John Cho Says He Took His 'Cowboy Bebop' Role 'Deadly Seriously,' Tore His ACL on Set

If you were curious as to just how seriously John Cho took his role as Spike Spiegel in Netflix's live-action adaptation of the beloved anime Cowboy Bebop, it seems we have our answer -- “deadly serious." Yep, in a new interview with Vulture, Cho detailed how he put his blood, sweat, and tears – literally – into the production, a dedication that ultimately culminated in both an ultra-hyped series and a “freak” injury resulting in a torn ACL, an occurrence he says his streaming overlord “originally didn’t want to publicize.”

“We had been shooting all night, and I was doing kind of an athletic move as the sun was coming up,” he recalled of the incident, one he describes as “real wonky." “It was probably a lack of sleep. Just a little move and . So that was a low moment.” After arriving to an ER full of injured Friday night party animals at 5:30 a.m. on a Saturday morning, which Cho says was “ironically a sobering experience,” the healing process – complete with surgery and physical therapy –  began. 

“I’m at home doing these knee exercises, and coming off the drugs, I was thinking about Cowboy Bebop,” he told the publication. “Doing those knee exercises, I was like, I gotta put my focus into this. So I think that’s also fueling my fear," he continued with a laugh. "This interview is all about me freaking out. But the amount of thought and worry and effort and number of days I’ve logged thinking about Spike is now equaling the fear I have about the reaction.”

So, here's to hoping the public reception of Cowboy Bebop is better than that of Netflix's Death Note – for the sake of John Cho's ACL. 

Top Image: Shutterstock

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