Ryo Nishikido to Star in First Film, to play character who gives out pudding
On February 2, it was announced that Nishikido Ryo, member of popular singing groups NEWS and Kanjani8, would be making his first movie appearance with a starring role in Chonmage Pudding (Topknot Pudding). Nishikido will sport a samurai topknot as he makes pastries in this bizarre tale about an Edo period samurai who becomes a popular pastry chef after slipping through time to the present-day. "I'm putting a lot of energy into studying pastry-making and samurai mannerisms. It's an upbeat story, so I want to give my character, Yasubei, a kind portrayal," he said, anticipating the start of filming on Febrary 6.
Nishikido, who showed off his acting potential in television dramas like Last Friends and Ryusei no Kizuna, has confidently taken on a leading role as his first appearance in a film-- he'll play the protagonist, samurai Kijima Yasubei. In the present-day, Yasubei encounters, Hiroko, a single mother played by actress Tomosaka Rie. Konno Hiroki (of comedy duo King of Comedy), Kutsuna Shiori, Sato Hitomi, Horibe Keisuke, Nakamura Yuji, and Inoue Jun round out the colorful supporting cast.
Yasubei ends up freeloading at Hiroko's home, where he cooks puddings for Hiroko's son, Yuya, and his talent for making sweets blooms. With his honest, considerate personality and flawless handling of household chores, Yasubei is embodiment of a woman's ideal man, no matter the era. The veritable parade of puddings and cakes will also add a splash of color to the screen.
The film is based on the novel Fushigi no Kuni no Yasubei by journalist-cum-novelist Araki Gen. "I felt like this just had to be put on film. I've had this project in the works for three years," enthused director Nakamura Yoshihiro, the hit-maker behind recent films like Golden Slumber, Team Batista no Eikou (The Glorious Team Batista), and Ahiru to Kamo no Coinlocker (The Foreign Duck, the Native Duck and God). He also said of Nishikido, "Even through his intrepid spirit, there's a sweetness, a naïveté that really brings out his latent ability as an actor. That's what I hope to capture on film."
Filming will continue until early March, and the film is expected to be released in theatres this summer.
source: http://www.oricon.co.jp/news/movie/73030/full
Translated by gogoberry @ arama_translate
Poor Ryo. That's all I gotta say..