Post by SamIAm on May 24, 2005 8:06:36 GMT -5
Article : A Movie Legend in the Making
Original Source : South China Morning Post
Author : AW Ambrose
Date : 24 Sept. 1999
For an artist, making it in either Hong Kong or Taiwan can lead to success in the other but many have found out the hard way that Japan is a different market altogether.
So when one can lay claim to be a success in all three - and also to have Hollywood beckoning - that is something special. That person is Takeshi Kaneshiro.
"I think I am a very lucky person, but at the same time I work very hard," Kaneshiro, the 26-year-old Japanese-Chinese heart-throb, says.
The success has placed heavy demands on Kaneshiro's time, and with his concentrating on Japan the actor finds that he has very little time to spare. He could spend only two days in Hong Kong to promote his latest movie, Tempting Heart, which opened last week.
The film, directed by Taiwanese actress-turned-director Sylvia Chang Ai-chia, also stars Gigi Leung Wing-kei and Karen Mok Man-wai.
"I thought it was a great experience to work with Chang, as she was such a talented artist," Kaneshiro says.
"Before I joined the industry, I had no idea about her background and I knew only that she was a popular actress of an earlier era. But when I worked with her, I found her to be very different from the others, and was very impressed by her work attitude."
Chang has said that she would not have directed the movie without Kaneshiro, who she thought was perfect for the role.
"I thought he possessed the charm of men of the 1970s and I remembered that when I started to think about the script, he was the first choice of the role," Chang said.
Kaneshiro insists he is unaware of what it was in him that impressed Chang but says he liked the script.
"When I first received the script, I found the story very interesting. But I did not take the offer immediately, as I found the role was not that challenging. But later, when they revised it, I found that there would be a lot more room for me to act," he says.
Tempting Heart is the story of first love between Ho-jun (Kaneshiro) and Sheo-rou (Leung). It is told by Sheo-rou, who has grown up to be a director and is making a film about her life. The elder Sheo-rou is played by Chang, and this has given rise to speculation that the story is her own.
Kaneshiro laughs when this is mentioned, and says he thinks that only part of the story can be true.
"During the filming, we always teased Chang and most of us were curious if it was her true story. Of course there's no way we could find out the truth," he says.
Kaneshiro's big break came when he was 15 and appeared in an advertisement in Taiwan. He achieved teen-idol status when he began making movies and releasing solo albums in Taiwan and Hong Kong.
But in 1997, he decided to explore the Japanese market after starring in two movies directed by Hong Kong's Wong Kar-wai that became cult hits - Chung King Express and Fallen Angels.
With his fluent Japanese and good looks, Kaneshiro has become hot property in Japan and his first drama there, God! Please Give Us A Little More Time, was one of the highest rating on television.
Later, he became the first Chinese cover model of Men's No-No, a popular fashion magazine in Japan.
The actor, who now spends most of his time in Japan, denies suggestions that this means he wants to abandon the Chinese market. This is a misconception, he says.
"It's true that over the past few months I was very busy in Japan and spent less time in Taiwan and Hong Kong. But it was only because I had several projects on hand there and I had to finish them as soon as possible," he says. "It's not true that I have forgotten about Taiwan and Hong Kong."
He says that investment was poor in these markets in the past year, because of the recession.
But he still has feelers out. "As far as I know, several Chinese film companies had approached my manager to discuss the matter.
"If there is a good script and my schedule is available, I would like to make another Chinese movie again," he says.
Kaneshiro says he accepts roles based on their quality.
"Basically my main concern is whether or not the role is challenging. Making a Chinese movie or a Japanese movie is the same to me.
I just want to make some good movies and hope that audiences appreciate them," he said.
Kaneshiro is now working on a Japanese movie, tentatively called Space Traveller, which is scheduled to be released in Japan this year. He says he hopes the movie is also released elsewhere in Asia.
"I think it would be great if more and more people could see my work, no matter [if] it's in Chinese or Japanese. As long as people see it and they like it, I would feel very happy," he says.
Apart from making movies, Kaneshiro has appeared in print modelling for the fashion house Prada. He also recently gave his time freely to help produce a computer game in Japan.
Similar to the popular game, Bio-hazard, this one is to use Kaneshiro's image and voice for its main character.
The experience was interesting, Kaneshiro says.
"Basically I am a computer-game fan. When the company approached me and said [it] would like to develop a game for me, I was thrilled. So I said yes immediately, even though I would not receive any pay for it," he says.
He defends his decision not to accept payment, and says the project was more personal than business.
Kaneshiro has found that the fame brought by success has curtailed his private life. Nevertheless, he says that at home his best entertainment is his computer and the Internet.
"Sometimes if I do not have to work, I would play computer games with my friends or chat with them. Sometimes I play games with people I do not know as well," he says. "Of course I don't use my real name and only my close friends would know my fake name on the Net. I think this is very convenient, and I really enjoy it. Of course you have to learn how to protect yourself as you can't know with whom you are playing. My basic rule is not to disclose my personal information and at the same time not to ask the others about theirs."
Kaneshiro also takes time out to put to rest fears that surfaced when he was last in Hong Kong: the rumour mill had him suffering from a bone disease that had forced him to stop working.
Kaneshiro says it was all untrue.
"At first I thought it was some kind of illness, as I was feeling pain for a period of time," he says. But Kaneshiro's doctor gave him the all-clear.
He says he thought that the media had been too quick to play up the rumour, but nonetheless adds: "Still I am grateful for everyone's concern."
