Hiroyuki Sanada News

Sanada-san in men's fasion magazine

Sanada-san interview was on men's fasion magazine Men's EX.  There is a link to its webpage, which has Hiro's photo on the cover page.

Men's EX translation

Enjoy!

Misty

ZAKZAK translation on Akir's blog

Our dear Akira has done it again!!  She has posted the translation of ZAKZAK article that I posted yesterday.  It is another great article.

AKIRA's blog

Annie informed that she cannot acces to Akira's site from China, for whatever reason, so I am pasting the whole entry, with Akira's permission.  I did the same thing to the previous entry for PRESIDENT article, so annie and other Chinese fans, please refer to President article.

Thanks, Akira!!

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Foresight, preparation and prediction, vision as an actor　

・Sanada-san looked back at the scene that he killed his brother Tadayoshi with poison. He said “When I bring this scene to mind, I still feel like hell. When I went to the set, I was disconsolate about that scene. ” (About Takauji in “Taiheiki”)

・Sometimes he goes to the set, getting into character… and sometimes he acts without thinking. It depends on the film.
The Last Samurai was the toughest film for him to prepare.

・He said “I have to play same scenes at full speed dozens of times a day or spend two days. I spent two hours a day training. I choreographed fighting scene (with Tom) and dancing scene and taught kimono-wearing to wardrobe. And I made props myself.”

・In Japan, it's quite common that there are only one rehearsal and real part. But Hollywood is different.　Hollywood has a plenty of money and time.
Sanada-san said “I felt happy, but I recognized that I have to have physical capacity and concentration to keep up with it in order to survive.”

・In RH3, he was his natural self.　He said “Face-to- face situations made reality. I thought it's a good way to let audience know our characters. Jackie and I can do it. RH3 is an action comedy and we don't have to pursue a reality. But we can't realize full measure of our emotion without reality.”

・Prediction is another important thing for actors. They have to plan their schedule for shooting.

・Filming schedule is fluctuating. So he said “I have to predict it with many years of experience.”
He added “If I'm not in top condition for the shooting, it's my fault. I am projected on the screen, so I always keep an eye on me not to be too excited and waste. But I don’t know how to figure out it. I have to know instinctively.”

 

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Misty

Another article on Japanese site

Here is another nice interview article on ZAKZAK in Japanese.

ZAKZAK

He talks about how to prepare for the acting work, and that the toughest preparation he had to do ever was "The Last Samurai".

Misty

New magazine interview!

My dear Akira has translated a NICE interview article on President magazine in Japan!!!

President Interview translated by Akira

(and by the way, if you happen to see her previous HILARIOUS entry to this one --- the cartoon is about Akira going crazy when she got hold of used Intermezzo posters from an clothing store, and in the last frame, the blue Moomin is her husband calling the police.  --- Intermezzo is a men's clothing brand by Renown and Hiro has been their spokesman for a long time.)

President is actually a business magazine, sort of like "Fortune" or "Forbes" in the U.S.  So the tone of the article is a bit different.  I know that his article had been in many different publications, but President was never heard of...  and I think it is GREAT, that means he is now recognized as a personality among business people, not just as an entertainment world celeb, and particularly as a role model in global stage.

Here is the translation by Akira:

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About RH3
The series is a drama filled with laughter and tears and it's very American.
My role was to act dramatically in this film. When we met first, Brett said to me "I want to integrate drama and action. I need someone who can do both ways for this. You are the only one who can do it." It makes me feel better. I got roped in.

In my 20's, I wanted to foray into movie market worldwide and join the RSC someday. But I did it in reverse order. I got rattled but I thought it was a chance of lifetime. If I'm well-prepared, I couldn't do it without offer. Let's take a chance, I thought. As a result, it gives me the impetus to do my international activities. With those experiences, I was able to act emotional fighting scene in RH3.

About Jackie
We both grew up in Asia and trained our body and act… We've known each other for 20 years but not worked together. This is the first time to work with him in a foreign country and in a movie market worldwide. There were overlaps between our history and character. So I thought we could overcome everything even if we have many difficulties.

Due to some scheduling problems, we couldn't work together although I got offer over and over again. During the last two decades, we had many opportunities to bump into each other. For example, we met at the hotel in Morocco and talked about many things at a moonlit poolside. I thought we were doomed to be just friends but RH3 was coming.
"Why now?" "We can do it now." I thought. This time, I was able to see his filmmaking verve and talent, professional, artistic aspects. It helped me become more familiar with him. Making film together is the best way to figure each other out. It was worth it.

Whenever we met, we talk about movies. During the filming, we talked about a lot of things, getting rid of chairs we broke. Jackie said "We happen to be here at the right time. There will be the evolution of CG technology and due to a regulatory constraint of the union, we won't be able to do a stunt even though we want to do it." It was very striking for me.

About himself
I live in Los Angels because I thought it's a seeding time now. But I don't adhere to Hollywood and I'm not going to live permanently there. If my activities can develop the market in Hollywood, it makes us introduce Japanese movie more easily. I'm trying for that purpose. After I harvest a crop, I will start to cultivate another field. Anybody can start his own business at the field I cultivate. I don't want to keep it to myself. For me, there is no border between Japan and Hollywood and Europe. My life has only just begun. I just got a leg up on life.

