This is a good thing, mixing culture to make something new, something no one has ever seen. This is kind of a new history.
Hiroyuki SanadaKeanu Reeves learned a lot, respecting the culture. I was surprised when I first met him. He knew a lot already and he learned a lot. And also he learned Japanese. It's incredible. On the set, switching between the Japanese and English, even for us, is very hard. It's complicated. But the first time Keanu spoke in Japanese it was a very important scene between us, and more than the dialogue's meaning, I was moved. His energy for the film, completely perfect Japanese pronunciation. It was moving, surprising, respecting.
Hiroyuki SanadaIt's a Samurai story [47 ronin], so if we change too much Japanese audiences will have strong against feelings to the film. It's not good.
Hiroyuki SanadaIt was a black and white film [at first]. And then it changed to colour film, and I was surprised and culture shocked when I was six or seven years old. And then HD, then 3D now. So what's going? What's coming next? It's so exciting.
Hiroyuki Sanada