Why Zack Snyder's Rebel Moon Is Relatable According To Djimon Hounsou & Staz Nair - Exclusive Interview

Without question, part of the appeal of writer-director Zack Snyder's gritty new space opus, "Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child of Fire," is that the characters feel real, which explains why stars Djimon Hounsou and Staz Nair were thrilled to be a part of the of the project.

Playing in theaters and streaming exclusively on Netflix starting the evening of December 21, "Rebel Moon" was first pitched by Snyder to Lucasfilm as a "Star Wars" story more than a dozen years ago. When the pitch didn't pan out, Snyder decided to make the "Rebel Moon" his own sprawling, epic story — "Part Two — The Scargiver" will release in April 2024 — giving the likes of Hounsou, Nair, Sofia Boutella, Ed Skrein, Charlie Hunnam, and Michiel Huisman the chance to strap into an original rocket ride.

Hounsou is no stranger to starring in epic films, with "Gladiator," "Furious 7," "Guardians of the Galaxy," and "Shazam!" among his impressive list of nearly screen 70 credits. Nair, meanwhile, brings plenty of sci-fi and fantasy experience to "Rebel Moon," with a list of TV credits that includes "Game of Thrones," "Krypton," and "Supergirl."

In "Rebel Moon: Part One — A Child of Fire," Hounsou and Nair play General Titus and Tarak, respectively, a pair of warriors who join Kora (Boutella) and her group of rebels to fight against the tyrants of a planet known as the Motherland after its soldiers invade a peaceful farming settlement on the distant moon of Veldt.

In an exclusive interview with Looper, Hounsou and Nair talk about their rebellious characters, their memorable work with Snyder, and more.

Djimon, the build up to the introduction of General Titus in "Rebel Moon" is interesting because the way Kora makes it sound, we're going to meet this man of great aura, standing proud for all of his reputation, but instead he's passed out drunk and caked with mud and I'm thinking, "Wow, that's really an unlikely way to introduce a character of such stature." Was that a big appeal to you reading the script? This isn't the leader we thought we would see — this guy's been through stuff.

Djimon Hounsou: He certainly has been through stuff. It's quite an interesting way to introduce them, a very powerful way to introduce General Titus, but it speaks so much of what I got off the page. What I got off the page was so real, so organic. It took me back to those geopolitical tentacles that I feel, over time, has held the continent of Africa back. With the power of interpretation and respect to my character, it's a standalone. I don't have a better way of articulating how organic this story felt for me.

Staz, Tarak likes to make it known how stacked he is in "Rebel Moon," which in a Zack Snyder film, which means a lot. That's a lot of pressure considering all of those chiseled bodies in "300," which were real by the way – Gerard Butler told me himself. Were the images of those 300 Spartans in the back of your mind, knowing you had such a high standard to live up to?

Staz Nair: Yeah, Zack is very aesthetically driven in certain ways and not just in an objectifiable way, the beauty of it all is one of the amazing things of Zack's identity visually. It wasn't a pressure. It felt like an opportunity to rise to the occasion. Tarak's character, specifically, I don't think he wants people to know he's stacked.

When you meet him in Neu Wodi, he's, at his own volition, enslaved or entrenched in a debt. He could leave at any point. No one could stop him. He chooses, as a man of conduct and a man of noble stature, at least mentally, to do what he believes is right and at least hold himself to some level of compass — moral compass — despite his circumstances.

When we find him topless, when he left his planet, and I can't say too much because that's "Part Two" and stuff for you to find out, but he was a clothed man ... over the years, these little remnants, these pieces — these fragments of clothes, especially across the front — are fragments of his life, the fragments of his childhood, the fragments of the world he came from are from the world he lost. The top of business is also still rooted in a beautiful backstory of a man who is not willing to let go of the only things he can call home.

Working with Zack Snyder, did it exceed far past your expectations? This guy is a spectacular filmmaker.

Honsou: Beyond my expectations.

Nair: Yeah, mine, too.

Hounsou: One is the physicality of the film, which came with a certain level of military training –

Nair: For all of us, by the way.

Hounsou:  — to really get the whole cast together. The underlying messages. The fact that he also wrote in such a very organic story, he wrote an amazing, organic story in which most of us can –

Nair: Find ways to relate. I 100% agree. Speaking on Djimon talking about how organic it is, what makes it organic and relatable for the spectator is whilst we're set in the majesty of space, there are all these historic nods in terms of the architecture, the styles, the stories, the archetypes that are quite relatable. We're not superheroes or heroes. This is the story of, it could be any of us who'd be asked to call to the occasion. Look at Gunnar [Michiel Huisman]. Gunnar plays the everyman, and it shows that it's a wonderful story that can, whilst it's rooted in space, be grounded in something that is far more human, at least for the spectator.

Also starring Michiel Huisman, Doona Bae, Ray Fisher, Cleopatra Coleman, and E. Duffy, "Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child of Fire" is playing in limited release in theaters before streaming exclusively on Netflix beginning the evening of December 21.

This interview was edited for clarity.