¡§The Crossing¡¨ features a medic witnessing scenes of chaos in the rear front of the Japanese war, interspersed with moments of beauty: the deer in Nara Park, the steam rising from a cup of tea¡K all the way to the present day, purified by experience and time.
Some things, wines and teas, get better with age; they need to be savored, given time to mature into their full flavor; as with wine, as with Takeshi Kaneshiro. After years of standing in the background, it¡¦s his time to shine now; not only is he more chic and handsome than ever, he¡¦s also more pure and soft; truly a thespian.
Remember Takeshi way back then? In his early twenties, he was fresh, sentimental, handsome, charming and had a smile that revealed a hint of shyness; youthful and boyish, he brought sunshine with him wherever he went. He was popular from north to south; for many, truly, Asia¡¦s Apollonian youth. Takeshi Kaneshiro was a natural fit for the entertainment industry; words like ¡§cool,¡¨ ¡§stylish,¡¨ ¡§it boy,¡¨ and so on were always associated with him. And yet Takeshi always regarded his fame with a bemused smile; fame and success are nothing but fleeting gorgeous fireworks, but a work of art is like guiding star in the sky. It wasn¡¦t easy for him to get where he was; whether running errands for magazines, being a singer, or other odd jobs¡K for him, acting was always his passion. A Sino-Japanese mestizo, Takeshi¡¦s diversified international background and experience has always been his biggest asset. Bit by bit, he found himself on the way to becoming one of Asia¡¦s hottest male stars. With time, people started to notice more profound elements to his work. No longer merely eye candy, his fans saw depths of passion within his soulful eyes. On the huge stage of fame, Takeshi never lost himself.§@ªÌ:
ªüºÞ ®É¶¡: 2014-12-7 21:43
Thirty is a milestone for everyone; Takeshi only matured, starting to work with directors like Wong Kar-Wai, Peter Chan, Zhang Yimou, and John Woo. No longer a teenybopper pinup, Takeshi began to establish his own interpretation of acting style, acting in numerous acclaimed work. John Woo¡¦s ¡§The Crossing¡¨ is the pinnacle of this triumph until now; John Woo insisted that Takeshi was the ideal choice for the role of Yan Zekun. After five years since the last time they¡¦d worked together, John Woo and Takeshi knew they needed to find another chance to collaborate. For Takeshi, an attractive script and role combined with an amazing director made ¡§The Crossing¡¨ the chance of a lifetime.
Time passes so quickly; in his early forties, with his personality evolving from from sentimental tenderness to calm and refined avuncularity, Takeshi has adopted a low-key lifestyle. Neither arrogant nor proud, Takeshi lives in the world while leaving a light footprint; polite, calm, and very Zen. In chatting with him, silence told as much as his words. For all of us who have loved him since day one, his eccentricities charm; we have grown up with this beautiful thespian, and will never abandon him in our hearts.§@ªÌ:
ªüºÞ ®É¶¡: 2014-12-7 21:46
Dialogue
These past few years, you haven¡¦t been acting much; what made you want to act in ¡§The Crossing¡¨?
John Woo had mentioned the idea of the film to me; I loved working with him, and it was an opportunity I had to take. I wanted to leave opportunities to young actors; it¡¦s important to know when to leave the stage; but this film seemed special. The character I play, Yan Zekun, is Taiwanese but in the Japanese military. I used the three languages interchangeably in the film, which was an amazing experience. The depth of cultural background and the well-written script makes this a project that I¡¦m very proud to have been involved with.
Was Yan Zekun a difficult character to act?
In the film, my character is trapped between worlds, and languages; our filming, too, fluctuated between these languages. However, the language was the easy part; the difficulty was in immersing myself in the character and his psychological dramas.
¡§The Crossing¡¨ tells the story of three people who, starting from a similar background, had totally different lives, experiencing all of the joys and sorrows of the war era. How do you see the concept of love as expressed in the film?
The cultural situation of that time, although dominated by the Japanese, is full of contradictions. In the end, whether Taiwanese or Japanese, we live within this history to this day; the education brought by the Japanese colonizers structured a society, but occasionally this structure felt tight and uncomfortable. Stuck between two cultures and worlds, it¡¦s exceedingly difficult to situate oneself and one¡¦s cultural identity.
In the process of filming, do you ever introduce your own ideas? For example, if you don¡¦t agree with some parts of the script or actions attributed to your character, do you try to rewrite them?
Yes. Sometimes if I think it doesn¡¦t work, I proposed something to the director. Most of the time, he agreed that I was right. Usually, actors are chess pieces, manipulated by the director, but this leaves little room for art. As an actor, I can put myself in a role and either give it depth or different contours, but I can¡¦t change the overall situation- that¡¦s for the director to choose. So I communicated my feelings to the director, but ultimately the authority was his.§@ªÌ:
ªüºÞ ®É¶¡: 2014-12-7 21:46
¤ùÀY¤ù§À: You Are My Destiny
´¡¦±: Diana, Put Your Head On My Shoulder, Adam and Eve, My Home Town, My Heart Sings, Kissing on the phone §@ªÌ:
Barbra ®É¶¡: 2015-6-14 12:58