Life in America has become a great challenge for me
My family moved there when I was 6 years old. This was 10 years after the end of World War II - and imagine what it was like to study in a foreign country among racist classmates!
But there was also something that helped me survive. In America, my brother and I were baptized in the Methodist Church (one of the movements in Protestantism - Ed.), and we began to go to worship services every week. From then on, I felt that the Lord really existed and believed that He would always guide and protect me - and this faith helped me study at school and not break down, and then gave me, a simple Japanese guy, the strength to become a Hollywood star.
At 65 years old, I feel like a child whose life is just beginning
I always wanted to be closer to God, but in Protestantism I did not feel a personal connection with Him. And it turned out that my whole life turned into a search for religion. While I was young, I did not know where to look or who to turn to. Therefore, I spent a lot of time studying different religions and denominations. I searched and searched and finally found it. I saw a real, close connection with God in Orthodoxy. And now, after baptism, I feel completely connected with Him, as if I was looking into His eyes.
I am very alarmed by the massive departure from Christian values in Europe and America
People become spiritually too free, and those who hinder them on the path to this freedom—Christians—are separated from society and presented as representatives of marginal points of view. This division is terrible because it legitimizes sin and error, and distorts the Truth and true Christian values. I have great compassion for people who were not raised in Christian traditions, who refuse them, who are engaged in defamation of Christianity - and I pray for them.
It seems to me that the Lord opened the path to Himself for me through love for Russia
Working in this country was a new experience for me, completely different from working in other countries and from living in America. In my life, I trust first of all my feelings. I have been to Russia more than once, but I never had the opportunity to truly, fully experience it. But when the filming of the film “Priest-san: Confession of a Samurai” began, I had the opportunity to spend a lot of time in the real Russian outback and communicate with the villagers.
It was there that I felt how deep the Russian soul is. What I was most surprised by was how much support Orthodox people receive in the Church. I have never seen anything like this before, although I have been to many countries around the world.
I would like to become a part of Russia, I would like to visit here more often, communicate with its residents and share my views. Especially with children.
Actor Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa: “The depth I found in the Orthodox faith is nowhere else”
The film “Priest-san. Confession of a Samurai" based on the script of the priest and actor Ivan Okhlobystin. The main role in the film was played by the famous American actor of Japanese origin Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa. He played an Orthodox priest and converted to Orthodoxy after filming. The actor spoke about his acquaintance with Russia and Orthodoxy in an interview.
— Your role as an Orthodox Japanese priest was unexpected, because you weren’t even Orthodox before filming the film, since you lived in America from the age of five.
— As for the role in the film, it was an unexpected and at the same time long-awaited offer. My previous role in Hollywood was the role of the “bad guy.” In the film, proposed by producer Lyubov Kalinskaya, and filmed according to the script of my new friend Ivan Okhlobystin, I had to embody the image of a real Christian. This is truly difficult and comes with a lot of responsibility. The teachings of Jesus Christ have been familiar to me since childhood, since my mother, who is of Japanese descent, took my brother and me to the Christian American church so that we could understand the culture and religion of the country in which we live.
— How did you get acquainted with Russia and Orthodoxy?
— The first time I visited Russia was in 2001. In total I came here seven or eight times. But only on the set of the film “Priest-san. Confessions of a Samurai” I understood what Mother Russia is. After all, we lived in a village and constantly communicated with real Russian people.
I was very inspired and amazed by what you Russians really are: strong, resilient, real warriors. I felt that at some deep level I was connected with Mother Russia, I wanted to be a part of it.
The decision to become Orthodox was made by me not so long ago. But I thought about it for a very long time - all my life I have been searching for myself, my place in this world. When we first moved to America in early childhood, my parents and I converted to Christianity. Since childhood, I went to Sunday school with my brother. However, American Christianity has more form. All my life I have been looking for essence, content. The depth that I found in the Orthodox faith cannot be found anywhere else. Only now, at 65 years old, do I feel that I have found my right place. It turns out that formally I made a choice not so long ago, but I spent my whole life trying to come to it.
