| Written by B.Slade & Kuno, updated: 21:07, 21-Apr 2009 | |||
| In this interview published yesterday, Kago talks about her movie "Kung Fu Chefs", her upcoming role in the next installment of the "Ju-On" franchise, and her plans to release new music soon | |||
Kago: Okay. I'd only just made my show business return, and I was trying to decide what kind of work I should be doing, when I was told about "Kung Fu Chefs". I'd never been to Hong Kong, for work or for pleasure, and it would be a month-long stay instead of just 2 or 3 days. Everything would be a new experience for me, so I couldn't help being uncertain at first (lol).
Q: It would be your major movie debut, and your first time doing action work, right?
Kago: That's right. Right after I arrived in Hong Kong, I had 3 days off. So I started practicing for the action scenes and taking the time to get used to the city. I went to a lot of places in those 3 days, and experienced a lot of things. I think I absorbed a lot of Hong Kong culture. If you just honk your horn once there, the people are very polite (lol)
Q: What was it like when it came time to actually film your action scenes?
Kago: Action is just like dance, since you have to learn the choreography first. Once you've got that down, you know how you're supposed to move, and the most important thing is being able to act while doing the moves! But because it happens so quickly, I was always forgetting. I'm unathletic and bad with directions (lol), so it was tough for me. But I learnt a lot on the set.
Q: Because it was your comeback work, did you think of it as something you had to be enthusiastic with?
Kago: Yeah. But not just my comeback work "Kung Fu Chefs". I'm enthusiastic about any work I do now. When I went to Hong Kong for it, I knew nobody would know me overseas, so I had to make myself a representative of Japan. Everybody there was so professional, so that was a big incentive.
Q: Did Hong Kong movie legend Sammo Hung give you any advice?
Kago: I was lucky to see his action scenes being filmed live just before my own action scenes, but because we couldn't communicate with words, we didn't really mix at first. So in the beginning, I just watched every take of him being filmed, and he never seemed to get tired! You can really feel his aura just by watching his movies, but he was even more amazing in person!
Q: Were there any interesting episodes with the hot young actor Vanness Wu?
Kago: While we were filming, Vanness Wu was always drawing. I don't know if he's any good, but his drawings have character (lol). He seemed to be working hard on his drawings every day, but depending on the day, they'd always come out differently (lol). One day I asked him about it, and he explained it was a picture of a hand coming out of a leaf. I drew a picture of an elephant beside it, but it felt like on that day, Vanness Wu expressed the way he was feeling in his picture (lol)
Q: Apart from the difficulties of doing an action movie, do you have lots of fun memories from it?
Kago: A lot of it was hard, bet there were fun times, too. In the dressing room area, we'd all get together and watch Sammo Hung's movies. But sometimes when he left the room, we watch something else on TV instead (lol) But we'd always watch music shows when Vanness Wu's F4 came on. Everybody had a good time! Sometimes Japanese TV shows would be on, and shows with me singing (lol)
Q: With all those memories from "Kung Fu Chefs", what were your impressions when your first got to watch it?
Kago: It was different from the script and story I'd been given at first, and the ending was changed a little. There were some scenes that weren't included, and it didn't follow the script exactly, so that was a surprise. But it was a strange feeling. It was strange seeing myself in a movie, and I tried to watch objectively at first. I just watched the cooking and everyday scenes silently, and it really touched my heart! I think there's a lot of humanity packed into the movie, and it really turned out great.
Q: How did it feel having your first work since your comeback overseas instead of in Japan?
Kago: It would sound really cool if I said it was great, but looking back now, I think it was a good thing that my first comeback job was in Hong Kong. I could keep on being myself, which maybe I couldn't do in Japan (lol). And going overseas, nobody knows who I am. That let me live my life in a way even I didn't know I could. It's really strange. There's no need for a Kago Ai overseas, so I can be coloured by each country. I want to be coloured by them. I want to absorb everything.
Q: Please tell us your dreams, hopes, and goals for your future show business work.
Kago: Right now I want to earn the title "actor". The other day I acted a part in a horror movie coming out in summer, the new film in the "Ju-on" series! I thought at the time that I had horror acting ability. You have to be able to act scared of something that isn't there. As it happened, when I had to make a lot of noise, the other actors and the staff all encouraged me, and I overcame it with power. It was tough, but I had a lot of fun.
Q: Do you feel like you've learnt something about acting from "Kung Fu Chefs" or the new "Ju-on" movie?
Kago: Before filming starts, before I start acting, I write down a detailed analysis of my personality in a notebook. Then I analyse the character I'm going to be playing. Then I compare to see which parts are like me, and which parts aren't and write out what needs to change. I think that's a good idea. I got more confident after "Kung Fu Chefs", so I want to take this chance to work hard as a movie actor.
Q: You're planning to sing songs produced by Nakanishi Keizou, so it sounds like you've got a lot of activity ahead of you!
Kago: Yeah. The songs will be released in June. But because I'm creating something writing these songs, I don't think it's enough to just be satisfied with it myself. So when the fans receive it, I want to hear all the good and bad impressions of it. It's just like at a restaurant (lol). You want to hear all different viewpoints and impressions, from delicious to awful. I want to keep on growing as an actor, but a also want to be someone who can do anything in the future.
By: Aita_Chan
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar