Without exaggeration, Cowboy Bebop is often considered one of the greatest and most beloved anime series of all time, and Netflix’s live-action retelling of the futuristic, sci-fi, neo-noir series is here to give fans, both old and new, a brand new spin on the iconic title.
Part of this new spin on the anime classic includes a talented cast that is racially diverse and gender-inclusive. As a matter of fact, before the show even began production, it made headlines for casting nonbinary actor and 2021 Out100 honoree Mason Alexander Park in the role of Gren, a character who was reimagined as nonbinary for the live-action Netflix series. And just recently, it was also revealed that fan-favorite character Radical Ed would be played by another nonbinary actor — newcomer Eden Perkins!
Out got the chance to speak to Cowboy Bebop‘s stars — including John Cho, Daniella Pineda, and Mustafa Shakir — to chat about what new things they brought to the live-action adaptation, their entryway anime favorites, and more!
“What I liked about it was probably how natural it felt to me,” John Cho, who plays the iconic Spike Spiegel in the series, told Out when asked Cowboy Bebop‘s diverse, inclusive vision of the future. “I looked around and I go, ‘Oh, this is, this is my reality,’ you know? I think sometimes that the more ‘traditional’ vision of race that’s been the history of Hollywood to me, in reality, I look back at it and that is the fiction. That was created, and this felt very natural and real to me. I like this vision of the future because there is no west, east when we’re talking about the solar system, you know what I’m saying? So it felt logical and it felt natural.”