— You decided to be baptized in the Orthodox faith, which was performed by the head of the Synodal Department for External Church Relations, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, in the Moscow church in honor of the icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow,” with the name Panteleimon. Why did you choose this saint as your heavenly patron?
“I approached this very consciously, with great responsibility. After all, before I started actively acting in Hollywood, I myself was a healer. I still have my own breathing practice, which helps me improve my health and restore my vitality. And I was very inspired by Saint Panteleimon, who treated people in the name of the Lord and helped them cope with their troubles. And I realized that you can only become physically healthy if you are spiritually healthy. No other way. But such spiritual treatment is impossible outside the Church, outside faith.
— During the filming process, you managed to meet Russian actors Ivanov Okhlobystin and Pyotr Mamonov. What did you particularly gain from communicating with them?
— I am amazed by the depth of soul in Russian people. They are very different from the American mentality that I am used to. Russians and Japanese have very close spiritual principles, our hearts are very similar. This is because you have such a history and that the soul is at the core of your culture. This is not the case in American culture. When I say this, I do not want to offend Americans. In no case. They are also very good people. However, in four hundred years it is simply impossible to become a nation with a truly deep soul. I was also incredibly surprised that Ivan Okhlobystin turns out to be a priest. I realized that Russian people are so multifaceted and limitless that I definitely want to get as close to this culture as possible.
— What holy places were you able to visit during the filming and presentation of the film?
— I was able to visit New Jerusalem, and it made a great impression on me. I saw with my own eyes how important holy places are to Russian people, how deeply you honor your faith. I understand now why Russians are respected by the whole world. People with such a heart, with such faith cannot but inspire admiration. I wish you to always remain yourself, to be faithful to your culture and Orthodoxy. It makes you incredibly strong people.
Interviewed by Polina Frolova interfax-religion.ru
I was surprised at how much I enjoyed being an Orthodox priest!
My role in the film “Priest-san” was not so simple: before becoming a priest, my character was associated with the criminal world, and therefore in working on the role it was necessary to use completely different acting experience. But if I have played fighters and bandits more than once, this was my first time playing the role of an Orthodox priest. And for a long time I tried to understand what it means to be an Orthodox Christian, and even more so, an Orthodox priest.
When I began to communicate with Orthodox people, I saw that they perceived their faith somehow differently, somehow deeper (this cannot be explained in words and, probably, cannot be proven in any way) than representatives of other faiths with whom I had the opportunity to communicate. I was very impressed by this, and while working on the role, I tried to absorb as much as possible the spirit of the Orthodox faith that I felt in Russia. And I liked this state so much, I liked the environment in which I found myself so much, that when I returned to America after filming, I never stopped thinking about it.
The American actor, after filming in Russia, decided to convert to Orthodoxy and Russian citizenship
Global Look Press
American actor of Japanese origin Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, known for several Hollywood films, decided to be baptized in the Russian Orthodox Church Global Look Press
American actor of Japanese origin Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, known for several Hollywood films, decided to be baptized in the Russian Orthodox Church and become a citizen of Russia. According to the Interfax-Religion portal, the Russian actor and director, as well as the temporarily banned priest of the Russian Orthodox Church, Ivan Okhlobystin, spoke about this on his page on the social network.
"Brothers and sisters! I hasten to share my joy: the Light of Christ enlightens everyone! Cary Tagawa, who played a Japanese Orthodox priest in our film “Priest-san,” after deep, spiritual reflection, decided to accept Holy Baptism in the Orthodox faith,” wrote Okhlobystin, specifying that “the sacrament of baptism will be performed by Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk (Alfeeev) - vicar of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Kirill.” The baptism will take place on Thursday.
A little later on Thursday, at a press conference in Moscow, Tagawa announced his decision to accept Russian citizenship. “I’m going to take Russian citizenship,” TASS quotes the actor as saying.
