Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa Cast as Japanese Prime Minister in Ronald Reagan Biopic

November 6, 2015 admin 0 Comments

Nov 6, 2015
Source: The Hollywood Reporter

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Yasuhiro Nakasone was prime minister of Japan from 1982-1987 and was known for his close relationship to the 40th president of the U.S.

The filmmakers behind Reagan, a $25 million feature film about the life of Ronald Reagan, have cast Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa to play former Japanese Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone.

Tagawa, one of Hollywood’s more prolific Japanese-American actors, is best known for his roles in The Last Emperor, Planet of the Apes, Pearl Harbor and Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Nakasone was prime minister of Japan from 1982-1987 and was known for his close relationship to the 40th president of the U.S. “President Reagan is the pitcher and I’m the catcher,” he once said.

“I’m pleased to know that a strong character actor like Cary Hiroyuki-Tagawa has been signed to play me in the Reagan film,” said 97-year-old Nakasone, who is Japan’s oldest living former prime minister. “I’m looking forward to seeing his performance.”

Reagan, produced by Mark Joseph (Max Rose, Tolkien & Lewis) and Ralph Winter (X-Men, Fantastic Four), tells Reagan’s story through the eyes of Viktor, a KGB agent who kept tabs on Reagan’s activities from the time when he was an anti-Communist leader of the Screen Actors Guild.

Along with Pope John Paul II and U.K. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, Nakasone was considered a key ally in Reagan’s battle with the “Evil Empire” during the Cold War.

The filmmakers previously announced that young Reagan will be played by David Henrie, the Disney Channel star of Wizards of Waverly Place. Robert Davi will play former Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev and Jon Voight will play a role in the film, as well.