2016 was a great year for Kengo Kora (29). After receiving Nikkan Sports Film Award for Best Actor in the previous year, he starred in a box office movie, Shin Godzilla and much anticipated Fuji TV’s getsuku (Monday 9) dorama, Itsuka Kono Koi wo Omoidashite Kitto Naite Shimau. His popularity is surely rising, since now he’s also starring in NHK’s asadora Beppin-san. But what else do you know about him? Let’s check some of these facts!
He loves Kumamoto so much. The Kumamoto born actor obviously love his hometown so much. When an earthquake stroke Kumamoto in April last year, he volunteered in disguised to his elementary school but got discovered and ended up being a trending topic on twitter. He also appeared singing on “Fure Fure Kumamoto” a web movie about Kumamoto last year with other Kumamoto celebrities.
He played many ‘death characters’ on movies. The dead characters can be found on movies: Yokomichi Yonosuke, Solanin, Snake and Earrings, The Millenial Rapture, Norwegian Wood, and Kiyoku Yawaku. On an interview in cinemacafe.net, he commented: “I became understand the feeling of ‘one day we’re gonna die’. Being able to play those roles made me feeling closer to that sensation.”
He’s (maybe) a good listener. Yuriko Yoshitaka, his co-star in Yokomichi Yonosuke, once said: “One day I told him an episode of my life, and he kept listening and didn’t say anything at all. I thought that was nice. But when I asked him for an advice, he answered: ‘what was the story again?’ I was disappointed!” Kora denied this on TV show Oshareism and defensed himself while laughing: “But Yoshitaka’s story is always too complicated, in the end I can’t remember what it was about.”
He loves listening to music. His favorites musician including CHARA, Tokyo Jihen, Nirvana, Tamio Okuda, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Joe Hisaishi, Elephant Kashimashi, and many more.
He has some actor friends. He might look quite and reserved, but Kora said that he loves making friend. His close friends including actor Tasuku Emoto, Kento Nagayama, and Shota Matsuda. He’s very close to Emoto and once they even hold their hands together while walking. Kora doesn’t have any social media account except for his (abandoned) ameblo blog, but he sometimes appears on Shota Matsuda and Arata Iura’s Instagram.
You can watch Kora’s acting as Kiyoshi Nogami every Monday to Saturday on Beppin-san! (NHK, 8 AM)
images credit: eiga.com & crank-in.net