In the film “Priest-san. Confessions of a Samurai,” starring Tagawa, tells how his hero comes into conflict with the Japanese mafia, wanting to help a girl. Participation in the film became the main motive for the actor to convert to Orthodoxy.
“Priest-san” is a new project from the Orthodox film studio. The music producer of the film was rock musician Boris Grebenshchikov.
Let us recall that among Ivan Okhlobystin’s acquaintances there is another American theater and film actor who also starred in Russia. His name is Land Byron. Russian audiences know him for his role as Phil Richards in the television series “Interns.” True, things weren’t going so well for Okhlobystin with Byron.
In an interview with New York Magazine, the actor spoke about his homosexuality, as well as about the feelings he feels from working together with Ivan Okhlobystin, who considers him his friend, after the ex-priest’s homophobic and anti-American statements.
According to Byron, he told his parents about his sexuality as a teenager. His close friends in Russia and the USA and even a couple of colleagues on Russian television know about this, the Vulture website said.
However, despite the fact that Byron’s character in “Interns” admits that his parents are a gay couple, Ivan Okhlobystin, who plays the main role in the series, does not even realize that his Russian-American partner on the set is gay, the publication noted.
Byron said that it was hard for him to listen to Okhlobystin’s statements about the need to bomb America and his jokes that he would save Minnesota for the sake of his friend (this is the actor’s home state). Byron took Okhlobystin's comments about burning gays in ovens after the adoption of anti-gay laws, as he admitted, as a blow to the gut.
After this, the American actor was going to say that he would leave the series if Okhlobystin remained there, but later changed his mind.
A favorite of Russian TV viewers, Byron doesn't know what the consequences will be when Russians become aware of his sexuality, but he feels that the decision to come out openly "strengthens his strength" and is the right one.
In Minneapolis, Byron entered culinary school, and since then he has lived between the two cities, flying to Moscow for filming. Now Byron is starting to film the new season of “Interns,” and the TNT channel is also negotiating with him about the role of an American spy penetrating the structures of Gazprom. He is not sure that he will sign this contract.
In September 2013, Ivan Okhlobystin announced on his Twitter that Byron had accepted Russian citizenship. “By the way: he accepted Russian citizenship. A compatriot is now an American!” — wrote Okhlobystin.
Okhlobystin reacted very expressively to Byron’s statement. “When I found out that friend Odin was a sodomite, I banged my head against the wall and cursed fate,” the actor wrote on Twitter. He also stated the need to “do everything to prevent the establishment of the sin of Sodom in the spaces of Holy Rus'.”
I was also attracted to Orthodoxy because it combines the traditions of the West and the East.
This is something that was close to me from the very beginning. I lived in Japan for only a short time. But every Japanese, no matter where he is, always remembers who he is and where he comes from, always honors his homeland and is proud of it. Therefore, while living in America, I still remained Japanese - and this helped me cope with many difficulties.
Having visited Russia, I realized that the way of life of an Orthodox person is very different from my life in America and in spirit is even more reminiscent of my life in Japan. And I was even surprised how similar Russians and Japanese are in soul and character.
True, lately I have been worried that everything is mixed up in the worldview of modern Japanese: the fact is that Shintoism and Buddhism, which the majority of Japanese adhere to, are two completely different religions, yet people often profess both at once. Or they can even combine going to a Christian and Buddhist church.
Orthodox Life
Cary Hiroyuki Tagawa, a famous Hollywood actor of Japanese origin, played the main role - an Orthodox priest - in the film "Priest San: Confession of a Samurai", released today in Russia. A few weeks ago, Tagawa was baptized into the Orthodox Church with the name Panteleimon.
Pravmir editor-in-chief Anna Danilova spoke with Cary Tagawa about his path to Orthodoxy, the influence of negative heroes on his worldview, and how to resist evil with force.
– Mr. Tagawa, congratulations on your adoption of Orthodoxy. Do you remember that moment, that day when you decided for yourself that you want to convert to Orthodoxy?
– I made the decision not so long ago. But I thought about it for a very long time.
When I was six years old, my family moved from Japan to America. And my parents decided that we should all accept Christianity and move away from Buddhism and Shintoism. And so it happened. My brother and I went to Sunday school every week and I have been a Christian since childhood. But the fact is that Christianity in America is a very specific thing. American Christianity is less structured, less clear-cut. This suited my brother, but I...I remained Japanese even in America and all my life I was looking for the “right” place for myself, for my soul. This kept us apart all our lives. And finally I came to Orthodoxy, and I feel that I have found the “right place”.
I would like to thank my manager: they did not convince me to convert to Orthodoxy, but they opened the faith to me. We never started filming a new film or went on a trip without going to church and getting a blessing for work, asking for protection.
So it turns out that formally I made a choice recently, but it took me a whole life to come to it. I walked towards “my” Christianity for a very long time and not easily.
– And the very moment of decision-making – “That’s it, I’ll be Orthodox!” – remember?
- Yes. It wasn't that easy. We live in such difficult times, there are so many conflicts, strife, wars around religion... Previously, people were much more tolerant of each other in these matters. This is a person’s personal matter – his relationship with God. And I used to think - probably now is not the right time for such decisions... But still, I had to cast aside all doubts, all fears and decide - what exactly does my soul need?
It was not an easy decision for me to make, and the environment was not easy. But after all my internal searches, thoughts, and hesitations, the bottom line was “God” or “maybe God, but later.” And it's one thing to simply make a decision. But it’s another thing to go through the experience of confession, decision - and it was more than I expected.
– What do you think about what is happening in Europe and the Middle East today?
“I worry with all my heart for those who died, for those who were orphaned, I pray for them.
The fact that all these horrific tragedies occur as a result of political games is beyond doubt. This is our world today. People make business from wars. War has become such a profitable business, such huge amounts of money are invested in it...
This, what can I say, is terrifying, it is very difficult.
The Bible says very clearly: “Thou shalt not kill.” And the Bible does not say that you can kill if you have an army or the ability to pay for a war.
Desperate people resort to desperate means. Of course, I in no way justify the people involved in the war. But in some strange way, I understand that for those who have a lot of money, war is profit, business. And for those from whom the war is far away, it’s like another episode of some kind of reality show. But there are desperate people caught in a hopeless situation. Again, I in no way condone their actions, but in some strange way I can understand them. I feel sorry for the people who commit terrorist attacks. After all, many of them think that they are doing something pleasing to God...
Much is wrong in the world right now... For example, I feel sorry for people who are so immersed in modern nonsense that the next episode of the next reality show is most important to them. As you can see, I am not a Hollywood person at all, I am such a very atypical famous person. Yes, I've been playing notorious villains all my life, but I care about caring for others, serving others. It's in my genes. Playing villains is one thing. Who you are in real life is completely different.
Caring and compassion are things that are close to me. In other words, I am a samurai. After all, the word “samurai” itself comes from the word “to serve, support.” And this is an extremely important part of Japanese culture. But so many people believe that samurai are about fighting, fighting, but in no way about service. Clichés, stereotypes, very common in this case.
What is happening today is terrible. And I have great compassion for people and I am with them in prayer.
– In most of the films in which you acted, the entire plot is built around fights, sometimes completely terrible... But it turns out that the world around us will be more terrible...
- This is true. But, you know, there is a huge difference between martial arts, between the samurai culture of fighting and street fighting or “fighting without rules.” A very clear and definite difference.
You can be a warrior - a person with a clear value system, a goal in life, spiritual guidance. But you can fight without values and rules. The difference is what drives the person.
Of course, action films are a business, especially in Hollywood. And it is our fault, including mine, that because of these films, primitive philosophy has become so widespread, when the world is divided into “bad” and “good”, into black and white.
