Interview With "Kokuho" Star Ken Watanabe

The Next Best Picture Podcast

Tv & Film

4.2 • 542 Ratings

🗓️ 5 February 2026

⏱️ 15 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

"Kokuho" It is a 2025 Japanese historical drama film directed by Lee Sang-il and written by Satoko Okudera, based on the 2018 novel of the same name by Shuichi Yoshida, starring Ryo Yoshizawa, Ryusei Yokohama, Mitsuki Takahata, Shinobu Terajima, Min Tanaka, and Ken Watanabe. It had its world premiere in the Directors' Fortnight section of the 78th Cannes Film Festival, where it received positive reviews, particularly for its acting, directing, cinematography, makeup, and hairstyling. It has grossed $125 million in Japan, becoming the all-time highest-grossing Japanese live-action film. It was selected as the Japanese entry for Best International Feature Film, making the December shortlist, and was nominated for Best Makeup and Hairstyling at the 98th Academy Awards. Oscar-nominated actor Ken Watanabe was kind enough to spend some time speaking with us about his work and experience making the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now playing in theaters from GKIDS. Thank you, and enjoy! Check out more on NextBestPicture.com Please subscribe on... Apple Podcasts - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/negs-best-film-podcast/id1087678387?mt=2 Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/7IMIzpYehTqeUa1d9EC4jT YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWA7KiotcWmHiYYy6wJqwOw And be sure to help support us on Patreon for as little as $1 a month at https://www.patreon.com/NextBestPicture and listen to this podcast ad-free Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	My name is Sherlock Holmes.
0:02.0	It's an unusual name.
0:03.0	Introducing Young Sherlock, a new Guy Ritchie series.
0:07.0	What game are we playing today?
0:09.0	Discover the origins.
0:10.0	It's cleaving. Those days are surely behind me.
0:12.0	Of crime's most iconic mind.
0:14.0	There has been a break-in.
0:17.0	Astoned. You should be a detective.
0:19.0	Starring Hero finds Tiffin, Donald Finn, and Colin Firth.
0:22.5	If you start wearing a hat like that, I will no longer be friends with you.
0:25.9	Young Sherlock, new original series.
0:28.0	Watch now only on Prime Video.
0:30.1	You are listening to the Next Best Picture Podcast, and this is Daniel Howard's interview
0:34.4	with the star of the film Cuckuo, Ken Watanabe. This world, the other than the other than the other than the other than the way of the other than what I'm going to do. The real man, the gun or the weapon or the weapon, it's more, it's all the thing I thought them. Katana or a tephole than strong.
0:56.0	Don't know any
0:57.0	it's a
0:58.0	but
0:59.0	you're
1:00.0	gay
1:02.0	to show
1:03.0	should be
	...

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