Rematch star admits he 'fought back' against 'ridiculous' moment in Disney+ chess drama

Rematch star Christian Cooke had to train his body as much as his mind to portray the world chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov in the thrilling new drama, now on Disney+.

However, he admits he initially pushed back against a unique character quirk fans will quickly spot throughout this riveting six-part series.

Originally broadcast in France last year, UK viewers finally have the chance to dive into this incredible true story about Russian master Kasparov's high-stakes chess games with the IBM supercomputer Deep Blue in 1997.

To ensure he stayed fit throughout the competition, the grandmaster is often seen taking breaks from his chess preparation to do push-ups in his hotel room - several times each episode.

Speaking exclusively to Express Online, leading man Cooke admitted: "I kind of fought back against it initially.

"I initially thought it was a bit ridiculous, right? I'm not afraid to say that."

After talking through the decision with Rematch's co-creator Yan England, however, the star soon had to admit the exercise regime suited his character for one good reason.

"But, the thing is, Garry was very fit and he was the first chess grandmaster to really approach it like an athlete," Cooke continued.

"He was very fit, he ran a lot, he did a lot of push-ups. Approaching a match, he was very strict about his diet and his training. And so, now there is this accepted thing of 'healthy body, healthy mind'.

"I don't know if chess players were really putting much thought behind that in the '90s and before that as well, but he'd been doing that in the '80s, since before he was world champion."

Kasparov didn't just earn his reputation by playing chess against computers. Throughout the series, viewers will meet several more chess champions he beat throughout his career, including fellow Russian genius Anatoly Karpov (played by Szabolcs Ruszina).

Cooke says these flashbacks perfectly illustrate why Kasparov felt it was just as important to keep his body fit as it was to keep his mind sharp during these lengthy gauntlets.

"His match with Karpov, when he won the world championship, it went on for five months," he explained.

"It's psychological and you have to be really fit to endure that. If you're sat at a computer and you work for 10 hours a day, writing or whatever, you're knackered. And it's that times 100, I think.

"So, I said to Yan, 'Look, I'm going to trust you with this, but it feels a bit ridiculous to me'. But I do think it works.

"It's sort of his little quirk, so that's one of those leaps of faith you take. I'm going to do this and hope I don't get egg on my face."

Cooke and the series' cast and creators can rest easy as Rematch has already scored rave reviews from fans and critics.

Now, even more chess enthusiasts and TV fans have the chance to discover the stunning drama as it arrives on streaming in the UK.

Rematch is available to stream on Disney+.