You're good? So, come on, find the bad one, defeat him. This is a bad component of martial arts, a bad component of a superficial view of the world. Nobody wants to know about the ethical code of the samurai, about what values actually lie at the basis of martial arts. After all, in fact, they were invented primarily to protect themselves and other people. And for me personally, this is very sad - that martial arts are often perceived so flatly, so superficially. And when these arts are taught, they also do not pay attention to the philosophy of combat. This is completely wrong, fundamentally.
I've spent my entire career in Hollywood trying to prove this. This was vital for me. I wanted to change, to destroy these stupid stereotypes that exist, especially in America, about Asians.
After all, the director comes in with glasses and says: “So, you are a villain, you are a noble hero, fight until you bleed.” The villain is usually Asian. It was so important to me to break down this racist approach where people despise others because of their nationality. I tried to play in such a way that the spiritual nature of my heroes was visible. And for this I took a lot from my own life.
And therefore, playing a priest is an extremely important event for me. Although I myself am more of a monk by nature, a person who is trying to become a better person, trying to help others. But this film - it really changed my life.
– After all, you said before that the roles you played had an influence on you. But these were the “bad guys.” And then again - and a priest, a Russian priest. How did you feel in this character?
- Fine. Although this, of course, is not a very ordinary story - from “bad guys” to priests. But it’s not for us to judge people, each other, for their actions. This is not what God wants from us, this is generally exclusively God’s business, this is his “work”. And in this sense, our film is about the fact that those who were “bad guys” can undergo transformation - for example, he can become a priest, a representative of God on earth.
I have been waiting for a role like this for a very long time, looking for it. I needed to direct the energy that had accumulated in me in a fundamentally different direction.
We also need to take into account my childhood experience, that strong anger from my childhood in America. I grew up in the American outback, where racism bloomed most luxuriantly. And when a child, open to the world, is inflicted from all sides only by evil, rejection... You know, when I played my villains, I use the memory of this pain - how I can be hurt, how I can hurt others.
It was a difficult time - only 10 years had passed since the end of World War II, and then being Japanese living in the south of America - and we lived in North Carolina, Louisiana, Texas - was very difficult.
But two factors helped me not to break, to become what I became. First of all, my father was a military man. He is originally from Hawaii. And the soldiers from there received a huge number of military awards. More than anyone in the history of the US Army. Many of them were awarded the Gold Medal of Honor, America's highest military award, established by George Washington.
The famous 442nd battalion was formed from Japanese residents of the Hawaiian Islands. And the most famous American units in which the Japanese served were the 100th Infantry Battalion, 34th Infantry Division and the 442nd Infantry Combat Team. Japanese artillerymen were among those who liberated the German Dachau concentration camp. How well the Japanese fought in the ranks of the American army can be judged if only by how many of them were recipients of the Medal of Honor, the highest military award in the United States. 21 soldiers from the 442nd Group were awarded this medal, and the military unit itself is in first place in American history for this indicator.
My father is one of them. He did not serve in this particular battalion, but he fully shared its spirit. At 20 years old, it is a great achievement - despite racism, to devote your life to defending your homeland. And although I really grew up in “hell” due to racist attitudes, my Japanese mother provided me with a very strong rear. She was a very strong personality, with true samurai energy. And what she taught me as a child helped me cope with the terrible pain that was caused to me as a child.
It was from my mother’s lessons that I learned that there are three ways out of every terrible situation - fight, don’t fight and give up, and the third is to become a leader. It is very difficult for a six-year-old child to figure out what to do when there is racism around. But my mother inspired me a lot - “never give up”, “never be ashamed of being Japanese, be proud of it.” And I began to create situations in which I became the leader of the entire class - a class of racist children. I hosted, for example, school Christmas parties and all that... I tried to become stronger than the situation. And I would like to tell today’s children and teenagers: if you find yourself in a situation where you feel helpless, never lose hope, don’t despair. Because there is God.
And don't be afraid to ask your parents for support.
Here, in Russia especially. You have such strength of spirit, such passion for life... It's just part of the Russian DNA. And even your weather - all this makes you very strong personalities. And it is important to use this power correctly - for example, in serving God, in religion.
