ComingSoon Editor-in-Chief Tyler Treese spoke to Ultraman: Rising stars Christopher Sean, Gedde Watanabe, and Tamlyn Tomita about their roles in the upcoming Netflix movie. The coming-of-age superhero film will be available to stream on Friday, June 14.
“When baseball superstar Ken Sato returns home to Japan to pick up the mantle of Earth-defending superhero Ultraman, he quickly finds more than he bargained for as he’s forced to raise the offspring of his greatest foe,” reads the movie’s official synopsis.
Tyler Treese: Christopher, the titular character in Ultraman: Rising is going under a lot of stress. He’s living this double life, saving the world. He is playing baseball. We see him kind of mask this with a very cocky energy early on. He is wearing sunglasses in the club. It’s very funny. What about this version of the character really caught your eye?
Christopher Sean: I just think that growing up we strive for excellence so that our parents are proud of us. I think Ultraman, he does it on an ultra level. On a scale like no other, you know? All-star professional baseball player as well as a world-saving superhero. He’s negligent at first, but as he grows as a person, he gets better at everything, just like any of us.
So I think that is one of the most important aspects of taking on a role like this is, is to find that character arc and really get lost in that, and portray the black and white, the cockiness and the selfishness, and find that arc to where you become that selfless person who’s willing to sacrifice himself for everyone else.
Gedde, your character, Ultradad, had so many cute scenes with the baby kaiju. What was it about getting to show that gentle side and your character really having this second chance at being a father figure when previously he was so caught up saving the world that he wasn’t always there?
Gedde Watanabe: Well, I think that one of his major themes is this shame issue. I think any parent would probably have that, who’s never really felt like they’ve done a good job. I think that’s just the basic theme of what motivates him and brings him back. So, that was it for me was just the shame issue, trying to relieve it, trying to make good as much as I could.
Tamlyn, you’re voicing two roles in Ultraman: Rising. One of them is the AI assistant Mina. What I love is that she’s not just a tool for Ultraman. There’s a real bond there, especially with Ken missing his mother. What did you like most about the relationship they have? Because they really are as close as family.
Tamlyn Tomita: Isn’t that interesting? Because everybody’s talking about the influx of AI and how it’s going to be the demise of human society or human civilization, but that there is an actual bond between Mina and Kenji Sato, and Professor Sato as well. Because I think there is some kind of need to be able to relate to one another, the reason why you’re there in that person’s life, or his person or his life. Because why am I here? It is to connect with other beings. It is to connect my AI being, my source of energy, with these human beings. I think something that’s undiscussed is that we don’t live in a vacuum. We are here to connect with other individuals, whether you’re AI or not.
And I just wanted to follow up on what I heard in stereo here. Christopher was saying about how every child wants to grow up making their parents proud, and Gedde was saying that every parent is unsure about how proud they are about being a parent in relationship to the child. So it’s this constant kind of discussion about doing your best and trying your best and knowing that you communicate to each other is what’s really important, and saying, “I know you did the best you could at that time.”
Ultraman: Rising will begin streaming on June 14.
