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Edmund Lee

48 HOURS: You've consciously established yourself as a fixture of art-house cinema over the years. Is there a reason behind your acting choices?
JOE ODAGIRI: This is indeed my personal preference. I don't think films are necessarily always about the mainstream. There's also an artistic side to cinema.
There's a story going around that you originally wanted to be a writer-director, but you ended up in an acting class by mistake. Is that true?
The full story is this: when I went to the US I was looking to enrol in a directing course. I couldn't find one, but eventually I found a programme called something like drama and theatre arts. I assumed "theatre" meant movies and "drama" involved directing. It's purely a misunderstanding that I got into that programme.
From what I hear, not only do you avoid making mainstream movies, but you also stay away from watching them. Is that true as well?
That is true.
You've said that you hate it when people remember you were the lead actor in [tear-jerking drama] Tokyo Tower: Mom and Me, and Sometimes Dad(2007). Have you changed your mind since?
[Laughs] I didn't intentionally hide the fact that I was in that movie — although it's true that Tokyo Tower belongs to a movie genre that I'm not very fond of. The production company behind Tokyo Tower [Shochiku] is actually the same one that produced my recent film  The Great Passage (2013). I'm going to say yes to any project they ask me to participate in.
What do you look for in a script?
When I receive a script, instead of focusing on the story I often try to imagine how the finished work will look as moving images. I look at the character that I'd be playing; if it's interesting enough, chances are I'd like to take part in the film.
I find it curious that, while you shy away from mainstream movies, you seem quite willing to take part in TV dramas.
I very much agree with what you say; there are indeed contradictions in my choices. The reason I take part in TV dramas is that there are things that only they can offer me, such as sponsors and audiences. As my TV audience ranges from children to elderly people, the plots of my TV dramas are usually quite easy to understand. I see it as a challenge to make a breakthrough with these straightforward stories. Charismatic projects are few and far between in Japanese cinema today, but it's hard to make money if you don't work in mainstream movies. That is unfortunate.
In recent years, you've ventured outside Japan to collaborate with filmmakers from Hong Kong, mainland China and South Korea. Are you looking to accomplish anything in particular by doing this?
It's not really a plan. To start with, the filmmakers invited me with their promising scripts. The other side of the story is that in Japan, because everyone is very kind to me, nobody points out whether I've done a good or bad job. Criticism about my performance is usually limited. It's only in overseas productions — where I can work with a production team that may have no idea of who I am — that I get to fully express myself.
Due to your notable fashion sense, it may be difficult sometimes for those unfamiliar with you to look past your appearance and recognise you as the serious actor that you are. Has it ever been a problem?
I had no idea that people thought I look like a fashion model — do they really? Then again, for me personally, it doesn't matter whether you see me as a model or an artist — the most important thing is that you have a good understanding of my personality.
You're sometimes described as the Johnny Depp of Japan. Are you OK with that description?
Johnny Depp is one of the people I admire a lot. I'm most honoured if you give me that label, but I don't think it's a suitable one.
 


The Inquisition: Joe Odagiri, actor

Japanese actor explains his love of the art-house genre

The Inquisition: Joe Odagiri, actor

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Japanese actor explains his love of the art-house genre

Japanese actor explains his love of the art-house genre