– One famous singer, having learned that you want to convert to Orthodoxy, wrote on her Facebook page: “It’s as if Darth Vader accepted Buddhism.” How do you like this opinion? ?
“For God’s sake, people can say whatever they want about me, because they don’t know me as a person.” You know, they say that actors only use 10% of their brain when acting. But in fact, when you get into character, 90% of your brain is involved. When The Marquis de Sade was staged on Broadway, after a while many of the actors actually went crazy and had to be placed in a psychiatric clinic. Because when you give your all, it always affects your subconscious. But I'm Japanese. And in Japanese culture, everything is always viewed from both the dark side and the light side.
I've certainly played a lot of out-and-out villains, but I've played them using my light. I didn’t always succeed in this; I had difficult periods in my life when I was weak. I'm not an angel, of course - just a person trying to find my way in this world. But since the age of six, I have strived to ensure that everything I do brings me closer to God, and I try to treat people the way I would like to be treated. These are also the foundations of Christianity. So don't judge an actor by his characters. That singer of yours who wrote this comment - we need to get to know her, and she will see that there is no evil in me.
– You have spoken many times about how to heal people with the help of martial arts. And in baptism your name is Panteleimon, a great saint who healed people, healing them. Is there a connection?
- Yes, sure. It was extremely important for me what name to take in baptism. I know from many church people that it is not worth talking about your experience of helping and healing people. The Church is very strict about this. What do we do with the body? After all, in the Christian tradition, the body is very important. The body is a temple created by the Lord, and we must take care of the well-being of this temple. But Eastern martial arts also teach how, on the one hand, to fight and inflict injuries, and on the other, how to heal with their help. You just need to know how to use your energy, in what direction to direct it - destructive or healing. A flow of energy of the same impulse strength can kill a person, or it can heal. This is a very specific, special philosophy - how to turn a negative situation in the right direction.
The name was not chosen by chance. I myself have worked with sick people. For example, there was such a case. A woman with cancer of the lymphatic system and emphysema was dying. She was given two months to live, she was so desperate. She had nothing to lose; her family tried to use all possible methods of treatment. I was asked to come and try to help. I came, but immediately said - no guarantees.
I decided to try to help her using the breathing system I developed. That is, I was just showing her how to breathe. And before my eyes, her deathly blue complexion turned into a pink, healthy one. She began to sweat, and the breathing exercises had such an effect on her that she screamed. Her parents were shocked when they saw this. And they told me to “go away” without even asking what I was doing. And I just showed her a few breathing exercises...
For me, this incident was a spiritual, religious experience. Then I decided that I didn’t want to devote my life to martial arts and teaching them to other people. I want to create a system of self-healing - for myself and for those who want to try it. That's why I chose this name. I am very inspired by the fact that in the Church there was such a person who healed people, and I am glad that in Orthodoxy a lot of attention is paid to this.
– Have you ever found yourself in a truly life-threatening situation?
- It happened. Sometimes I created them myself, sometimes I didn’t. But the whole point is how to perceive the situation. When I look back on my past, I see how little connection I had with God back then. Then I believed that in some situations my martial arts skills saved me, in others it was what my mother taught me. But now I clearly understand that in all these situations the Lord saved me.
I'm not afraid of death. I am afraid that I am not worthy of the Lord's love.
And it has been like this all my life.
I always felt guilty, I always thought that I was not worthy of this love. This is how it happens - to believe in God with all your soul, but at the same time you are more and more afraid that you are unworthy of His love. And only when I finally decided on religion did I feel free from all these feelings that had tormented me for so many years. After baptism I felt renewed. And now I know, I feel what it’s like to accept love and share that love. I recently visited a school with 35 thousand children studying there. They learn to dance, sing, and play sports. And after baptism, I felt that I could work with children with a pure soul. This inspires me a lot.
