This week, the world welcomed its next great, gay superhero with Judomaster’s matter-of-fact coming out on the latest episode of Peacemaker, the DC Universe spin-off series.
The moment was extra special for star Nhut Le, who also identifies as gay, and was both “surprised and nervous” about bringing a part of himself into the spotlight. But it’s just another way the actor’s given surprising depth to what could otherwise be a one-note obscure comics character, making Judomaster someone we want to root for—even when he’s kicking other heroes’ *sses.
Prior to Peacemaker, Le’s on-screen credits stretch back over the past decade, his background training with LA comedy theaters like The Groundlings and UCB leading to roles on the Comedy Central sketch series Kroll Show and the Disney sequel series Raven’s Home.
While never losing his passion for acting, Le eventually turned his attention to ceramics, launching his own company, 3 Circle Pottery, in 2019. But when the opportunity to portray Judomaster presented itself, he couldn’t turn down the chance to get back on screen with a role that would call on both his comedic chops and his martial arts training.
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And as that coming-out scene proved, this is just the beginning for Le. We already had the opportunity to speak with the actor about what it’s meant for him to embrace Judomaster’s queerness, but we wanted to learn so much more, so we invited him to be the latest guest in our long-running Q&A series, Dishin’ It. In our conversation, Le opens up about why superhero comics have always felt “queer-coded,” his rom-com spin-off dreams for Judomaster, and why working with someone like John Cena is a great motivator to hit the gym.
Is there a piece of media—whether a movie, TV series, book, album, theater, video game, etc…—that has played an important role in your understanding of queerness and the queer community, or your own identity? Why does it stand out to you?
Two pivotal TV series shaped my view of the queer community, they were both groundbreaking in their own right. Showtime’s Queer As Folk was a gritty realistic look at the community, showing me all the different relationships a queer person can have and how they traverse in modern day life. To contrast that with the hilarious banter of the characters on NBC’s Will & Grace. This series showed me a world in which lifelong friends navigate the world through the lens of gay men and their allies. Both series highlight all the different paths a queer person can lead in life, and it was OK for me to be myself and still be accepted and loved.
It’s been so fun to see Judomaster back in Season 2 of Peacemaker. In the comics, he was always a pretty obscure character, so it feels like you’ve really been able to make him your own—what do you love most about playing him, and why is he a hero in your eyes?
The best thing about playing Judomaster is all the freedom he has as a person. Although he’s small in stature, he makes up for it in attitude. He doesn’t care about societal norms or etiquette, but no-one is going to say anything because he’ll just beat them up. Having that kind of confidence changes how a person moves through the world. Judomaster has his core beliefs, he does want to make the world a better place. In season one, he aligned himself with the Butterflies because he believed they were the answer to saving the world. Having said that, the line between hero and villain is always about perspective and who writes history.
Something that’s become abundantly clear this season is that Peacemaker is a very queer show. What’s it been like for you to be part of a series that’s so inclusive, and what does it mean to see such fantastic, multi-dimensional queer representation in a superhero show?
One of the reasons I love this show is the way James writes for his queer characters. Chris Smith is bisexual, Leota Adebayo is a lesbian, and who knows about Vigilante. Judomaster reveals that he’s gay in episode seven in a very understated way. It almost feels like an afterthought and I really appreciate that. Being queer doesn’t have to define your whole personhood. It’s just a page in your book, not your entire story. Being specifically in the superhero/comic genre there’s a lot of that macho masculinity involved, but if you look back even to its inception, comics have always been queer coded. Muscular bodies in skintight flamboyant costumes, come on…
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Outside of the coming-out scene, do you have any especially fond/fun/funny memories for set, either while performing stunt-work or acting alongside this awesome cast?
There was a day we were shooting an overnight scene. It was 3 or 4AM and we’ve been there for hours, the whole cast was getting loopy. We were stationed in Peacemaker’s bedroom set in the alternate dimension and we were just jumping around dancing, twerking, just being silly and making each other laugh. We’re all in costume and such just enjoying each other’s company. It was a great bonding experience.
Where’s one of the first spaces you can remember that made you feel a part of a queer community?
I remember the first month I was in college, someone very nonchalantly asked if I was queer and I responded and it wasn’t like a needle drop, traffic didn’t halt, Hell didn’t open up. It was like oh ok cool, anyway so yeh let’s get some Chinese food on the corner. It was such radical acceptance, that it made my whole body feel immediately at ease. I’m still friends with this person to this day (shout out to Danielle M). It was an acting conservatory/art school, but I think colleges as a whole are a great place to figure out who you are as an adult independent from family or a version of your high school self.
You’re definitely someone who stays fit and healthy. Since fitness and general wellness can sometimes feel like a chore for people, we’re curious if you have any tips for getting motivated to work out, or ways you personally have found to make it feel fun and exciting?
Motivation is always essential for me. Working out takes a lot of work especially when you don’t want to do it. What motivates me is if I’m working on a project like Peacemaker where I have to be very physical, I want to be able to do the fights and be healthy enough to have the energy to be on set for long hours. A big part of is it vanity, let’s be honest. I want to look good in my costume, that’s skintight! It shows every curve, you can tell how much I had for lunch. Film is forever, so I do want to look my best on camera. Being around people like John Cena and Frank Grillo, even Freddie Stroma, they all have incredibly fit bodies. It motivates me to be on their level.
As we know, the DCU is vast, and it feels like it’s just going to keep growing. If Judomaster ever got his own spinoff series of standalone movie, what would your pitch for it be? What sort of story might you want to see, and would there be any dream team-ups, or villains he might face off with?
As the DC universe evolves, I would love to see a softer side of Judomaster. He’s such a brash, aggressive character that it would be interesting to see what would cause him to change. I’ve always wanted to do a rom-com and I think it would be really fun to see Judomaster do something like that but in his own way. Like his love language is beating you up. Having said that, outside of a romantic interest, I would love to see him fighting even bigger guys. Peacemaker is already huge, but I’d like Judomaster to fight guys who are comically so much larger than him someone like Bane or Wildcat. The juxtaposition is so funny to me.
Who is an LGBTQ+ artist/performer/creator that you think is doing really cool work right now? Why are they someone we should all be paying attention to?
I’m not sure if any of the stars involved are a part of the community, I’m sure as allies if anything, but I recently watched Daniel Minahan’s On Swift Horses and was in awe. I love the way the story was crafted, it was shot beautifully, wonderfully directed. The performances from all the actors especially Daisy Edgar-Jones and Jacob Elordi were spectacular. It was all really beautiful, I really enjoyed it.
Don’t miss Nhut Le in the Season 2 finale of Peacemaker premiering October 9 on HBO Max.
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