He’s usually a bad guy, and film fans love him for that.
But these days, Kenichi Miura is only doing good.
The Japanese actor is having an especially busy time these days in Beijing, packing and delivering boxes of relief supplies from his country to fight the Covid-19 epidemic.
In his latest role, he was hard to pin down for an interview.
“I’m so sorry,” Miura said. “We have just received some medical equipment. I have to sort it out right away.”
Later: “Sorry, can we talk another time? I have to make this report tonight.”
Eventually, after some schedule shuffling, Miura wedged in a phone call from a China Daily reporter. True to form, he started by apologizing.
“I’m really sorry. We have received a lot of donations recently, but there’s not enough people to deliver them to the areas hit by the coronavirus. So there’s a lot of work to be done.”
Miura is no fair-weather volunteer. When needed, he took on the necessary tasks himself.
He keeps his spirits up by remembering an old saying.
“There is no endless rain, and every cloud has a silver lining,” he said, capturing what had impressed him most in recent weeks — the optimism and determination of the Chinese people.
“I saw on TikTok that many people had invented creative ways to dispel boredom during self-isolation,” he said. “I really appreciate their courage and positive outlook.”
Born in Tokyo in 1963, he came to China in 1997 and got into the film industry by accident, the report said.
After 20 years, he has established himself by appearing in many top-rated films and TV series, including Back to 1942, John Rabe and Toward the Republic.
With a PhD in international relations, Miura is no ordinary actor. For one thing, he is arguably more famous in China than he is in Japan.
Because the majority of his roles involve stories about Chinese resistance to Japanese invaders during the Second World War, people on the street often tag Miura with the label of “bad guy.”
“I am not upset about that,” he said. “To be honest, I feel happy because it proves that the role I played was successful and remembered. China is my second home.”
Through friends in China and Japan, Miura managed to gather some much-needed medical equipment and daily necessities, the report said.
He immediately sent the supplies to hard-hit Hubei province.
Meanwhile, the role of good guy seems to suit him. He sees an upside to the pandemic, despite its severe difficulties.
“The world has become whole,” he said. “We breathe the same air and have a shared destiny. China has shown a responsible attitude toward the rest of the world.”