Ultraman Rising’s Christopher Sean Praises Incredible Team Collaboration Behind Hit Netflix Film

Ultraman: Rising follows Ken Sato, an all-star baseball player, who must return home to Tokyo and take on the mantle of Ultraman and save the day. When he finds a fire-breathing baby kaiju, he adopts her, and must learn to balance fatherhood and being a hero. The film is extremely relatable for working parents, and is filled with action and heartwarming, emotional moments.

Christopher Sean voices Sato in the film, but is no stranger to voice acting, having been featured in several video games including Fallout 76 and Marvel’s Avengers. He is also known for his role as Paul Narita in Days of Our Lives and also voices Kaz in Star Wars: Resistance. Ultraman: Rising is now streaming on Netflix and is a strong awards contender.

Screen Rant interviewed Christopher Sean at New York Comic-Con 2024 about Ultraman: Rising. He discusses real life influences that he brought to Ken Sato‘s voice, especially when it comes to him suddenly being a parent. Sean also details how collaborative the project was and what it means to be a part of the Netflix family. Christopher Sean also addresses the internet thirst for his character, Ken Sato.

Christopher Sean Addresses The Thirst For Ken Sato

“Hats off to Shannon Tindle and Marc Haimes for writing an amazing script and the entire team at ILM for making a very, very good-looking character.”

Screen Rant: Ultraman Rising came out in the summer and instantly the internet started to thirst for Ken Santo. So how did that feel?

Christopher Sean: That wasn’t the key demographic. It was quite fascinating to watch the tens turn into hundreds of millions of thirst trap videos across countries around the world. It was amazing. And I say, you know what? Kudos, hats off to Shannon Tindle and Marc Haimes for writing an amazing script and the entire team at ILM for making a very, very good-looking character.

Shannon Tindle Made Sure Ultraman: Rising Was A Collaboration

“If it works in his manifesto, he’s going to take it and make it work.”

Screen Rant: What was it like working with Shannon Tindle?

Christopher Sean: Talk about a man with a vision. He’d been working on Ultraman: Rising for 23 years. So he’s stubborn, but he’s the best kind. He knows what he wants, and he’s so kind to listen and if it works in his manifesto, he’s going to take it and make it work. And that’s what I love about him. He’s so collaborative and to me, he’s a savant. I think he’s wonderful.

Screen Rant: What has it been like to be a part of the Netflix family?

Christopher Sean: Oh man. Talk about the giant in the industry. When you talk about Ultraman being Asia’s biggest superhero, to me, you think about the biggest superhero of America, and that’s Netflix. And the world, it’s Netflix, so it’s nice to be on the same team.

Ultraman: Rising Will Make You An Ultraman Fan For Life – Even If You Don’t Know The Lore

“When watching the film, as you said, you just enjoy it, go on the ride, cry your eyes out, laugh your head off, and just enjoy the movie, knowing that now you are an Ultraman fan for life.”

Screen Rant: Can you talk about Ultraman: Rising including things for a long time fans, but then making sure it is a good introduction for new fans?

Christopher Sean: Yeah, the great thing about Shannon and Marc is they just wrote such an inclusive script. You don’t need to know any of the lore. Ultraman started back in 1966, and it’s been going ever since. There’s over 40, maybe almost 50 iterations of Ultraman, maybe more. But the movie itself, there’s the beginning, the middle, and the end. It’s all love. There’s great character arc. It’s intergenerational relationships.

Myself, I could relate to the character so much because he’s half human, half alien, which has been said out loud, and he moves from one country to the next, feeling isolated, feeling almost like the outsider looking in and his father. There’s many tropes in this story that are literally aligned with my life.

So I think the great thing about the movie, going back to your question, is that it’s such an iconic and legendary character, but you don’t need to know anything about that. When watching the film, as you said, you just enjoy it, go on the ride, cry your eyes out, laugh your head off, and just enjoy the movie, knowing that now you are an Ultraman fan for life.

Screen Rant: What does it mean to you that this could be the introduction for a new generation fo fans?

Christopher Sean: It’s interesting because, for me, I have my franchises that I love, and I still go to. I mean, coming here I can talk about so many of these booths. I can go down the line and be like, this is when I saw this, and this is how I know this character, but to be that introduction to not only a fun and amazing movie, but again, an iconic franchise, it’s surreal. It doesn’t feel real. I still feel like I’m dreaming. And I’m pretty tired, so I might be dreaming.

