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Mackenyu to Stop Acting in Japan Next April to Pursue Overseas Filming Opportunities
posted on by Alex Mateo
The Sports Hochi website reported on December 19 that actor Mackenyu (live-action Rurouni Kenshin, Chihayafuru, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Peach Girl) will leave his entertainment agency TOP COAT and stop acting in Japan at the end of April 2021. He will begin participating in overseas filming next May.
TOP COAT has been in charge of Mackenyu's management since 2017. According to Sports Hochi, Mackenyu had expressed interest in "prioritizing overseas activities" and had been settling down on Japanese projects. In 2015, Mackenyu starred in the U.S. movie Take a Chance, and he was cast in 2018's Pacific Rim: Uprising movie. His father Sonny Chiba (Kill Bill) is an active overseas actor. Mackenyu was born and raised in Los Angeles.
Mackenyu will play antagonist Enishi Yukishiro in the two 'final chapter' films in the live-action film series based on Nobuhiro Watsuki's Rurouni Kenshin manga. The films were originally slated to open on July 3 and August 7 earlier this year, but were delayed to next year due the ongoing new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Rurouni Kenshin Saishūshō The Final, the first of the two films, will open in Japan on April 23 next year, while Rurouni Kenshin Saishūshō The Beginning, the second film, will open on June 4.
Sources: Sports Hochi, Yahoo! News, via Hachima Kikо̄
