Ken Watanabe – The Star of the Godzilla Movies

The newest Godzilla adaption has finally rumbled into the cinemas, but the film divides the audience.  If you google it, you will find rates from two stars to four stars. I suppose this is because Godzilla is one of the many films people only can love or hate. (I personally like it very much. How about you?)

Dr. Ishiro Serizawa (Ken Watanabe) is one of the few characters who return from 2014’s Godzilla for Godzilla – The King of Monsters. Watanabe gives one of the most powerful performances in the film, especially at the very end (no spoiler here!). Watch movie trailer.

About Ken Watanabe

Ken Watanabe is a well-known Japanese actor. You most likely know him as Katsumoto from The Last Samurai or the Chairman from Memories of a Geisha.  If you’re living in London, you have probably heard about one of the most successful theatre plays last year: The King and I.

Well, The King and I was the Oscar-nominated actor, Ken Watanabe’s first theatre play. The play became so successful that after the performance session had ended, The King and I was played in cinemas all over the UK.

Here in London, we are lucky enough to meet such actors like Ken Watanabe personally if we are ambitious enough and invest a little time and energy into it. (wink)

Here is my story.

Since I am a huge fan of Ken Watanabe, I decided to give it a chance and went to London Palladium’s back door to meet him and his partner in the play: Kelli O’Hara. I arrived at the theatre around 9:00 pm. The performance ended at 9:30 pm but the earlier you arrive the better chance you have for an autograph and (maybe) a selfie.

Important: If you want an autograph from a well-known artist at a theatre, you have to purchase a program book beforehand (it usually costs £5) because they sign nothing else, but the program book and the tickets related to the actual show. If you just want a selfie, don’t worry about the book, though. Please, keep in mind, however, that not every actor and actress are happy to take selfies. Please, be understanding with them.

I was waiting at the back door for a good half an hour with another 50 or so fellow fans. Finally, the cast appeared. Ken Watanabe looked quite worn out, but he was still happy to take selfies with his fans and give autographs.He even thanked me to come (what a gentleman!)

Later that Summer he also appeared for a Q&A at HYPER JAPAN Festival.

Kelli O’Hara was likewise friendly. She smiled all the time; she greeted her fans and was happy to take selfies.

Takao Osawa, who is a very famous actor in Japan, wasn’t that willing. He seemed just wanted to disappear silently, but his efforts to escape from the scene without being noticed produced the funniest moment in that evening. Actor Osawa just tried to dissolve into the crowd but his Japanese fan girls spotted him immediately and literary started to run after him, chasing him till the end of the theatre building, screaming. Osawa seemed didn’t want to believe he had been recognised, so he made a few more attempts to escape until he finally found himself totally be surrounded by screaming girls.

Going to the back doors of theatres in the middle of the night and waiting for your favourite celebrity sometimes can really turn into an unexpected adventure as you will see it in my next blog post, which will be about meeting Tom Hiddleston. Sometimes it turns into a funny situation with a happy ending, sometimes it turns to disappointment. One thing is for sure: it will become a memory for a lifetime.

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