Interview: Andrew Koji on ‘Gangs of London’ Season 3
WARNING: Spoilers for Gangs of London season 3 are included in this article.
“It’s a strong introduction, isn’t it?” says Andrew Koji about his scene-stealing debut in Gangs of London season 3 — one that ends with him murdering the show’s lead, Sean Wallace, played by Joe Cole. “I’m either going to be loved or hated.”
Koji plays Zeek, a mysterious new enforcer whose quiet brutality leaves a trail of bodies behind him — including that of Joe Cole’s Sean, whose escape from prison is short-lived thanks to Zeek’s merciless efficiency. “To get to work with Joe Cole just for a day and to do that, it was a very intense scene to shoot. He was game for it,” Koji says. “It was an honor [for me] to do that and to help finish tell the tale of Sean Wallace. Joe gave us a lot of different takes and variations, he’s a really committed actor. He was really good to work with.”
Zeek doesn’t just change the balance of power in London’s underworld — he’s also revealed to be Sean’s half-brother. “I think it’s really interesting,” Koji says of the twist. “The way Peter McKenna writes is very interesting. I think he wove it in a very interesting way, and I think the decision to make him half-Japanese, as well, I think they kind of tailored it [to me] once I was cast.”
The role feels tailor-made for Koji — who’s no stranger to the action genre, having led beloved cult classic series Warrior, appeared in David Leitch‘s Bullet Train, and recently co-starred in Black Doves alongside Keira Knightley. “With my training, I was able to pick and choose the tools I was going to bring in for Zeek,” he says. “He’s like a brutal assassin. A cold-hearted killer. He is very different than some other characters I’ve played. His style, essentially, is very efficient, kind of MMA based. He comes from a world of pain. That’s the character side, and I think he is used to that.”
Koji also drew from his own background while developing Zeek, incorporating his martial arts background to the character. “It’s a big part of my life,” says Zeek. “It keeps me on the straight and narrow, that one. I love all martial arts. I wish I had more time to just go and train all day, every day. It’s a way of life that I think a lot of people benefit from for mental clarity, discipline. It teaches you so many things about yourself. It humbles you.”
That philosophy bleeds into how he approaches every role — even in a show as unapologetically violent as Gangs of London. “If you do it right, you can combine the physicality and psychology of a character, mixing it with the training,” he says. “I just fused it and brought it to Zeek.”
Still, he doesn’t see himself as just an action guy. “I try to bring depth to all my roles,” he says of his filmography, which includes projects such as Snake Eyes, Boy Kills World and the upcoming TV show Haven, which also stars Sophie Turner and Archie Madekwe. “I think, as an actor, you’re just trying to survive. I started doing theater. I started just wanting to do dramas and comedies and stuff. But I think because of [my martial arts background], I’m doing [action projects instead]. But I’m just grateful to be working, really, and hopefully, choice [in roles] and all that comes further down the line.”
As for what makes Gangs of London stand out, Koji sums it up simply: “It was one of the first of its kind, in terms of the way it combines this gripping, family drama mixed with this brutal action. That hasn’t really been done before on British TV, spearheaded by Gareth Evans, mixing this fusion style of Asian sensibilities but obviously in the west. It’s a show that you shouldn’t miss.”
GANGS OF LONDON season 3 is now available on Sky.