Ken Watanabe

As Gareth Edwards starts shootingIt feels like it’s been a long time coming, but after a couple of years of rumours, producer scuffles, casting announcements and scriptwriter changes, the new version of Godzilla has finally kicked off shooting under the direction of Monsters’ Gareth Edwards. The start-of-production notice also includes a full cast list, with mention that Inception’s Ken Watanabe has signed on. He joins Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Juliette Binoche, David Strathairn...Read Full Story

Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven is turning Japanese, with Ken Watanabe in the lead. The remake is titled Yurusarezaru Mono and is set in Northern Japan in the 1880s. Director Lee Sang-Il (Villain) is at the helm, with Akira Emoto and Koichi Sata as co-stars. Yurusarezaru Mono begins production in Hokkaido in the fall. Full disclosure: I declined a starring role in the film to start a samurai-themed donut shop (Yojimdonuts aka Akira Crullersawa); I was replaced as manager by Christoph Waltz...Read Full Story

Women’s weekly magazine Josei Seven reports in their issue out Thursday that model and actress Anne Watanabe, 23, is dating actor Yukiyoshi Ozawa, 34. According to the article, Anne Watanabe, the daughter of actor Ken Watanabe, 49, has been seen dating Yukiyoshi at bars and restaurants in Tokyo founded by Ozawa's father - world-renowned music conductor Seiji Ozawa, 73. The article also says that Anne has been seen helping out in one of the bars, alongside Yukiyoshi. The pair played roles in...Read Full Story

Ken Watanabe (52) will be portraying former prime minister of Japan, Yoshida Shigeru, in a NHK drama series titled “Makete, Katsu~Sengo wo Tsukutta Otoko • Yoshida Shigeru~ (Victory after Defeat ~ The man who created post-war Japan, Yoshida Shigeru~)“, which will air at 9 PM every Saturday from September 8th and onwards. Tanihara Shosuke (40) will act as Shirasu Jiro, a close associate of former Prime Minister Yoshida and a negotiator for the General Headquarters of the Supreme Commander (GHQ...Read Full Story

Ken Watanabe’s ‘Unite For Japan’ was launched with the aim to raise funds for the earthquake effort. Please join them in showing Japan doesn’t stand alone by making a donation. No contribution is too small, and if we work together, we can make a difference. Here’s why Ken Watanabe started this fundraising effort: Japan was the recent victim of one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded. The magnitude 9.0 quake occurred off the coast of Sendai at 2:46pm on March 11, and triggered a powerful...Read Full Story