Tomohisa Yamashita, ‘Drops of God’ Star, Takes Over Collection Mania

Everybody says: “I really like you,” a minimum of in Lille, the place Japanese star Tomohisa Yamashita – on the town to advertise “Drops of God” – introduced followers to tears. With one admitting that because of his 2005 sequence “Nobuta Wo Produce,” the place he performed the character of Akira, she determined to not commit suicide 14 years in the past. 

“You saved my life,” she mentioned.

In between interacting with a clearly overwhelmed viewers, Japanese singer, dancer, speak present host and actor (“Name me Tomo,” he informed his followers) mentioned his multifaceted profession, one which began when he was simply 11 years outdated. 

“After I was a baby, there was a sequence on TV and the principle function was performed by a teen. I noticed there have been stars my age and reached out to businesses for auditions.”  

In 2004, he joined boy band NEWS.

“The producers introduced us collectively and mentioned: ‘O.Ok, you’ll be in a band. It was so sudden. We have been roughly the identical age and acquired on fairly effectively. We’d struggle, in fact, however we had a standard aim,” he mentioned, horrified by one of many band’s early movies screened in the course of the masterclass. 

“I’m breaking out in a chilly sweat. Sure, that’s me as a youngster. Stylish,” he laughed. 

“We gave loads of live shows, noticed our followers on a regular basis and that was vital to me. This can be a private opinion, however [Japanese entertainer] ‘idol’ is somebody who instills confidence and hope into different individuals. That’s how I see it.”

 Yamashita additionally mentioned his transfer into appearing, mentioning TV drama “Code Blue” as his favourite function. 

“It was a big slice of my life. This half has been important to me, I performed it for about 10 years,” he admitted.

“What drives me is curiosity. I’ve at all times been curious, at the same time as a baby. I’m always considering of the place I shall be in 5, 10 years. It’s troublesome whenever you do a number of issues, however you study from it. It fuels your work as an actor. Being right here is a crucial expertise too.”

Working exterior of Japan was his aim from the beginning, he mentioned, mentioning Spanish present “The Head,” Kevin Hart starrer “The Man from Toronto” and even later determination to go away his company in 2020 to work on his personal.

“I wished to broaden my horizons. As I mentioned, I’m a curious individual.” 

“My aim, wherever I’m, is to provide hope and a way of which means to individuals watching me. But it surely was my childhood dream to work overseas. My grandmother’s older sister married an American and her grandchildren would go to us in Japan. She would stroll into the home, not taking her footwear off. You at all times take your footwear off in Japan! It actually caught with me. I believed: ‘I wish to see the world and get a really feel of what’s accepted in one other tradition’.”

Netflix’s “Alice in Borderland” marked one other necessary step, though it additionally pressured him to embrace nudity on display. 

“I had a towel at first, however it was summer season, it was scorching. In the long run, it was fairly nice,” he laughed upon seeing one other embarrassing clip.  

“I needed to overlook about modesty and disgrace, however anyway… Since that function, I’m not afraid of something. It sparked one thing in me. While you play a component, it’s a must to reveal your self, additionally metaphorically. You actually must be bare in entrance of the digital camera. I learnt an excellent deal on that present.”

As messages from worldwide followers began to pour in, extra worldwide tasks adopted. Together with “Drops of God,” based mostly on a well-liked manga and premiering at Collection Mania, the place he performs a wine professional. 

“After I acquired the half, I began to get to know wine. I tasted loads of them, in order that was a really good time in my life. Behind a bottle of wine there’s historical past and custom, it’s all very romantic. I stayed at a winery for the shoot and the proprietor’s dream was to make higher wine than his grandfather’s. It’s a deep, religious world,” he mentioned, admitting he misplaced weight for the present. 

“While you shed weight, your sense of scent turns into extra acute. There have been loads of little particulars like that within the present. I believe it’s a must to develop into your character to a sure extent. It’s necessary to essentially dedicate part of your life to this.” 

Teasing an upcoming appearing challenge in Paris, he additionally mirrored on his future.

“I wish to be like [baseball player] Shohei Ohtani: I wish to do many issues. However I began out in music, so it stays necessary, and so is assembly individuals. I wish to depend on these random conferences.”