BIFF 2011│Takeshi Kaneshiro: I'm still maturing, bit by bit

Takeshi Kaneshiro [Lee Jin-hyuk/10Asia]

On the fourth day of the 16th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), at a stage greeting held ahead of the showing of film "Wu Xia," actor Takeshi Kaneshiro brought about a confusion. No, to be more precise, his voice was what prompted the confusion. That is how powerful his brief words were, said while standing on stage with the movie's director Peter Chan and actress Tang Wei. His deep voice filled up the theater three-stories high and each and every word he uttered contained authority. So is it that his voice has always left such a strong impression? No, he is not an actor whose voice has been memorable. The 25-year-old guy he played in "Chungking Express" or the cute expressions he showed on camera in "First Love: The Litter on the Breeze," were all beautiful men who automatically made the viewer smile. The mysterious vibe about him came from his looks which differentiated him from Chinese stars made people fall in love with him, with no time to pay attention to his voice. However, this man who always drew reaction for his looks ahead of his voice, has gained a weightiness over the past 18 years through which he can now dominate a space with the mere sound from himself. He has come to be of an age where it is not awkward for him to play statesman Zhuge Liang in film "The Battle of Red Cliff" and has realized the joy to playing roles befitting his age.

Takeshi Kaneshiro [Lee Jin-hyuk/10Asia]

"Everything was refreshing at the time of my debut because I had never learned to act. And it was fun expressing the motions I had thought out for every single moment from within the environment I was placed in. Over time though, I gained experience by watching other people's acting and from within that, I learned the methods to acting. My acting suited my age when I was young and I think I should now show acting that suits my current age. I think the greatest joy lies in getting to continue to create through acting."

In "Wu Xia," one can see how Takeshi Kaneshiro has matured over the years as well as his fairness from before. The movie, full of stars in the China region, contained action and a sense of humor but posed a question, regarding the nature of human beings, that one cannot ignore. Kaneshiro, playing detective Bai-jiu, believes that "humans are no different from animals and there is no such thing as a good person" yet is a sensitive character who is neurotic and obsessive due to the trauma brought about by a past mistake by a person he believed was good-willed. Yet Kaneshiro added a sense of innocence to his depicting of reenacting cases and investigating thoroughly. Like the Zhiwu he played in "Fallen Angels," who was so cheerful even when taking a mug shot, when asked the secret to how he does not age, he responded, "I am still maturing bit by bit." That is how time will go backwards for Kaneshiro.

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