Remembering Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa

I was sad to hear the legendary Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa has passed away at the age of 75. Born in Tokyo, Japan in 1950, but growing up in various cities with his father serving in the US Army, the family settled in Southern California. In the years that followed, Cary would pursue his passion for acting and become one of the most recognisable and best-loved Japanese character actors in Hollywood.

It was a true honour and privilege to interview him at length for my original Life of Action book, digging deep into his vast career, and the philosophy behind many of his greatest characters and performances. His best-known credits include Showdown in Little Tokyo, Rising Sun, Mortal Kombat, Tekken, 47 Ronin, Memoirs of a Geisha, Pearl Harbour and The Man in the High Castle, to name just a few. Yet we all know there are so many more. He elevated and brought true gravitas to even a cameo appearance. 

Crucially, he was undoubtedly a trailblazer for Asian actors in Hollywood, and never succumbed to old fashioned stereotypes. In the book, he explained to me: "There aren't too many good guy roles going for Asian males in Hollywood. One thing’s for sure: I was never known for playing a wimpy businessman talking on his cell phone in Japanese! [Laughs] Even if they’d offered that to me, I wouldn't do it!"

He continued, "I wanted my characters to be remembered for their intensity and for being frightening... hopefully I’ve helped other Asian males get respect and the opportunity for more roles. In my day, there weren't too many roles outside the stereotypical businessman or Yakuza boss, so I thought it’s better to be feared. I've never been too interested in generic good guys or bad guys. I prefer to be somewhere in between, having an interesting mix, because, often in real life, it’s not all black and white."