Hiroyuki Sanada is a true legend.
Even if you don’t know his name and haven’t memorized his filmography, his presence on screen elevates whatever he’s in. And he can make the most of even a fleeting appearance, like his cameo in 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame” as a mob boss who is taken down by Jeremy Renner’s Ronin.
In his latest project, David Leitch’s “Bullet Train,” in theaters now, he puts all of that legendary energy into his role as The Elder, one of the many mysterious figures who board a Japanese bullet train. Starring alongside Brad Pitt, he nonetheless steals every scene he’s in, which is somewhat fitting for a man that “Lost” co-creator and showrunner Damon Lindelof once referred to as the Japanese Harrison Ford.
Sanada will next be seen in 2023’s “John Wick: Chapter 4,” after being courted for a villainous role in the third film (“I worked with Keanu most more than 10 years ago. We’ve known each other a long time. I could use that chemistry. That’s a hint of my job”). And we thought we’d use “Bullet Train” as an excuse to look back on his career and his five most memorable performances.
“Ring” (1998)
That’s right. Sanada has played iconic characters in legendary films for decades. In “Ring,” he plays the former husband of the journalist main character, whose touch of clairvoyance does nothing to stop him from succumbing to the cursed videotape. When we asked him if he had any premonition (like his character, you see) that “Ring” would spawn a huge international franchise, he said no. “I loved the novel,” Sanada said, referring to the book by Koji Suzuki. “It was my first horror movie, I think. My character was very interesting.” Making the experience even more bewildering was that he was shooting two movies, with two different filmmakers, at the same time. “Spiral” was meant to be a sequel to “Ring” but it didn’t reach the creative or commercial heights and was subsequently unacknowledged by other entries in the franchise. “They released together,” Sanada said. “I was dead in Ring and then reborn as another world’s person.” We blame dark magic.
“Sunshine” (2007)
In Danny Boyle’s outer space epic Sanada plays Kaneda, the captain of a ship tasked with reigniting the sun (via a huge nuclear payload). When they deviate from their mission to investigate the spacecraft of an earlier, now missing crew, things predictably go to hell. Sanada relished the opportunity to work with Boyle, whose work he knew from the theater. “The rehearsal was done in a very theatrical way,” Sanada said. “We had to lodge together in London. Almost two weeks with the whole cast. Then we shared the kitchen too. It was Danny’s strategy. Create the atmosphere. The astronauts traveling together for a few months already. It was a good way to create chemistry.” The film’s writer, Alex Garland, was also on hand for the rehearsal period. The actors would contribute ideas, which Garland would dutifully write down. When production finally began and he got the finished screenplay, Sanada was elated to see some of his ideas made it into the script. “That kind of creation was so much fun with a great cast and crew,” Sanada said.
“Speed Racer” (2008)
For the Wachowskis’ “Speed Racer,” Sanada has a small role as Mr. Musha, the CEO of Musha Motors, one of the corporate owners in the high-stakes world of professional racing. While his part might not have been huge, he still had a blast on the movie. “I had so much fun,” Sanada said. “The Wachowskis were such great creators and they created very unique characters.” It was also where he would meet his future “Bullet Train” director David Leitch, who was on hand, working on the stunts for the film. “Unfortunately, I didn’t have any fight scenes,” Sanada said. That was something that Leitch wouldn’t repeat again.
“Lost” (2010)
In the final, oftentimes mystifying season of “Lost,” Sanada showed up as Dogen, an Other who presided over a spot on the island known as the Temple. (This is where Sayid was brought back from the dead.) It feels like a muddle now, but even back then Sanada had a uniquely commanding screen presence, even if it seemed weird that they would introduce an important new character as the clock was running out. Still, Sanada wasn’t rattled when it came to jumping into the final season of one of the most popular shows on television. “I saw other seasons. I really surprised by that when they offered me the role,” Sanada said. When he arrived to set in Hawaii, he was overcome with a sense of familiarity. Of knowing the rest of the cast before actually knowing them. He said he would walk around thinking, I know this guy. I know this guy. Sanada confesses: “It was like I was a kid in the Disneyland or something.” There are some similarities between Sawyer and Donald Duck, it’s true.
“Bullet Train” (2022)
For “Bullet Train,” Sanada’s character is only known as The Elder. And he’s talked about, by several other characters, in hushed tones, before he finally shows up on the train in the third act. When we asked if this added to the pressure of his performance, he said yes. “I had pressure for everything,” Sanada said. He was most excited about his big scene with Brad Pitt, who is frequently interrupting his big, heartfelt monologue. “He is always changing his dialogue by improvisation,” Sanada said. This was tricky for a couple of reasons. First, he had to try not to laugh. And secondly, he had to listen intently to where Pitt was in order to know where his dialogue would come in.
“I had to return and react for each dialogue,” Sanada said. “I was thrilled but luckily David enjoyed the scene and he used a lot of our improvisation.” Making the “Bullet Train” shoot even more difficult is that they were one of the first big productions to start shooting during the pandemic, before there was even a vaccine. “Everyone has no experience. We had a COVID test three times a week,” Sanada said. Still, they came together. “Supporting each other, believing each other. That kind of thing made for good teamwork bonding,” Sanada said. Although being one of the first movies back also allowed for some unintentional comedy. “Once, I forgot to take off my mask when the shooting,” Sanada said. “Brad was laughing at me. ‘Why? It’s a serious scene,’ I said. He said, Mask!’”
