, or the five people who possess five supernatural powers based on fire, water, earth, metal and wood. Along with Iko, the series also stars Byron Mann, Lewis Tan, Lawrence Kao, Celia Au, and Katheryn Winnick.
Iko made his name as an action star in 2009 with Indonesian films Merantau, The Raid, Headshot and further rose to prominence with high-profile Hollywood movies Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Mile 22 and Stuber. He founded fighting choreography collective Uwais Team in 2014 and has become the go-to fight choreographer in the country, as shown in this year’s films Hit and Run and Foxtrot Six.
Speaking at a Netflix event in Jakarta in early August, Iko said he absolutely enjoyed the experience of making Wu Assassins. “It was an honor to be in the Netflix family and to explore what I wanted in the series,” he said.
At first, Iko was signed to be the action choreographer in the series. But a visit to the Mile 22 set inspired Wirth to make Iko the lead actor as well as an executive producer in Wu Assassins.
