Staz Nair, 'Rebel Moon' star, spills on his character, 'wonderful bond' with co-stars

Staz Nair's role as Tarak in Rebel Moon has some of Zack Snyder's most memorable sequences. Kora and Gunnar's newly formed rebellion against Admiral Noble's hostile takeover requires Tarak's help in the Veldt farming village.

Hickman urges Tarak to break into a wild Bennu to earn his freedom and pay off his debt to him, but little does Hickman realise that Tarak already has a lengthy relationship with the fabled bird-like monster on his home planet. 

The stunning Flight of the Bennu scenario that follows gives Tarak his freedom and an opportunity to atone for his sins alongside Kora and her rebels.

“When I did the audition with Zack, I said, ‘Zack, I feel like Tarak is talking to himself as much as he’s talking to the bird,’” Nair tells The Hollywood Reporter. 

“So I think the bird represents a life long gone. It’s another tether to his homeworld, and when he gets the opportunity to free the bird, he gets an opportunity to free himself, literally and metaphorically. So the symbiosis between himself and the bird is not just because they’re from the same planet; it’s because they’re in the same position.”

The Rebel Moon cast was expected to maintain a level of physical fitness that was expected of them, as Snyder's filmography has featured actors such as Gerard Butler in 300 and Henry Cavill in Man of Steel. 

Luckily, their intense training sessions produced a true relationship between them, to the point where a significant plot point became a source of fear for the group.

Charlie Hunnam's character, Kai, helps Kora and Gunnar build a rebel team for Veldt but betrays them by giving them up to Noble's Motherworld forces. Gunnar finds the courage to act, resulting in Kai's death. The cast joked about Kai having a twin to keep Hunnam around.

“The team made jokes about the fact that in the extended cut, there may or may not be a line where [Kai] goes, ‘Well if you think I’m handsome, you should see my twin brother,’” Nair says. 

“So we forged this wonderful bond, collectively. I even had some of the actors come to my wedding. Charlie and I really got along very well … And so [Kai’s betrayal] really did suck. I know everyone says, ‘Oh, the cast is amazing! I love them! They’re the best! We really bonded,’ but I know it reflects in our behind-the-scenes … and in the relationships that exist on screen.”