Beauty School : My Hero Academia Interview: Robbie Daymond & Ryan Colt Levy on World Heroes’ Mission’s New Characters

The latest film in the My Hero Academia franchise hits theaters on October 29, 2021. My Hero Academia: World Heroes’ Mission features a familiar cast dealing with a new crisis and going up against the evil Flect Turn.

“U.A. High School students Izuku Midoriya, Shoto Todoroki, and Katsuki Bakugo face the greatest crisis in My Hero Academia history, with only two hours to save the world!” says the official synopsis. “During their internship with the number one Pro Hero Endeavor Agency, Deku and his new friend Rody find themselves wanted nationwide for a crime they didn’t commit. Can Deku and his friends stop Humarise’s global plans of eliminating all Quirks?”

ComingSoon’s Hayes Madsen spoke with My Hero Academia newcomers Robbie Daymond (Flect Turn) and Ryan Colt Levy (Rody Soul) about joining the franchise in World Heroes’ Mission and what their respective characters add to the film.

Hayes Madsen: So to start off with, Robbie, traditionally you’ve played more hero roles in a lot of anime.

Robbie Daymond: Ohh I don’t know about that, you’ve gotta check your IMDb I’ve got a few bad boys here and there (laughs). You’re right, it’s definitely across the spectrum, yeah.

When you’re playing villains how does your performance change in comparison to when you play a more heroic character?

Robbie: Not at all. I like to approach them just the same, as people. Some people have good motives and bad, some people have good backstories and bad. And some people’s life just hands them what they get. Depending on their moral compass they do what they do, so fundamentally I don’t think I would play it any different from an acting standpoint. What I enjoy the most is watching those repercussions of what they do echo out into the world. For someone like this for My Hero, he’s got a fun complicated backstory that I won’t blow, but I think it makes him a really scary villain.

Was there anything in particular, any specific personality traits that you tried to inject into Flect Turn with the performance?

Robbie: I went back and I binge-watched all the original Smurfs, and I was like what do these guys (laughs) no just kidding. I got the script and I went over it, and I looked at this guy and said “what is driving him to do these horrible horrible things, and can we make him bad and sympathetic all at the same time.” I think that’s a good villain, you know, nobody wants a “twiddle your mustache” bad guy.

Ryan Colt Levy: Though he has a great mustache

Robbie: He does have a great mustache

For Ryan, Rody is kind of the new addition to this movie. What do you think makes him a unique character, and what does he bring to this film that makes it different from the last two?

Robbie: We’re both unique, right Ryan? Is this the character’s first appearance in this film?

Ryan: Yeah for both of us I believe.

Robbie: The crazy part is that’s a tough question for both of us. I’m just jumping in on his answer here, I’m breaking all the interview rules.

Ryan: That’s alright, bring it on. This is such a villain move.

Robbie: I know, isn’t it? Mwahaha. We’re kind of on separate trajectories that don’t coincide until the middle, so I don’t know much about Ryan’s character and I don’t know how much he knows about mine.

Ryan: I think Rody brings a really cool human element that is not normally injected into My Hero Academia on the regular. As much as it is grounded in its bigness, you know, he’s very much got this grey area kind of mentality, and I think his motivations are not necessarily what you get from these kinds of characters. His impact that he will have on Midoriya is one that I don’t think has come from relationships prior. When you get to see the film there’s a unique relationship there that I’m glad we’re getting to explore, because I think it’s something that on a world scale people watching this show should experience.

One of the more interesting things about him is that in terms of the actual series he’s one of the first non-Japanese characters that we’ve ever met. Do you have any thoughts on that?

Ryan: Yeah, I just think it’s interesting that we’re getting to explore the world in this film. I think that’s such a cool unique thing for My Hero Academia to do, because we don’t often in these shows get to kind of go that far out of the universe that they’re immediately in. Even though I’ve loved the show forever, being an outsider playing an outsider really helps kind of imbue the performance. There’s this kind of ease and freedom that comes with that in this really fun way, that I don’t know I would have had if it was someone kind of already injected in there.

Going back to Robbie. Without spoiling anything, is there any kind of defining moment in this film for Flect? Any one particular moment that’s his big time?

Robbie: Oh yeah. The climax is classic and we find a lot of things out about his character. That’s good because we’ve got this mysterious new villain that is introduced into this film. Off the top, his goals might seem cliche, broad. He’s a terrorist, he’s a cult leader, he’s this big bad guy. Why does anyone do that and what leads him to that path. Rest assured that in this film you’ll find out the answer to that, but not until the end.

My Hero Academia is one of the biggest anime series in the world at the moment. Is there any kind of pressure that you feel joining that series, and playing these characters for the first time?

Ryan: I wouldn’t say pressure so much, I mean to some degree pressure, but I think it was more of a sense of responsibility because of how much of an impact the show does have on people, especially young people. What its message has always been, which I think is important especially to share with people now, is unity, and responsibility, and compassion, and the fact that anyone can be a hero regardless of the scale that you do heroic on. So I felt a responsibility to bring as much heart as ever, and really do right by not just the series but the fans, and everyone that will continue to experience this.

Robbie: My wife said she’d divorce me if I did a bad job on this movie, so I’m terrified and I love her very much. No, Ryan knocked it out of the park, not pressure so much. The great part is the hardest stuff is done. The writing’s done, the film’s done, all we have to do is come in and be true to the source material and be honest and relatable in the moment, and give our very best performance. Then our little puzzle piece of what makes this series and film so great clicks into place, and hopefully everyone’s happy.

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