There is little doubt that taking on an important role like Saint Seiya is a huge responsibility for an actor and Mackenyu Arata has proven he is up to the challenge. The One Piece star shared the intense preparations he went through to portray Pegasus Seiya in Knights of the Zodiac.
Back in 2021, it was confirmed that Mackenyu Arata would take on the lead role in Knights of the Zodiac and the Pacific Rim: Uprising actor immediately began preparing to play Seiya in the live-action adaptation of Masami Kurumada's Saint Seiya manga. In a recent interview with Vogue Man Hongkong, Arata confirmed that he underwent intense training for his latest role (via Twitter).
"In Saint Seiya, there was a scene where I needed to take off my shirt. I had four months of intensive training before shooting and I really liked it," Arata shared.
This isn't a huge surprise considering that most actors do the same thing. However, Mackenyu added that he goes out of his way to physically resemble the character he will portray, working to achieve their body type.
"I like to physically appear as close as possible to the character I imagined when I read the script for the first time," he admitted.
Mackenyu further explained, "This is something I look forward to from the beginning and have been working hard for. It's a necessary process. It gave me confidence in the role."
It's certainly an impressive commitment to the roles he plays and Mackenyu has already proven his acting prowess. With that in mind, we can't wait to see Seiya in action when Knights of the Zodiac finally premieres next month.
Knights of the Zodiac will also star Madison Iseman as Sienna aka Athena, Sean Bean as Alman Kiddo, Diego Tinoco as Nero the Phoenix Knight, Caitlin Hutson as Marin the Eagle Knight, Famke Janssen as Guraad, Nick Stahl as Cassios, and Mark Dacascos as Mylock. The film will premiere in Japan on April 28, 2023, and in the US on May 12, 2023.
Related: One Piece: Mackenyu Shares Relatable Reaction to Live-Action Going Merry in Netflix Series
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