Christopher Sean Took Real-Life Inspirations To Find Ken Sato’s Voice

“My whole life I’ve been a caretaker…”

Screen Rant: One of the things I love as a parent is I could really relate to Ken’s relationship with Emi. What was it like for you to channel that and did you take inspiration from your real life?

Christopher Sean: I’m a stepfather to three amazing kids, but I also have a sister with Down Syndrome. So my whole life I’ve been a caretaker, but becoming a stepfather in that aspect. I met my youngest at five, and he was a little monster himself, a little baby kaiju. It is one of those things where you’re like, what am I doing? I need help. So I could relate in so many ways, feeling like a fish out of water, but learning to love.

When I see my step kids, my kids, when I see my kids start taking on mannerisms and listening to life advice I give them, watching them become these people that I’m so proud of, it really does make my whole world spin. My priorities are work hard so that they can be happy. I can relate to Ultraman in that same way. I know that he’s happy.

And watching him become a parent, when you become a parent, you start to understand more of your parents, you’re like, oh my gosh, they’re kids just like me. Even though you’re an adult, you still feel like a kid. So I think that’s what’s wonderful about that is, in becoming a parent, you take on these new obstacles, but you also realize the obstacles your parents overcame. And in turn, you can start to work on that. If there’s any child, the trauma, you can work on that closure and rebuilding the relationship with your parents as well.

Christopher Sean Sent Shannon Tindle A Photo Of Himself Bawling After Reading The Ultraman: Rising Script For The First Time

“The script is the best thing I’ve ever read, and I’m just honored to be a part of it.”

Screen Rant: This movie’s hilarious. It’s so much fun, but then it has you crying. It packs an emotional punch. What was your reaction to reading the script the first time?

Christopher Sean: Well, I’m going to jump to the end and just say, I sent Shannon Tindle a picture of myself bawling. Swollen face. Some boogies hanging down. I was like, look what you did to me. It is the most beautiful script I have ever read. That was literally my reaction.

I read the script, it was the best thing I’ve ever read. I was worried. I thought, oh man, if this isn’t the final product, I don’t know if it can get any better. But it did because we had so many wonderful people working in the collaboration and on the team. And again, like I said, Shannon, he’s so open for collaboration, the entire team and those outside as well. The script is the best thing I’ve ever read, and I’m just honored to be a part of it.

Ultraman: Rising Put Together An Incredible Team

“It really makes me feel like they’ve given me an opportunity to live out my dream.”

Screen Rant: Speaking of collaboration, Skywalker Sound is a part of the team. The best of the best.

Christopher Sean: Man, it was surreal. Again, you sit there and you think names are thrown around, like Scott Stafford and some of the best musicians in the world. You’ve got London Symphony Orchestra, you’ve got people giving advice, consulting, I don’t now if consulting is the right word, but giving advice. And you hear these stories behind the scenes, all the people that love this iconic franchise putting in advice.

Then you see the team they put it together, and you see that they flew to London to work with the London New Orchestra, and it doesn’t feel real. I show my family and I go, guys, look what they’re doing. And I’m a fan. I’m freaking out. It’s just, it really makes me feel like they’ve given me an opportunity to live out my dream. I’m just very honored.

Christopher Sean Is Ready To Join James Gunn’s DCU

“The way I trained in martial arts, I learned so that I could portray them in live action. So if there’s ever that opportunity, I’m ready.”

Screen Rant: Now to switch gears a little bit, you’ve voiced a couple of DC characters. Have you talked to James Gunn at all about joining his DCU in live action?

Christopher Sean:​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ I’ve done two. I played
Nightwing in DC’s Gotham Knights
, which is really awesome because I’m the first Asian American portray him. And I also played Toyman who is a Suicide squad engineer. A genius boy. And it’s nice because I think he’s the only Japanese mixed character, which is really nice.

But jumping into live action, I would absolutely love. I’ve trained my whole life in martial arts. Again, many of these people, they were my role models growing up. The way I trained in martial arts, I learned so that I could portray them in live action. So if there’s ever that opportunity, I’m ready.

More About Ultraman: Rising (2024)

With Tokyo under siege from rising monster attacks, baseball star Ken Sato reluctantly returns home to take on the mantle of Ultraman. But the titanic superhero meets his match when he is forced to adopt a 35-foot-tall, fire-breathing baby kaiju. Sato must rise above his ego to balance work and parenthood while protecting the baby from forces bent on exploiting her for their own dark plans.

Check out our other NYCC 2024 interviews here:

Ultraman: Rising

is now streaming on Netflix.

Source: Screen Rant Plus