Tadanobu Asano
People
“I feel I don’t belong anywhere.
That’s my identity.”
Tadanobu Asano
Born in Yokohama, Japan, in 1973. He got his first TV role when he was in junior high school. Since then, his acting career has taken off — he constantly gets calls from internationally-acclaimed directors, including Takeshi Kitano, Nagisa Oshima, Yoji Yamada, Takashi Miike, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Hirokazu Koreeda, Shinya Tsukamoto, Katsuhito Ishii, Shunji Iwai, Shinji Aoyama, and Hsiao-hsien Hou, to name a few. His international breakthrough was “Ichi the Killer,” directed by Takashi Miike in 2001. In 2005, he made his directorial debut with “Tori,” which was screened at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2006. His latest movie “Mongol” has been nominated for Best Foreign Language Film in the 80th Academy Awards. Outside of acting, he devotes himself to music, drawing, and designing clothes. He started his fashion brand, Jean Diadem (www.jeandiadem.com), in 2005.
Sadomasochistic yakuza, sly bank robber, heartbroken orphan, cult runaway, dim-witted jiujitsu fighter–Tadanobu Asano has clearly not been limited to just one type of role. This versatile Japanese actor, who is one quarter Native American, now plays the legendary conqueror Genghis Khan in the movie “Mongol.” After a special screening of his films in Washington, D.C., he shared his true face with Chopsticks New York.
Is this the first time that your films have been screened together outside of Japan?
There was a retrospective in London about 10 years ago. It’s the second time since then. I like to talk with the audience of this type of tribute film screening because I feel more relaxed than I do at a premiere.
Your character in “Mongol” is completely different from the ones you have played in the past; he is a legendary hero and non-Japanese, plus it is a costume drama. Did you have any difficulty with this role?
I had to face with plenty of new things: speaking Mongolian, riding horses… Learning horseback riding was particularly tough since I hadn’t done it at all before. My butt was skinned, actually. That was indescribably painful.
How about swordplay?
That was also tough. We had two separate principal photography periods that each lasted two months. In the first period, which was from fall to winter, we had a Korean action director. He taught us Korean-style fighting steps, which were completely different from the Japanese style. When I happened to take Japanese steps, he got really mad at me. I had trouble working with him. Anticipating that I would have to work with him in the next shooting period, I secretly practiced Korean-style steps, but he did not show up on the set. Instead of him, we had action directors from Kazakhstan. I got along very well with them. They were a big help to me.
Characters you have played before were divided into two distinct types: extremely hip, cool guys and miserable losers, with nothing in between. How do you switch the mode of your acting style?
I am not good enough to change my acting style. I just play my roles. It’s because the original characters themselves are different, perhaps.
Once entering the principal photography stage, do you become obsessed with your role and drag it into your private life?
Never. I forget everything about the role once my duty is over on any given day.
You have worked with many acclaimed filmmakers. Describe the following directors in a word or so. First, Takashi Miike.
The best.
Takeshi Kitano.
Comfortably wound-up.
Katsuhito Ishii.
Funny.
Shinya Tsukamoto.
Hmm, feminine.
Kiyoshi Kurosawa.
How can I describe him? Well, smart and twisted.
Finally, the director you have just worked with recently, Yoji Yamada.
Well, I can’t think of any good word to describe him. As you know, he is like the heir to Japanese cinema. He’s kept the good aspects of Japanese film seriously, and he kindly shares them with us.
Did I miss anybody?
Maybe Nagisa Oshima?
Oops. How is the master?
Audacious.
Are you conscious of your identity as a Japanese actor when you work with multinational filmmakers?
I don’t think so. Actually, sometimes I enjoy finding my non-Japanese side. In my opinion, it’s not necessary to be categorized in one group. I like to think that way.
So how do you position yourself in those working environments?
It is hard to explain, but I feel I don’t belong anywhere. That’s my identity.
Suppose you had a chance to appear in an Akira Kurosawa movie 40 or 50 years ago. Which movie would you want to get involved in?
Of course, “Seven Samurai.”
Which part?
Seiji Miyaguchi’s part. [Character name: Kyuzo]
That’s the coolest part.
Indeed.
Suppose you had an offer to play the protagonist in a Hollywood road movie. If you were allowed to pick your sidekick, who would you choose?
Willem Dafoe.
What kind of road movie is that?
What kind of movie is that? Hmm, the trip of an irresponsible American and a Japanese who knows nothing about America.
Okay, if it were a road movie in Japan, who would be your sidekick?
Who would it be??? There are a lot of Japanese actors I like to work with.
It doesn’t have to be a Japanese. Just think about how wonderful it would be if you had a trip with…
Jackie Chan!
Sounds fun. Well, which director do you want to work with in the future?
Yang Zhang. He directed “Shower” and “Quitting.” I once revealed that I would love to work with the director to my Chinese co-worker on the set, and he said, “Don’t ever think about it.”
How about a Hollywood director?
The director of “American Beauty” [Sam Mendes]. I don’t remember his name, but I do like the movie.
This is the last question. What would you recommend if someone were visiting Japan?
I grew up in Yokohama, so I do recommend Yokohama. Also, I like Kamakura and the ocean side of that neighborhood. It would be fun to see the Daibutsu [a huge statue of Buddha] as well.
Would you be more specific–which part of Yokohama do you recommend?
Naka-ku.
What’s in Naka-ku?
My kindergarten. [laughs] Seriously, there are some sightseeing sites in the ward such as Chinatown.
— Interview by Noriko Komura
MONGOL (2007, Kazakhstan)
Directed by Sergei Bodrov
Written by Sergei Bodrov, Arif Aliyev
Starring Tadanobu Asano
Award-winning Russian director Sergei Bodrov (“Prisoners of the Mountains”) depicts the early life of Genghis Khan, the legendary conqueror of Eurasia in the 13th century. A multidimensional portrait of the future conqueror reveals him not as the evil brute of traditional stereotype but as an inspiring, fearless, and visionary leader. Asano plays the protagonist, Temudgin (a.k.a. Genghis Khan), who was a slave before going on to conquer half the world. He captures the inner fire that enabled a hunted boy to become a conqueror. The film is nominated for Best Foreign Language Film in the 80th Academy Awards. It will hit theaters on June 6th.
Photos by Alexander Zabrin. ©2007 Picturehouse
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