Word: kaneshiro
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...ARTS Movies: Takeshi Kaneshiro Movies: An Affair to remember...
...Taipei artist-management company recruited him to be a pop idol when he was 15; Kaneshiro had the requisite looks but not the drive. "It took us two years to make him realize what he needed to do to be a pop star," says Eva Yao, Kaneshiro's longtime manager. "I would have to explain a lot of things to make him understand why he couldn't smoke or why he had to cooperate." His biggest shortcoming: "I couldn't sing," says Kaneshiro. Still, he endured voice and dance lessons and released Mando-pop albums with titles such as Tenderhearted...
...falls in love with an HIV-positive high-school girl, but it was a controversial premise, and the lead part was seen as a potential career killer. "No Japanese musician would take the role," Koiwai says. He was going to give up on the idea?until he saw Kaneshiro, who was only too happy to sign on. "I wanted to use actors who were different," Koiwai recalls. "I needed a cool actor." The series, God Please Give Me More Time, sizzled. It drew an astonishing 28.3% of Japan's viewing audience and was even credited with sparking a 62% increase...
...Kaneshiro's ability to act convincingly in several tongues helps explain his pan-Asian appeal. Because the characters of his name are read differently across the region, he's known as Kam Shing-mo in Cantonese, Kin Chengwu in Mandarin and Kim Sung Moo in Korean. "I feel weird sometimes," he says as he sips iced coffee in a secluded hotel caf? in Tokyo. "When people call me Mr. Kam, I'm like, who is Mr. Kam? Or they call me Mr. Kim, and I have to remind them that I'm not Korean." He admits his shape-shifting attributes...
...this month? In Turn Left Turn Right he plays "a normal guy leading a normal, lonely life," says Kaneshiro. Next, he's looking to conquer mainland China. Kaneshiro is scheduled this month to begin closed-set shooting with fabled director Zhang Yimou (Hero, Raise the Red Lantern) in an as-yet-untitled film set in the Tang dynasty. As always, his challenge is to test the boundaries of his craft, making each role fresh and unexpected. "A melody can be made with only a few notes, right? In acting, it's the same," says Kaneshiro. "There are only a limited...