Samoa Joe Playing Starring Role on ‘Twisted Metal’

“When you’re splattered in blood, holding a giant machete, and wearing a demonic clown mask and a tactical lethal harness, it has a tendency to throw you right into the part.”

Samoa Joe is in the middle of a memorable stretch, dominating as the Ring of Honor Television champion and adding instant value to AEW’s new Collision program.

He is also playing a starring role in Twisted Metal, an incredibly compelling post-apocalyptic action series airing on Peacock. The show pays tribute to the Sony PlayStation video game that was released nearly three decades ago, and Samoa Joe–whose name is Joe Seanoa–plays the iconic role of Sweet Tooth.

“I’m really excited,” says Seanoa, who is building to a massive pay-per-view bout later this month at All In against CM Punk. “It’s a crazy show, and I can’t wait for people to see it.”

In an interview conducted before the SAG-AFTRA strike, Seanoa discussed the manner in which he embraced the Sweet Tooth character, who is a psychopath wearing a clown mask driving a combat ice cream truck.

“It didn’t take much convincing,” says Seanoa. “When you’re splattered in blood, holding a giant machete, and wearing a demonic clown mask and a tactical lethal harness, it has a tendency to throw you right into the part. So I exploited that to the best of my ability.”

Courtesy Peacock

Though based on blood and gore, Sweet Tooth displays a wide range of emotions throughout his scenes. Seanoa brings the character to life through his mannerisms. Voiced by the brilliant Will Arnett, the dialogue and delivery of Sweet Tooth is exceptional.

“It’s one of the wilder combos,” says Seanoa. “I didn’t have that on my Bingo card. But if you’re going to be voiced over by someone, at least I have the very best.”

It is rare when Sweet Tooth appears and does not steal a scene in the 10-episode season, especially when paired with Mike Mitchell, who plays Stu. There is also instant chemistry between Sweet Tooth and lead protagonist John Doe, who is played by Anthony Mackie.

“I get to throw Anthony Mackie around,” says Seanoa with a laugh. “But there’s a red shirt on the quarterback for a reason, so only in a controlled way.”

Justin Barrasso can be reached at JBarrasso@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinBarrasso.