„They Made No Secret of Their Displeasure”. Hiroyuki Sanada Saved a $454 Million Movie, Though the Director Did Not Want the Shogun Star in the Lead Role Alongside Tom Cruise
Hiroyuki Sanada helped the director's vision for the blockbuster starring Tom Cruise come to fruition, even though he didn't get the lead role there that some wanted to cast him in.
Hiroyuki Sanada is a movie star who is very popular not only in Japan, but also in other countries. The star has been highly regarded in his craft for years, currently celebrating Emmy success with Shogun, and filmmakers are eager to work with him, and even producers insist that he be involved in various productions.
And a similar situation occurred during the work on The Last Samurai, where the producers wanted Sanada to play the role of Katsumoto. The actor, who is rumored to be the “Tom Cruise of Japan”, was considered the best choice for the second lead role right next to Cruise himself. However, the director of the film, Edward Zwick, was of a completely different opinion, and he was keen to get Ken Watanabe for the role of Katsumoto. He described this in his book Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions: My Fortysomething Years in Hollywood (via Vulture).
Like many institutions in Japan, casting was often hierarchical. To play a part like Katsumoto, starring opposite Tom Cruise, it was assumed that Hiroyuki Sanada – often referred to as the “Tom Cruise of Japan” – would be cast in the role. But upon meeting Ken Watanabe, I was so taken with his unusual blend of strength, humor, and emotional availability that I decided to cast him.
Zwick's decision did not meet with the approval of the Japanese executives, who made no secret of their displeasure and considered the filmmaker's choice a faux pas.
Upon hearing of my choice of Ken, the Japanese representatives from Warner Bros. made no secret of their displeasure. They informed the executives back in Burbank that this was a terrible faux pas.
The importance of the director's vision was understood by Sanada, who had no intention of messing with it. As Zwick described it, the actor chose to appear in the film in a smaller role, which saved movie, because otherwise the director's dream casting might not have come to fruition. And with Sanada in the role of Katsumoto, we could have been dealing with a very different film.
It was Hiroyuki Sanada himself who came to the rescue. By agreeing to play Ujio, Katsumoto’s majordomo, he was making a strong statement in support of Ken and the movie.
With Sanada, Watanabe was given a chance to prove himself in The Last Samurai, proving that he deserved the role and the director was right to fight for his vision. Sanada, meanwhile, made his mark on the screen as Ujio. And Zwick's film was a hit, earning $454 million on a budget of $140 million.
