Interview from CBR:
CBR: With Knights of the Zodiac, you have the benefit of a lot of source material in manga and anime. Did you look into any of that for research, or did you want to start fresh with your performances?
Famke Janssen: Lucky me, my character doesn't exist as a female. In the manga, Guraad is a man, so it was a new character [and] a new journey for me. I was not aware of the manga, anime, or even the series that existed in certain parts of the world that were very popular in the '80s and '90s. It was a new adventure that I embarked on, and I was very involved in the creation of Guraad on many different levels. I'm super grateful to be a part of it.
I love the sleeves you have in the movie. They're like power sleeves on your final outfit.
Janssen: Yeah, I co-designed them! [laughs] The sleeves were my addition to the costume, and I'm very proud of that.
Nick, this is your most physical performance, from cage matches to the bonkers finale. How was it exploring the more physical side of your performance as Cassios?
Nick Stahl: It was a challenge! I was sore a lot and worn out. They were long days. I came away with a newfound respect for what these stunt guys do on a daily basis and how they sacrifice their bodies. It was a really cool challenge for me, and I approached it in a way where, if I got the physicality of the character down and looked and felt confident in these fight scenes, the rest of it would just fall into place.
Diego, whenever Nero is on-screen, it's all eyes on him. How was it playing this ultimate badass in the movie?
Diego Tinoco: I've got to give credit to the writers and the original creator of Knights of the Zodiac, of course. I think they built and created a very captivating character. That's mostly due to his past. He has a very traumatic past. When you watch the original anime, he watches the love of his life get murdered, and his little brother Shun [is] stolen away from him.
Famke, I love your scenes with Sean Bean and Madison Iseman because it's when we see Guraad at her most emotional. For much of the film, she carries herself so stoically, but she drops the facade when she's around her family.
Janssen: It was very important. Working with Tomek [Bagiński], he tried to rein me in and pull back on the emotion. I kept saying to him, from the beginning, when I got on board, we started going over the scenes. I said, "We need emotions. We need to understand who this character is and to go on a journey with her." I had to push to get to it because his inclination was to pull back and not make it emotional. It's fun to get in an action movie, where you get these moments that are unexpected.
