Daniel Dae Kim’s Inspiration for Fire Lord Ozai in Avatar: The Last Airbender Came from a Very Real Place That Makes His Role Even Darker

American actor Daniel Dae Kim rose to fame with the ABC drama series Lost in 2004. His production company 3AD produced the medical drama series The Good Doctor in 2017. Daniel Dae Kim plays Lord Ozai, one of the most significant characters in Netflix’s live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender. The 55-year-old actor is seen as a heartless father who ends up pitting his kids against each other and hardens their psychological and physical punishment in the live-action adaptation.

However, not many people know that Daniel Dae Kim was inspired by real-life politicians to essay the role of the tyrannical Fire Lord Ozai in Avatar: The Last Airbender. 

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Daniel Dae Kim Was Inspired By Real Life Politicians For The Character Of Heartless Fire Lord Ozai

During an interview with Radio Times.com, Daniel Dae Kim spoke about the live-action adaptation of adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender. While talking about his character Lord Ozai, the actor revealed that he was inspired by real-life politicians. He said-

He further continued to say-

 “I started there and I also explored his own sense of ambition – why does he want to throw this world out of harmony? Why does he want to throw it out of balance so much? What is the source of this desire to conquer the entire world? I looked to our politicians and our political situation to start that exploration.”

The live-action adaption of Avatar: The Last Airbender has secured a spot in the list of Netflix’s top 10 shows. The second and third seasons of Avatar: The Last Airbender have already been announced.

Read Also: “It’s not something I’ve explored”: Daniel Dae Kim Wants Avatar: The Last Airbender to Return for Season 2 That Just Might Put Him Up There With Mark Hamill

Daniel Dae Kim Talks About Star Wars Actor Mark Hamill

During the promotion of Avatar: The Last Airbender, Daniel Dae Kim appeared for an interview with GQ. He was asked if he had ever come across Mark Hamill, who had been the voice of  Lord Ozai in the animated version of Avatar: The Last Airbender. Daniel Dae Kim mentioned an Instagram exchange with the Star Wars actor. He revealed-

We’ve never met but we actually had a nice little Instagram exchange because he saw an interview answer that I gave regarding him. He saw a clip and said thank you, so I responded and said it was all true. I have a lot of respect for him, not just as Luke Skywalker, of course, but he’s one of our greatest voice actors.

Read Also: “It’s the right decision”: Daniel Dae Kim Fully Supports Netflix Making a Major Change to Avatar: The Last Airbender That Might Have Upset a Few Fans

However, Mark Hamill had a a weird misconception about Avatar: The Last Airbender when he read the script for the first time as believed that it was too brilliant to be made into an animated series. During the promotion of The Machine in 2023, Hamill appeared for the Web’s Most Searched Questions for WIRED. He revealed that he had expected that Avatar: The Last Airbender would get canceled. He said-

I remember reading the first script [of Avatar: The Last Airbender] thinking, ‘This thing’s gonna get canceled in four episodes because it’s too smart.’ And instead it ran many, many seasons. It was really gratifying to hear that parents liked to watch it with their children. Because it talked up to children rather than talking down to them. It was a very, very smart show.

With an IMDb rating of 7.3 out of 10, Avatar: The Last Airbender is currently streaming on Netflix.