Kaho Minami, veteran Japanese actress and wife of actor Ken Wa-tanabe, makes her U.S. feature film debut in the upcoming “Masterless,” from screenwriter/director Craig Shimahara.
The independent fantasy-drama shot in Los Angeles last summer finds Minami as a ghostly seduc-tress bent on destroying the spirit of a young architect, played by “7th Heaven” star Adam LaVorgna.
Minami said she was drawn to the role of the Madam because of the re-vealing duality within her character.
“When you stand in front of the Madam, you can see a reflection of yourself, both good and evil,” she said. “I think that is one of the very frightening powers that she pos-sesses.”
For the first time in her career, Minami learned most of her lines in English. Initially this proved daunt-ing for the actress from Hyogo. However, the extra study paid off with unexpected benefits.
“Because it took longer to learn my lines, I ended up spending a lot of time thinking about the character and her words, and this actually worked out very well for me. It was an expe-rience that I have not had before.”
Despite her busy career in Japan, Minami says that she is open to future U.S.-based projects, or beyond.
“Meeting people outside of Japan really widens my perspective and sense of values. I feel that acting is a profession that will last a lifetime for me and, if given the opportunity, I would like to take on new challenges regardless of language or location.”
An announced release date for “Masterless” is forthcoming. For more information, visit www.mas-terlessfilm.com.