There’s no doubt that American television networks know how to create great shows that appeal to not only domestic audiences, but to viewers overseas as well. They continue to produce some of the top-notch shows in the world, with high budgets that are on par with their cinematic counterparts. I know firsthand that major shows like 24, LOST, and Prison Break have huge fan bases in Japan — the international appeal of these shows is impossible to go unnoticed. An interesting recent development is that several producers have been turning their attention to the Japanese market for actors and actresses with which to inject “new blood” into their shows.
The FOX television series Bones just announced that they are casting singing and acting legend Seiko Matsuda as a Japanese journalist in their fifth season. She’s known as the “Japanese Madonna” and continues to enjoy great success since skyrocketing to fame in the ’80’s as a J-pop idol. I’ve never watched Bones, but this should be interesting.
Matsuda is not the only Japanese star to take on a role on an American television series. One of my favorite Japanese actresses, Yuko Takeuchi starred in an episode of ABC’s new series FlashForward last fall.
Japanese superstar Hiroyuki Sanada appeared on the first episode of the much-anticipated final season of LOST as new character Dogen, and it looks like he will be a regular this season. He is an actor that I truly respect and it’s been exciting to watch his break onto the American movie scene, with great roles in The Last Samurai and Sunshine.
“Sanada Hiroyuki has earned one of the greatest compliments an actor in Japan can receive, “engi-ha,†translated to mean “an actor who can really act.†Not only has he demonstrated his talents on the screens of Japan, but he has also displayed his swift martial arts abilities in America and around the world, in Warner Bros’ film The Last Samurai. In addition to film, Sanada has a rich history of theater acting performing in productions including Romeo and Juliet, Little Shop of Horrors, and Hamlet. He was the first Japanese actor to become a part of the Royal Shakespeare Company and starred in King Lear as the Fool. Sanada has won five Japanese Academy awards for Best Actor, including one for his lead role in Tasogare Seibei (The Twilight Samurai) which nabbed an American Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Film.” (from UCLA International Institute)
Whether American TV producers are bringing in Japanese talent to capitalize on the Japanese audience or these stars are gaining international recognition, it’s definitely an intriguing trend in American television and I’m curious to see whether or not it is just a temporary thing or if it’s something we will be seeing more of in years to come.
A new installment of LOST is about to air, I’m going to hop off to see what Sanada will bring to the story this episode….
megami via Livejournal
February 16, 2010 @ 10:19 pm
In terms of 24’s popularity, I <3 Kiefer Sutherland's commercials in Japan.
There's one for Calorie Mate where two guys are sitting around, one guy failed a test or something like that and has another coming up. His buddy says "24時間ã˜ã‚ƒç„¡ç†ã ã‚ã†â€ (in terms of cramming) and then Jack Bauer come running by after jumping off a helicopter. XD
Misono
February 16, 2010 @ 11:09 pm
LOL! I’ve seen a couple of his commercials, but that not that one – it sounds hilarious! 😀
Jeff Phillips
February 16, 2010 @ 11:03 pm
Awesome post! I am a fan of Sanada Hiroyuki, acually. I saw and enjoyed his performance in Sunshine, watched Twilight Samurai, and went ‘hey this guy looks really familiar… and then went and looked and realized I knew him from ‘The Last Samurai.’ Twilight Samurai was a great movie. I loved the ‘non-glamorous’ depiction. I have been a huge LOST fan in the past but have not started watching this season.. it was so long between seasons i had lost interest.. This gives me another reason to go ahead and catch up with it.
Misono
February 16, 2010 @ 11:12 pm
Sunshine was a great movie! I really liked it. 🙂 I have not had a chance to watch Twilight Samurai yet but hope to soon. He is a great actor and I’m a big fan as well.
LOST went a little downhill around seasons 3 and 4 in my personal opinion, but it started getting better last season, and hopefully we’ll get a lot of our questions answered now that it’s the final one! I agree that it’s hard for TV shows to hold your interest because there’s so much time in between… that’s why sometimes I wait until series are done to watch them all the way through, marathon-style. 🙂
Erri
February 17, 2010 @ 7:53 pm
I didn’t know Takeuchi Yuko was in a American drama! Do you know if she had any English lines? Didn’t she live abroad for a bit? She should know how to speak English… But I like her too! And I can’t believe Matsuda Seiko is going to be in Bones! I don’t watch TV but crazy that her of all people to be acting in America….
Misono
February 18, 2010 @ 10:12 pm
I didn’t know until my friend Akiho told me! I never got to watch the episode from FlashForward so I’m not sure whether she spoke English or not. The clips I found on YouTube were all Japanese. I didn’t know she lived abroad for a while! 英語çµæ§‹å–‹ã‚Œã‚‹ã®ã‹ãªï¼Ÿ She is so pretty and a great actress… I’ve liked her since I first saw her in the drama 「白ã„å½±ã€.
I was really surprised to hear that Matsuda Seiko was going to be on American TV, too! But apparently she has some training in English so she fit the requirements for the role. It’ll be interesting to watch….