Hiroyuki Sanada Articles Gallery - Aegis Interview Clip

< Article Posted 09/18/2005 >

Interview from Aegis Interview Clips

Download the .mpg file from here: (Aegis Movie Clip)

<Female reporter>
The story is about the fight of the special mission member and the crew. The original novel is by the best-seller writer, Harutoshi Fukui, known for "Lorelei". And the cast is Hiroyuki Sanada, Akira Terao, Koichi Sato, and Kiichi Nakai - such a gorgeous team.

Among them, this time, the main cast Mr. Hiroyuki Sanada took time to answer our exclusive interview. The filming was done on one of the only four Aegis warships in Japan, with the full cooperation of Self Defense Forces.

<Sanada>
Well, it was beyond my imagination. The scale, of course, and there were switches to launch the real missiles and firearms right there. It made me feel a bit strange.

<Female reporter>
In addition, they made the life size Aegis ship set in Shizuoka Prefecture, which cost 350 million yen ($3.5mil.).

<Sanada>
They built the huge life-size set in Shizuoka. It was so real that sometimes I could not tell whether I was on the real ship or the set. That means a big applause to the staff who built the set. (clapping)

<Female reporter>
To respond to such passion of the staff, Sanada-san played all the dangerous scenes by himself, without a stuntman.

<Sanada>
Not only action, but also singing and dancing, or any other kinds of skills - well, a stuntman is human, so there must be nothing that I cannot do, with training.

<Female reporter>
Nothing that he cannot do, with training. That is Sanada-san's belief. Just like his words, he spends most of his private time for study and training, so he can adjust himself anytime for all types of movie roles. And his current challenge is lauguage.

<Sanada>
The wider my working field expands internationally, language fluency in English, or Chinese, is like a license, so to speak. So if I have any free time, I learn the language.

<Female reporter>
The thing Sanada-san is the most conscious of right now is the international movies. Since his appearance in a Hollywood movie "The Last Samurai", the offers from foreign countries keep coming. In The Last Samurai, Sanada-san made many suggestions even about small things, such as costume and properties. It was motivated by his pride as a Japanese actor.

<Sanada>
I did not want to leave something that looks funny to Japanese people, and especially because it would be delivered to the world. So I didn't mind even if it became my last Hollywood movie, or if I became the nuisance to them. I wanted to put an end to the era in which we have to act like the foreigners' image of Japan. I think it is our generation's duty to change that situation and lead into the new era. In that sense, in the cultural aspect, the real "country opening" is just starting now. So I feel like I am in the end of Edo era (when Japan opened the country to foreign relationships).

<Male reporters>
Oh, his words have so much depth. Anyway, they spend so much money for Aegis! "Samurai Commando Mission 1459" is shown right now, and like that movie, SDF cooperation makes the movie so real. Fukui's works are so popular lately, aren't they? His original novel is SO good, too. The book is about 6cm thick, but I could read it through easily.

<Female reporter>
Well, Sanada-san has already finished the filming of this movie, and in May, he will go to Cannes for his Chinese movie, "WuJi - The Promise".

<Male reporter>
Oh, with Jang Dong-kun.

<Female reporter>
Yes.

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