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Misty

RH3 debut at No. 1 in Japan

Last weekend Japanese box office result is up on Box Office Mojo.  RH3 is at the top with $1,811,468!!  

Box Office Mojo -Japan  

 In the most popular Japanese "Movie Ranking" system, they rank the movies according to number of admissions, rather than the gross. In this ranking, "Harry Potter" still is No. 1. In this system, when two movies are close together in admission (=number of people watched) numbers, "kids" movies with more kids who pay "kid discount" price still gets to be ranked higher than the "adult" oriented movies with more people paying the full price. So anyway, RH3 is No. 1 last weekend!!

 The weekend gross in Yen terms is 214mil. yen, and Eiga.com expects it may or may not surpass 1.5 billion yen with this momentum. "RH2" made 1.7 bil. yen in Japan, so I hope it at least surpass that number.

 Misty

"RH3" will be released in Taiwan!!

Yippeee!!  I am SOOOO happy to receive this e-mail from Emily today - RH3 theatrical release is now scheduled on Oct. 5!!  She was thinking that it won't, as Jackie Chan is not THAT popular enymore, but now KENJI will be in Taiwan, too!  I am SO happy to hear that.

Sanada-san has been VERY popular in Taiwan, so I hope he will also visit Taiwan before the release, maybe together with brother Jackie again - Emily, I pray for ya!!

Over in Japan, blogs such as RinRin's and Kenji's are exploding with fan's excitement!  I am curious how the box office will turn out over there.

Misty

So now Hiro is the star of English learners

A few days ago, there was an English intruction TV program aired in Japan.  This unique 30-min. program picks a few scenes from a movie and teaches English expressions out of them.  This time, Kenji was the example, and according to RinRin's and Akira's blog, and many Sanada-fans eagerly (in Akira's case, with bloody nose... ^O^) learned the phrase, "I think we both know that's not gonna happen."

Akira's blog  (8/21)  <- See her HILARIOUS illustraion!!

Then, today, sen at RinRin's site informed us of another stuff.  Japan Times, the largest English-language newspaper in Japan, has a magazine for Enlgish-learners, and this week issue's cover is again Kenji san.

Japan Times Weekly ST

Thank you, always, Akira, sen and RinRin!!

No offense to Jackie, but in RH3, it is true that Hiro's English was clearer than Jackie's, and it is nice that people see it as "good example" for Japanese English learners.  He has been basically learning it himself as adult - rather than having been in a family environment growing up overseas, or anything - and it certainly is encouraging to people who are learning English.  Never thought of it, but true, he is a role model here, too!!

Misty

Another nice article from Japan

Tomorrow is the release date of RH3 in Japan, and *some* Japanese fans are running around crazy with anticipation!!

To fuel their excitement, here is another nice interview article of Jackie and Hiro in Japan, which RinRin, as always, kindly informed me.

cinema today article

Enjoy, folks!!

Misty

Jackie Chan interview in Japan

RinRin is reporting a nice interview script of Jackie Chan, which was done in Japan.  He talks a lot about working with Hiro.  We heard a lot about working with Jackie from Hiro-side, so it's nice to hear Jackie's side story as well!!

CinemaVoice (Vol. 295)

Enjoy!!

Misty

RH3 related stuff

A nice interview, with nice photos, is up on a Japanese website. 

Cinema ComingSoon Blog

The questions are mostly focused on the relationships between Jackie and Hiro, and are pretty much the same as the ones already reported.  A few points that are new here are:

• The mutual trust is the key to draw out the good points of opposite cast member (as in the case of Tom Cruise and Jackie).  We are not getting together to become friends.  We cannot make good products by flirting each other.  We all play our own role, respect and then confront each other, and finally we can trust each other as a result.  The goal is to make good movie, so it is only when we achieve that goal and become satisfied, that we feel we want to work together and build a lasting friendship.  That is a proof that we had good shooting sessions.  As I go on to accumulate such experience, my circle gets wider and it bring about the next possibility.  That is the cham of this work  that I do.
• I like to do various types of role.  It is my pleasure to build a new character each time I get a new role, so I am trying not to build a wall around me.  It is because I have entertainment pieces such as "RH3" that my art-house films can be watched by many people.  I am enjoying such a gap - such as Jackie's enemy vs. Anthony Hopkins' lover.  The fact that I get such wide variety of offers make me think about my past, present and future.  I would love to keep doing it and have good wrinkles on my face.  I don't know when the "adult role" or "critical role" come about, so I want to keep building different experience.  I have so many great role models all over the world, so each time I meet such people, I get a lot of inspiration.  I want to jump into a new things without hesitation, and grab something to save it as my treasure, one by one.  I am just keep doing it.

Just like our old Hiro!!  He is always so humble and serious.  I hope he gets "the critical role" VERY SOON!!!

One more thing -- there is a photo of Hiro relaxing in a limo with Jackie on their way to Japan Premiere.

Jackie Chan's blog

It looks like the box office momentum of RH3 in the US has slowed down quite a bit this week, but I hope they get the second wind in Japan next weekend!!

Misty