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Bumblebee Actor Jorge Lendeborg Jr. is Mr. Miyagi and a DC fan (#sorrynotsorry Marvel).
Nyge Turner calls for backup in a mini ‘Agree To Disagree’ where YR Media’s Merk Nguyen argues DC dominates over Marvel. Who comes in and saves his day? Actor Jorge Lendeborg Jr. (The Land, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Love, Simon) who’s been glowin’ up on the silver screen. The fellow 22-year-old messes around with the Adult ISH co-hosts and gets into his G.O.A.T. anime. Jorge talks about his upcoming projects (Bumblebee, Alita: Battle Angel) and says if he could go back in time, he’d pull a Mr. Miyagi on his younger self.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Check out the full conversation on YR Media’s Adult ISH podcast (episode 6 – Nerd ISH).
Nyge: First question: Marvel or DC? Merk is tripping for thinking DC is better.
Jorge: Look…I remember seeing Tobey Maguire be Spiderman and that was like the end-all, be-all. I was like, “This is the coolest shit I’ve ever seen.” So I’m gonna have to go Marvel.
Nyge: Yea that’s what I’m talking about! I knew I liked you.
Merk: No. No. No. DC came before Marvel — DC was like the OG number one pioneer of superhero comics. Marvel is great. But I’m all about the underdog. And hey, you never know Jorge — you could get a casting call for a DC movie.
Jorge: Nah, I’m going to burn all the bridges right now. Marvel all the way. Freakin Iron Man had a drinking problem. I’m like 12 [saying], “Why is this guy so sad?”
Nyge: What is an acting role you really wanted but you but you didn’t get?
Jorge: The new Mid90s movie. That movie was my life! I’ve been skateboarding for five years. I was definitely pretty bummed for like a hot minute with that one.
Nyge: I hope this doesn’t come off offensively at all. When you first see your name, I thought it was Jorge (pronounced Horhey). But you pronounce it George. Do you get that a lot?
Jorge: Yeah all the time. Why would that be offensive?
Nyge: You never know.
Jorge: Thank you. Respect. Respect. I get it. When I was in kindergarten, people would ask me, “Do we call you Jorge or George?” I was like, “Oh I like George.” So, since everyone gave me the option, I was like “George.” But now I’m all famous and sh*t, people are like, “Is it Jorge?”
Merk: We’re asking people what they geek out about. So what’s your fix, man?
Jorge: Anime. My Hero Academia is destroying. I also like JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Devilman Crybaby, Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo…
Nyge: You a dubs or subs (subtitles) person?
Jorge: Everything subbed. But I don’t mind a good dub. Also, it feels like you get more lost in the anime with subs because they are way more intense in Japanese. Like, “Ahhhhhh! It’s a fight sequence! Where are we going? The sky is purple. He’s knocked out! Where am I!?”
Merk: So you’re in Bumblebee, the new Transformers movie that comes out this month. The CGI looks fly from what I’ve seen in the trailers, but I’ve always wondered what it’s like shooting those kinds of scenes. Do you just have to go off your imagination, or is someone actually there?
Jorge: We had a guy on stilts who was up in the air like 10, 12 feet wide and he would stand in and do the blocking for where Bumblebee would be. We do that one time for rehearsal. Then, there’d be nobody there.
Jorge: Next year, you’re going to be in Alita: Battle Angel. That’s the cyberpunk action movie based off of Yukito Kishiro’s manga. What’s something you want people to know about it without giving anything away?
Jorge: What I want people to know is [this]: I know the anime community has been failed many, many times with their animated adaptations. But there was so much care [with this movie]. I want people to know that James Cameron had hundreds and hundreds of pages of notes going into this…I want people to know that this is anime adaption done right.
I’d be super Mr. Miyagi. I wouldn’t say anything. I’d be like, “Hey guy, figure it out. Bye!”
Nyge: If you could tell your less adult-ish self one piece of advice, what would it be?
Jorge: I’d be super Mr. Miyagi. I wouldn’t say anything. I’d be like, “Hey guy, figure it out. Bye!”