Andrew Koji almost gave up on acting. Now the 'Bullet Train' and 'Warrior' star is leaving his mark

It's evening in Cape Town, South Africa, as Andrew Koji peers into his video chat screen after a long day of work on the set of his HBO Max action drama series "Warrior." Upbeat nevertheless, the British actor catches a glimpse of himself, nearly does a double take and laughs. "I've got a scar on my head. Can you see that?"

The fresh gash above his eye appears to be a stray bit of special effects makeup, the kind of blow Koji, 34, has doled out with ferocity for two seasons on "Warrior" as the soul-searching fighter Ah Sahm, who steps off the boat in 1870s San Francisco into a tinderbox of swirling tensions among the Chinese Tongs, Irish mobsters, crooked police and even shiftier politicians. Only it's not just real, it's self-inflicted.

While stealing moments to train for an upcoming nunchaku scene — the signature weapon of martial arts legend Bruce Lee, whose writings inspired the project — Koji accidentally smacked himself in the head, he admits. Still, he's happy with the progress. "It's going OK," he says with a grin, "but it still needs some work."

Life has been a whirlwind since the groundbreaking Asian-led series catapulted him from struggling actor to series lead overnight five years ago, but Koji, clear-eyed and candid, is trying