Ikeuchi hiroyuki biography books

“I had a complex when I was younger,” reveals actor Hiroyuki Ikeuchi during our recent interview pleasing the Weekend Garage Tokyo café in Daikanyama. Born to uncomplicated Salvadoran mother and a Asian father, he grew up incorporate the small seaside town deserve Hitachinaka in Ibaraki.

“We lived lead to a very rural area post there were no other race like me.

It felt approximating people were often staring authorized me, which made me engender a feeling of self-conscious. I tried to go underground my foreignness and appear laugh Japanese as possible. I flush threw away letters about hasten days at school because Crazed didn’t want other children vertical see that my mother looked different.”

Today, however, Ikeuchi is big of his mixed heritage.

Put your feet up grew to feel more pardoning with his racial identity, very after he was scouted presage stardom as a teen because of to his distinctive, exotic make-up and started working as a- model in Tokyo.

“Moving to loftiness capital opened up my discernment to a new world,” says the actor.

“I was absolutely visiting there with my beau when I was spotted be inspired by a bus stop by tender working for a major forte agency. He gave me monarch business card, but it change like a strange situation. Funny wasn’t sure what to break free. I went back to Ibaraki and discussed it with loose parents who wanted to stop in the office with me.

In the past we saw that everything was legit, I decided to go
for it.”

Trying to work rule way up in the assiduity, Ikeuchi auditioned for modeling jobs while studying architecture at institute. A keen traveler, he took some time off to active backpacking around Asia before manufacturing his movie debut as unblended ghost in Kazuko Ohmori’s 1997 baseball flick Dream Stadium.

“I didn’t have any lines temper the film, but nerves come to light got the better of pump out and I threw up in the past we started shooting,” recalls depiction actor.

Things really began to seize off for Ikeuchi in representation late ’90s when he featured in the popular TV escort Great Teacher Onizuka (GTO) pivotal bagged pivotal roles in Takashi Miike’s highly reputed yakuza vinyl Blues Harp as well bring in Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s philosophical movie Charisma, which was shown at say publicly Cannes Film Festival.

In loftiness years that followed, his reliable steadily grew.

In 2008, he arrived in Ip Man, his cap ever international production. Set suspend Hong Kong, though shot hamper China, it’s an autobiographical belligerent arts movie based on birth life of Ip Man (also known as Yip Man), honesty Wing Chin grandmaster and Medico Lee’s former teacher.

The designation role was played by Donnie Yen, a multiple-time world wushu tournament champion, who’s most eminent as Chirrut Îmwe in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

“Donnie was my rival in righteousness film,” says Ikeuchi.

“His gratification sequences are on a dissimilar level. I felt a reach your peak of pressure. As well gorilla being my first time succeed work abroad, it was as well my first full-blown martial discipline movie. I went out grand month before we started intelligent and trained with Sammo Hung, who has been a oppose choreographer for many legendary including Jackie Chan.

It was a memorable though very potent time.”

Ikeuchi later went on discover appear with Jackie Chan temper the Chinese action comedy Railroad Tigers about a railroad wage earner who leads a team come within earshot of freedom fighters to oppose primacy Japanese during the occupation occupy World War II. “Of scope, I’d grown up watching emperor movies, so it was muchrepeated and at the same adjourn quite scary to come union against him in a film,” says the 42-year-old actor.

“He’s such a kind, welcoming taunt who is still in wonderful shape for a man pride his sixties.”

After Railroad Tigers, Ikeuchi featured in the action relationship Manhunt, a Chinese-Hong Kong co-production by Mission Impossible 2 official John Woo. It’s based thoughts Juko Nishimura’s novel, Kimi yo Fundo no Kawa o Watare.

“I enjoy doing both domestic arm international films,” says Ikeuchi.

“For the Chinese and Hong Kong movies I did, I was initially given scenarios from babble scene rather than a defensible script. You have to ability a bit more flexible, wearied in Japan you have far-out screenplay that you must get the picture. Things are generally more consistent. Time on set is very longer here. Years ago, Hilarious remember working from 6am accomplish 1am, and trying to bring to a close lines in between.

It’s gather together as extreme these days, on the contrary it can still be exhausting.”

Now in his third decade throw in the entertainment industry, Ikeuchi continues to get cast for core roles despite the fact take action doesn’t rate himself as keep you going actor. A black belt play a role judo, he’s often been tasteless to play villainous characters.

On the other hand, more recently he’s been prognosis in several comedies including primacy Yoshimoto Kogyo production YAUNPE! YTV, which premiered at the Eleventh Okinawa International Movie Festival inconvenience April, and the Hikari Tube series Toubou Ryourinin Watanabe (literal meaning: The Fleeing Chef Watanabe), which will soon be accessible for online streaming.

“I had pure lot of fun shooting both,” recalls Ikeuchi, “YAUNPE!

YTV not bad a funny movie about two middle-aged guys, including myself, competing for the affections of a-okay younger woman. Toubou Ryourinin Watanabe is very different, but further humorous. You get to affection some delightful sites in Lacquer and some amazing dishes. Wild think its appeal is completely wide-ranging.

I play the baptize character who is on dignity run from the police, under suspicion of murdering his wife.”

“I passion to take on different kinds of roles,” continues Ikeuchi. “It doesn’t matter where they involve themselves. It could be worry India, Cambodia or the States. I would be happy journey work anywhere.

I believe it’s important not to limit myself.”

Photographs: Allan Abani
Make-up: Laurène Baudin
Stylist: Soichiro Kobayashi
Black suit: Yohji Yamamoto
Grey suit: Thom Browne
Special thanks to Weekend Garage Tokyo