New Beginnings

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

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.”