– Why did you decide to accept Russian citizenship? It's fashionable now, of course. But you can stay in Russia as long as you like without it.
– At the age of 17, I took American citizenship, but, by the way, I don’t have Japanese citizenship. But still I want to have dual citizenship. Right now, when I’m 65 years old... Right now, it’s very important for me to be where I feel like who I really am. Russian energy, the energy of Mother Russia... I see how deep the Russian soul is - and not only because you have such a long history, such an ancient culture, but also because at the heart of this culture is the soul. This is not the case in American culture. When I say this, I do not at all want to offend the Americans or speak disrespectfully about them. But in fact, it is difficult to become a nation with a truly deep soul in 300 years.
I worked in America for so many years, gave my best, did not spare myself. I did everything I could. Now I am in a spiritual search, in search of a spiritual path. And the Russian soul is very consonant with mine. I understand her so well. The depth of struggle, suffering, victory over pain, passion for life, the way you think, how you create... Even Russian melodic music, the fact that your music is almost always in a minor key, is very close to me. I definitely won’t find this depth in Hollywood. Of course, Hollywood controls people's minds. But there is no understanding of people, their lives there. But in Russia there is, and everything here is very consonant, close to my soul. So it wasn't an impulsive decision or a fashion statement. I really want to serve Russia, to be useful to people here. I am also impressed by the fact that Russians respect Japanese culture.
I came to Russia for the first time in 2001. I came seven or eight times, but it was only on the set of our film that I realized what it was – Mother Russia. We were in the Russian outback, communicating with living, real people, people who walk this land, know it. Now I need to understand my soul. We all need teachers, we all need something to guide us, to inspire us.
The depth of the soul of Russian people amazed me. The Russian soul, Russian thinking is very different from American and European thinking. When I came to Russia, I felt that my Japanese spirituality was very close to the soul and heart of the Russian people. And I also noticed that both the Russians and the Japanese are not soldiers, but warriors.
At some deep level I am connected with Mother Russia, I want to be a part of you. And now, when my journey in the Orthodox faith begins, I want to obtain Russian citizenship. This decision comes from a pure heart, from the understanding that the most important thing in life is the soul and heart.
I am very grateful to God that I was able to become Orthodox and that I was able to find my spiritual homeland. I'm not afraid of difficulties. Yes, for some time in Russia I will be perceived as “Darth Vader.” But I accept all challenges like a true Japanese warrior.
– You talked a lot about how you learned in school to survive and be a leader, but not to fight. Could you give some practical advice for school boys? Tips on how to be strong in this world?
– Firstly, we are all God’s creatures and must understand that everyone’s strengths are different. The first reason is Divine. Understand. The one who beats and humiliates people is by no means a strong person, on the contrary, he is weak. He is much more vulnerable than the one whom he humiliates with his physical strength. Now I feel sorry for such people. If you can only find a way out of a situation with your fists, you are weak.
Fighting, bullying each other - this does not come from strength. The one who fights is weaker. If you are so weak that you can’t do anything else except fight, I feel sorry for you.
Don't give them power, don't let them feel stronger.
And finally, you need to learn to see the situation in advance and learn to avoid difficult situations. Help people. Serve.
Helping is much stronger than beating the weak. Help those who need help.
Service is the best path to strength. If you start helping, your strength increases and God helps you.
Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa is a Japanese-American actor, primarily known for his roles as villains in action films of the late 1980s and mid-1990s. He played cameo roles in the TV series “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” “Thunder in Paradise,” “Baywatch,” as well as in the episode “Persuasion” of the TV series “Babylon 5.” He starred in such films as “Mortal Kombat”, “Pearl Harbor”, “Memoirs of a Geisha”.
"Priest-San" is a Russian film. The film is released on November 26, 2015. One of the screenwriters of the film is priest Ivan Okhlobystin, who also played the main negative role in the film. The music producer of the film is Boris Grebenshchikov. The picture is intended for persons over 16 years of age. The main character is Takuro Nakamura, baptized Father Nikolai (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa) - a priest of the Japanese Orthodox Church, the brother of the head of one of the influential yakuza clans, and a former professional athlete. Once in Russia, Father Nikolai unites the villagers around a dilapidated church and acts as their defender in a conflict with local crime.
