Takuya Kimura - Rise To Fame

Rise To Fame

The year 1993 can be considered to be a breakthrough year for Kimura and SMAP. After years of starring in low-budget dramas, Kimura played a leading role in the teen drama Asunaro Hakusho (あすなろ白書) as Osamu Toride, a college freshman in love with a friend Narumi Sonoda. The series, based on a then-popular manga of the same name, quickly became a hit. SMAP also released their hit single $10. In 1994, a phrase "Kimutaku Syndrome" started to be observed in some media. The term refers to a phenomenon in which some young boys copy his fashion. In 1995, he played a role in a movie Kimi o Wasurenai (君を忘れない). In 1996 he starred with Yamaguchi Tomoko in a TV series Long Vacation, which also became a hit. Kimura played a young shy pianist "Sena," who falls in love with an older ex-model. In the same year, SMAP began to host a weekly Japanese variety show SMAP×SMAP. During 1997, Kimura continued his streak of hit dramas with Gift and Love Generation. However, Gift was criticized for its violent plot, which allegedly promoted teenage crime. In 2000, he played a leading role in a TV series Beautiful Life. He also announced his marriage with Shizuka Kudo, another idol. By the time of the announcement, Shizuka was pregnant. In 2001, Kimura starred in Hero, which set a record with its high TV ratings of about 36.8%. He enjoyed more success in string of many hit series after Hero, such as Sora Kara Furu Ichioku no Hoshi, Good Luck!!, Pride, and "ENGINE." "Good Luck" topped 2003's TV view ratings at 37.6%.

In 2004 Kimura appeared as a supporting actor in the Cannes-nominated movie 2046. The cast of this Hong Kong film included Zhang Ziyi, Gong Li, and Faye Wong. The film won many awards including Best Art Direction and Best Original Film Score at Golden Horse Film Festival in 2004 and scored Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design and Make-Up, Best Art Direction, and Best Original Film Score at the Hong Kong Film Awards in 2005. In the original version shown in the Cannes Film Festival, his scene lasted about 7 minutes, although in the final edition, which was played in Japan, it was extended to approximately 20 minutes. In 2005 he voiced Howl in Hayao Miyazaki's animation Howl's Moving Castle. In July 2006, Fuji TV aired a 2 hour long HERO special. Along with the original cast, he revived his role as prosecutor Kuryu Kohei. Additional big name stars were also seen in this drama, including Socrates in Love star Haruka Ayase. Kimura's latest movie is Bushi no Ichibun, released in December 2006. Directed by Yoji Yamada he played a young blind samurai during the Edo period. He earned a Japan Academy Prize nomination for Best Actor. However, he declined it because his agency, Johnny & Associates, was reluctant to have him compete with the other nominees, who are experienced film actors. This has been said to be the first case of decline for such reason. The film is the final in the trilogy, which includes The Twilight Samurai (2002) and The Hidden Blade (2004). In 2007, Kimura starred in TBS' 55th Anniversary drama, Karei-naru Ichizoku, which stars other big-name actors and actresses. In September, the movie sequel to 2001's HERO was released, continuing the story from where the last episode on TV special in 2006 left off. It has proved a major success, sparking rumours that a sequel will be produced. Kimura appeared in the 2009 joint U.S.-French film I Come with the Rain with Hollywood actor Josh Hartnett.