Original Source : South China Morning Post
Author : AW Ambrose
Date : 24 Sept. 1999
For an artist, making it in either Hong Kong or Taiwan can lead to success in the other but many have found out the hard way that Japan is a different market altogether.
So when one can lay claim to be a success in all three - and also to have Hollywood beckoning - that is something special. That person is Takeshi Kaneshiro.
"I think I am a very lucky person, but at the same time I work very hard," Kaneshiro, the 26-year-old Japanese-Chinese heart-throb, says.
The success has placed heavy demands on Kaneshiro's time, and with his concentrating on Japan the actor finds that he has very little time to spare. He could spend only two days in Hong Kong to promote his latest movie, Tempting Heart, which opened last week.
The film, directed by Taiwanese actress-turned-director Sylvia Chang Ai-chia, also stars Gigi Leung Wing-kei and Karen Mok Man-wai.
"I thought it was a great experience to work with Chang, as she was such a talented artist," Kaneshiro says.
"Before I joined the industry, I had no idea about her background and I knew only that she was a popular actress of an earlier era. But when I worked with her, I found her to be very different from the others, and was very impressed by her work attitude."
Chang has said that she would not have directed the movie without Kaneshiro, who she thought was perfect for the role.
"I thought he possessed the charm of men of the 1970s and I remembered that when I started to think about the script, he was the first choice of the role," Chang said.
Kaneshiro insists he is unaware of what it was in him that impressed Chang but says he liked the script.
"When I first received the script, I found the story very interesting. But I did not take the offer immediately, as I found the role was not that challenging. But later, when they revised it, I found that there would be a lot more room for me to act," he says.
Tempting Heart is the story of first love between Ho-jun (Kaneshiro) and Sheo-rou (Leung). It is told by Sheo-rou, who has grown up to be a director and is making a film about her life. The elder Sheo-rou is played by Chang, and this has given rise to speculation that the story is her own.
Kaneshiro laughs when this is mentioned, and says he thinks that only part of the story can be true.
"During the filming, we always teased Chang and most of us were curious if it was her true story. Of course there's no way we could find out the truth," he says.
Kaneshiro's big break came when he was 15 and appeared in an advertisement in Taiwan. He achieved teen-idol status when he began making movies and releasing solo albums in Taiwan and Hong Kong.
But in 1997, he decided to explore the Japanese market after starring in two movies directed by Hong Kong's Wong Kar-wai that became cult hits - Chung King Express and Fallen Angels.
With his fluent Japanese and good looks, Kaneshiro has become hot property in Japan and his first drama there, God! Please Give Us A Little More Time, was one of the highest rating on television.
Later, he became the first Chinese cover model of Men's No-No, a popular fashion magazine in Japan.
The actor, who now spends most of his time in Japan, denies suggestions that this means he wants to abandon the Chinese market. This is a misconception, he says.
"It's true that over the past few months I was very busy in Japan and spent less time in Taiwan and Hong Kong. But it was only because I had several projects on hand there and I had to finish them as soon as possible," he says. "It's not true that I have forgotten about Taiwan and Hong Kong."
He says that investment was poor in these markets in the past year, because of the recession.
But he still has feelers out. "As far as I know, several Chinese film companies had approached my manager to discuss the matter.
"If there is a good script and my schedule is available, I would like to make another Chinese movie again," he says.
Kaneshiro says he accepts roles based on their quality.
"Basically my main concern is whether or not the role is challenging. Making a Chinese movie or a Japanese movie is the same to me.
I just want to make some good movies and hope that audiences appreciate them," he said.
Kaneshiro is now working on a Japanese movie, tentatively called Space Traveller, which is scheduled to be released in Japan this year. He says he hopes the movie is also released elsewhere in Asia.
"I think it would be great if more and more people could see my work, no matter [if] it's in Chinese or Japanese. As long as people see it and they like it, I would feel very happy," he says.
Apart from making movies, Kaneshiro has appeared in print modelling for the fashion house Prada. He also recently gave his time freely to help produce a computer game in Japan.
Similar to the popular game, Bio-hazard, this one is to use Kaneshiro's image and voice for its main character.
The experience was interesting, Kaneshiro says.
"Basically I am a computer-game fan. When the company approached me and said [it] would like to develop a game for me, I was thrilled. So I said yes immediately, even though I would not receive any pay for it," he says.
He defends his decision not to accept payment, and says the project was more personal than business.
Kaneshiro has found that the fame brought by success has curtailed his private life. Nevertheless, he says that at home his best entertainment is his computer and the Internet.
"Sometimes if I do not have to work, I would play computer games with my friends or chat with them. Sometimes I play games with people I do not know as well," he says. "Of course I don't use my real name and only my close friends would know my fake name on the Net. I think this is very convenient, and I really enjoy it. Of course you have to learn how to protect yourself as you can't know with whom you are playing. My basic rule is not to disclose my personal information and at the same time not to ask the others about theirs."
Kaneshiro also takes time out to put to rest fears that surfaced when he was last in Hong Kong: the rumour mill had him suffering from a bone disease that had forced him to stop working.
Kaneshiro says it was all untrue.
"At first I thought it was some kind of illness, as I was feeling pain for a period of time," he says. But Kaneshiro's doctor gave him the all-clear.
He says he thought that the media had been too quick to play up the rumour, but nonetheless adds: "Still I am grateful for everyone's concern."