What 'Godzilla' Looks Like In Real Life
Throughout Godzilla's nearly 70-year history, various individuals have had the honor of portraying the king of the monsters. From Haruo Nakajima's defining performance through the majority of the Showa era to Kenpachiro Satsuma's fan-favorite depiction in the Hesei continuity, those lucky enough to play Godzilla have been crucial in evolving and defining the iconic character for audiences. We may no longer live in the era of suitmation, but that hasn't stopped other talented performers from embracing advances in performance technology to breathe new life into Godzilla, including the main mon-star of Legendary's MonsterVerse, TJ Storm.
Whether in a rubber suit or a motion capture outfit, performing Godzilla requires a level of stamina and athleticism that viewers might underestimate. Storm, who provided motion capture reference for the beloved kaiju in 2014's "Godzilla" before fully supplying the motion capture performance for the 2019 sequel "Godzilla: King of the Monsters," brings these qualities in monster-sized spades. His 6' 2" stature and background in breakdancing, Karate, Tae Kwon Do, and Jujitsu more than qualify the actor for the role, bringing the physicality and durability needed to portray the city-stomping behemoth. Luckily for movie fans, Storm's talents have been put to extensive use in plenty of other blockbuster roles.
Playing Godzilla was a pleasant surprise for TJ Storm
Born Juan Ricardo Ojeda, in 1972, TJ Storm's passion for dance and Karate led him to enroll in the Joanne Baron/D.W. Brown Acting Academy. While taking a directing class, Storm made a friend who tasked him with doing motion capture work for their company's logo, launching the Black and Puerto Rican actor into an exciting new phase of his career.
Since then, Storm has lent his talents to some major franchises. His superhero movie credits include the likes of Parallax in "Green Lantern," Iron Man in "Captain America: Civil War," and Colossus in "Deadpool." Storm's name is also been attached to other major blockbusters like "Avatar," "TRON: Legacy," and "The Predator." Additionally, he has done motion capture and voice work for a vast number of video games, including "God of War," "Halo Infinite," "Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order," and several installments of the "Call of Duty" and "Resident Evil" series.
When it came to playing Godzilla, Storm was initially unaware of what he was walking into. "The first time I walked in – like many motion capture jobs – they don't tell me anything until I get there," he shared in an interview with Befores & Afters. "And I got there one day, and it was me and two other guys standing in the volume. And the guy walks up to us. He goes, 'All right, you are MUTO number 1, you're MUTO number 2, and you're Godzilla.'" The news was a delight for Storm, as one of his earliest movie experiences was seeing 1971's "Godzilla vs. Hedorah" as a child — and it's safe to say that fans have been pretty happy with the results.