The cast of Tokyo Vice did not have an easy job. Being one of the first shows to ever be an American production filming entirely in Japan, it was our glimpse into Tokyo from an American perspective, which put a lot on the cast to bring that to life.
Rachel Keller is one of the Americans on the show, and she had to bring an added layer to the series. Her character, Sam, bridges the gap between Jake’s (Ansel Elgort) story and that of Sato’s (Shô Kasamatsu). “When you are one of two American foreigners in Japan and inside of the story that we’re building, I think it’s hard to deny the difference in the cultures and particularly what the writers and producers wanted for these characters because Jake and Sam are incredibly ambitious, which could just be because they are, or it could be because there’s a kind of American ambition,” Keller said when we spoke. “If you want something in America, you get it done yourself, which I think is a really interesting push and pull when Jake and when Sam is in the situations that she’s in, because is she gonna be able to get it done in the way that she wants to and has learned to be able to get it done? Or does she need to learn and bend and navigate through the Japanese way of doing things?”
When I asked Kasamatsu about being part of a series that is giving a western audience a glimpse into Japan through an American perspective, I asked what was the most exciting part for him about filming entirely in Japan and being part of that lens. “I’m really happy to show the entire world what Japan is really about. It is so rare to do, share a the story and what we see on the screen. And I’m really appreciative, of all the production, the writers that put in the effort to show what really Japan is. And being part of it? I’m really appreciative.”
You can see our interview with Ansel Elgort and Ken Watanabe here:
Tokyo Vice is airing on Max now!
(featured image: Max)
