GOING
WITH
THE
FLOW
Photographer: STEVEN GERLICH AT AESTHESIA STUDIOS
Wardrobe Stylist: SUNII B. HENDRIX
Makeup: VANESSA VENANCIO
Hair: JENNIFER BAKER
A
cting for twenty-five years, Byron Mann
has portrayed ass-kicking characters on
screen. Mann has taken on roles like
O.G. Kovacs in Netflix’s Altered Carbon,
Chang on AMC’s Hell on Wheels, and Admiral
Nguyen on SyFy’s The Expanse. Years in the acting
industry, Mann admits when it comes to roles, “You
have to be open and go with the flow.”
Altered Carbon was an interesting experience
for Mann. The show centers around the futuristic
technology of interchangeable bodies after death,
where Kovacs is the only survivor of a group of
warriors who revolt against a new world order. Mann
embodies Kovacs’s original sleeve before his life
memories are transferred into a new body (portrayed
by Joel Kinnaman). “This character is a character that
is in angst. The first episode that you see him, that’s
the state he is in,” describes Mann.
For Mann, working on Altered Carbon was a
fantastic and compelling experience to be a part of.
“It’s a very forward-thinking show. The things they
did were very out of the box, not ordinary things
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in terms of the world, characters, fight scenes, and
action sequences. Very cutting edge.”
To get in shape for intense fight scenes, Mann goes
through rigorous combat and weapons training and
undergoes physical changes in order to play the role.
“There are really two components. Eating right and
exercising right.” Along with a high protein diet and
lack of carbs, Mann is left to his own devices and
likes to work out on a regular basis. When he’s off
training and dieting, he admits that his go-to cheat
meal are sweet blueberry muffins.
On July 13th, Mann will be seen alongside Dwayne
Johnson in Skyscraper. The film, an action disaster
thriller, takes place in Hong Kong’s tallest and
‘safest’ high tech building that gets infiltrated by
terrorists. Being born and raised in Hong Kong,
the film was a coming home experience for Mann.
As a native, Mann was able to assist significantly
in the filmmaking process. For example, dialogue
translations between English and Cantonese.
Mann even collaborated with a Hong Kong police
consultant who gave an inside look on police