my 20s, there were two actors I admired:
One was Marlon Brando, and the other
was Toshiro Mifune [the star of several films
directed by legendary Japanese filmmaker
Akira Kurosawa]. I’ve seen a lot of Kurosawa
films and I’m always impressed by his way of
directing.
“My reason for coming to Japan this
time is to meet someone who’s been
called ‘a modern-day Renaissance man,’ a
businessman who sings Italian opera and is
renowned as an artist,” he says.
The person Hoffman wanted to meet is
Haruhisa Handa, President of Misuzu Corp.,
which runs Handa Watch World. The actor
says he strongly empathizes with Handa’s
dedication to social contribution.
The True Meaning of Charity
“In recent years, terrorist attacks have
become more common all over the world.
Natural disasters caused by climate change
have increased, killing many. We hear about
all of this on the news, but once things calm
down, we forget. Some of the survivors of
these tragedies have been seriously injured
and need help. Haruhisa Handa understands
that it takes time to come to terms with
these events. He has set up hospitals in
conflict zones to care for those in distress
and supports the injured through sports-
related activities. It’s amazing,” Hoffman says.
Handa is the Chairperson of the
International Sports Promotion Society
(ISPS), which supports a variety of sporting
activities worldwide. One of the most
famous ISPS events is the PGA “Pro-Amateur”
golf tournament, which gives blind and
disabled golfers the opportunity to play with
top golfers.
Hoffman has supported similar charity
work and describes establishing a camp for
children with cancer as one of his greatest
achievements.
“A long time ago, my wife’s cousin got
leukemia at the age of six,” Hoffman says.
“Although she was forbidden from playing
outside, she longed to go to camp, but there
was no camp for kids with leukemia at that
time. That memory stayed with me, so I
founded a campsite for children with cancer.
There was a hospital nearby, and helicopters
were on hand to take the children there in
case of an emergency.
“Visitors were allowed, but I didn’t have
the courage to go at first because I didn’t
know if the children were enjoying it. I was
worried that they might be sad. But when
I went, it was completely different to what
I’d imagined. By feeling close to death,
the children probably understood the
importance of living in the moment. The
children were communing with nature and
learning how to live. The place was full of
vitality. Being with other kids in the same
situation created a sense of camaraderie and
they encouraged each other. It’s something
I’ll never forget,” Hoffman recalls. “I realized
that I was stupid to doubt the strength
of those kids. They’re much smarter and
stronger than me.”Inhabiting a Character
Hoffman is a method actor who believes
that actors must fully inhabit the experiences
and emotions of a character to play the part
effectively. For his role as Raymond Babbitt in
the 1988 film “Rain Man,” Hoffman spent two
years getting to know people with autism. He
used insights gained through observations
and interviews with one individual in
particular—a man with savant syndrome—
to develop Raymond’s character.“An actor has to condense a life of 10, 20 or
50 years into the span of two hours. It’s never
easy. Sometimes it takes more than a year to
learn a part, and every film is a big challenge.
Once I am given the role, I research every
angle about the character to understand
how his personality developed from birth. I
have to understand the character’s thoughts
and motivations for his behaviors,” he says.
In all endeavors, Hoffman never fails to get
to the heart of the matter. He concludes the
interview with a few words of wisdom: “No
one is perfect. Everybody has their strengths
and weaknesses. But accepting yourself is no
easy task. At least in my case, even though I
want to be a great person, I’m still struggling
to become my ideal self. It’s the effort that
counts, and I’ll keep trying for the rest of my
life.”The Tenkomori Art Exhibition, cosponsored by Misuzu Corp., took place in Tokyo Dec. 6-10.
Traveling with his wife, Hoffman made a special guest appearance at the show.Contact information:
Misuzu Corporation
81-3-3247-5585
http://www.misuzu.comPROMOTION