Bistro SMAP at 20.6.2005
Guest: Ken Watanabe
Order: Western dishes using Japanese vegetables
For more photos of the show, please click here.
Find the photo album 'Bistro SMAP'.
(special thanks to mike-loves-riverphoenix for the wonderful translation)
(those marked in read is my personal comment)
Ken appeared on Japanese TV show "Bistro SMAP". It is part of a TV programme hosted by the pop music group SMAP. In Bistro SMAP, members of SMAP make dishes with anything the guest ordered in a competition style. It is a very popular show because all the members of SMAP are so good at cooking. They cook very unique and original dishes in every show. This time, Ken ordered "Western dishes using Japanese vegetables".
The host was Masahiro Nakai, who co-starred with Ken in "Suna no Utsuwa". So they talked about the drama, and with other members. Ken talked about their acting (he praised the young actors gently!).
An interesting story was mentioned. One of the members, Takuya Kimura, played a samurai in a drama, Ken was also in the studio, shooting other the movie. Ken watched Kimura's acting, and he decided to appear in Kimura's drama with no pay! When Kimura was going cut his stomach, Ken did the role of 'kaishaku-nin' (a person assisting an act of ritual suicide). Nobody can tell that the man behind Kimura was Ken! Ken agreed to play that role with no pay or no mentioning at the credit. He did it because "it sounded fun".
(the name of the samurai drama is Chuusin-gura 1/47. Click here for more info.)
He talked about his new movie, Batman Begins, of course, and his career in Hollywood. He said that he enjoyed being an actor because he felt free when playing someone else different from Ken. Also he thinks that he does not change his style of acting no matter he is in Hollywood or in Japan.
Talking about Batman Begins, Ken said that Ghul speaks strange language, and Ken made the language by himself. At the beginning, the director asked him to speak Japanese, but Ken created the new words for Ghul because Japanese audience would understand what he is speaking. Ken wanted Ghul to remain mysterious to all audience.
(It proves that Ken is so professional and tried to consider all audience as far as possible.)
Then he tasted the dishes happily (I can see Ken with so many facial expression, and you will find that Ken is really appreciating the dishes so much). He said that he loves cooking, and also watching people eating happily. He said that cooking is similar to acting as both of them can make someone happy. He likes pasta, especially the pasta of eggplants and leeks, and Japanese red pepper cooked by Kimura. Finally, he announced that the winner was the pair of Kimura and Shingo Katori. The present Ken gave out were two bicycles of Batman Begins. Ken was very friendly and relaxed.