Pravmir
It's not easy to be Orthodox
The most difficult thing for me is to understand the course of the service and the language of the service, and, of course, to acquire that huge load of knowledge that I still lack. But I hope that, like a true Japanese warrior, I will cope with all these difficulties. In the end, the most important thing in religion is a person's relationship with God. And in Orthodoxy you feel a real connection with Him.
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Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa - Hollywood actor, producer, public figure
Born September 27, 1950 in Tokyo. His father was a soldier, and his mother was an actress. In 1955, Tagawa's family moved to the United States. During his school years, Tagawa began to master martial arts - ken-do and karate - and still trains athletes at a martial arts school using his own system. Carey pays special attention to the philosophical component of martial arts. After graduating from the University of Southern California, Carey tried himself in various professions. Tagawa became an actor at the age of 36 - and during this time he starred in more than ninety films and TV series, most often playing negative characters. Cary Tagawa played the main role - an Orthodox priest - in the Russian film "Priest-san: Confession of a Samurai", released on November 26, 2015. And on November 12, 2015, the actor converted to Orthodoxy, receiving the name Panteleimon at baptism.
Photo by Vladimir Eshtokin
Panteleimon-san: Japanese actor was baptized and wants Russian citizenship
American actor of Japanese origin Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa converted to Orthodoxy on November 12. He was baptized in Moscow - in the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow” on Bolshaya Ordynka.
The sacrament of baptism was performed by the head of the department for external church relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk (Alfeev). At the baptism of Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, he received the name Panteleimon, Metropolitan Hilarion told RIA Novosti reporters.
“My assistant is Father Nikolai, he is Japanese. I asked him to talk to the Japanese actor to see if he was serious. He checked, they were serious,” said Metropolitan Hilarion.
The day before, actor Ivan Okhlobystin announced that an American actor of Japanese origin intends to convert to Orthodoxy. After Tagawa’s baptism, Ivan Okhlobystin posted photos and videos from the sacramental ceremony on his Facebook.
Elitsy was baptized into Christ...
Posted by Ivan Okhlobystin on November 12, 2015
Tagawa is 65 years old. He recently played the role of an Orthodox priest in the film, based on the script by Ivan Okhlobystin, “Priest-san.” The film will appear in theaters on November 26, although in fact the premiere took place in November last year - in Donetsk, to the accompaniment of Ukrainian "Grads", the Komsomolskaya Pravda website reports.
In a conversation with reporters, the actor said that his father studied Russian in the USA, and his uncle, being a famous singer, came to the USSR with concerts in the 1960s every year. Moreover, he sang in Russian.
“While I was growing up in America, the Japanese part of my soul helped me survive. And in Russia I realized that this Japanese principle is very close to you. It's very nice to receive so much love from you, that's why I want to be with you, I want to be a part of you. Now I will convert to Orthodoxy and begin my religious path!” says Tagawa.
Anticipating questions from journalists, he immediately stated that he would apply for Russian citizenship and was not afraid of intrigues from the American authorities.
“I’ve faced them before, so I’m not afraid,” Tagawa says. And then he adds: “God is with me.”
When asked where he will now live, Panteleimon-san answers with a smile: “In different places. Napoleon and Hitler could not survive your winter, so I immediately give up.” When reminded by Russian journalists that we have Crimea, Tagawa replies: “That’s good! I lived in Hawaii, now, apparently, I’ll move to New York to make it more convenient to fly to Moscow.”
In the film Priest-san, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa plays Japanese Orthodox priest Takuro Nakamura (Father Nikolai). He protects his parishioners from local criminals. In addition to Ivan Okhlobystin, who participated in writing the script, musician Boris Grebenshchikov worked on the musical design of the film.
