J-pop idol Tomohisa Yamashita goes on date with co-star for international drama The Head

Most actors in the industry will tell you what a privilege it is to be able to secure an acting job.

So imagine getting a role in a big international production, and a date to boot.

In an email interview with AsiaOne, Japanese singer-actor Tomohisa Yamashita recounted a peculiar method used to get him in character for the upcoming HBO Asia Original thriller The Head.

The 35-year-old idol, who is popularly known as Yamapi, said that the director arranged a date for him with his co-star Scottish actress Katherine O'Donnelly as they play love interests in the show.

Tomohisa explained: "Before shooting started, Jorge (Dorado, the director) arranged a date for Katharine and me. We spent a day together just by ourselves like lovers. That helped me to feel really intimate with her from the very beginning of the shoot as Aki does with Maggie."

On The Head, Tomohisa plays Aki Kobayashi while Katherine plays Maggie Mitchell.

Aki and Maggie are part of the crew at an Antarctic research station but things take a twisted turn when the entire team, apart from Maggie, are mysteriously killed. The series then revolves around their commander Johan Berg (played by Danish actor Alexander Willaume) as he tries to unravel the mystery with Maggie's help while a killer is on the loose.

The Head is also produced in association with Hulu Japan and The Mediapro Studio.

Aki is Tomohisa's first English-speaking role and language seemed to pose a slight challenge as the Japanese artiste revealed that executive producer Ran Tellem "suggested some changes of the words in the script so that it could fit better".

There was also an acting coach and an English coach on set, he added.

Interested right away

When asked about his reaction to the project, Tomohisa said that there wasn't any hesitation.

He recounted: "I got interested right away as I thought that the whole experience could be totally new to me and I imagined it could be very exciting.

"Then I read the script and got really impressed by the quality and the depth of the story. I was a bit anxious if I could successfully adjust myself to a totally different environment though."

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVL-3sISnWw[/embed]

In addition to the "well-written" script, he was also full of praise for the story and characters.

He said: "It is a well-structured story covering three different timelines. And each character is really unique and represents the depth of humanity. And most importantly, the story is so unpredictable and beyond imagination."

Only Asian among a mostly European cast

Being the only Asian among a mostly European cast didn't seem to faze him and cultural differences didn't matter.

"I was a bit nervous only at first, but I soon realised that we all shared the same passion to make the best show. To be the only Asian cast [member] is not important at all," he noted. Incidentally, Tomohisa also picked up some Spanish such as the word aqui, which sounds the same as his character's name Aki and means 'here'.

He also bonded well with the cast as they all hung out together frequently. Tomohisa recalled that the cast would dine and drink occasionally, and they also attended a local music festival while filming on the island of Tenerife in Spain.

"I rented a car once by myself to drive around the island. I'd also been to a neighbouring island by myself once over a weekend," he said, adding that he really enjoyed being in Tenerife as "no one recognised him".

The Head premieres tomorrow (June 12) at 9pm on HBO GO and HBO. New episodes of the six-part series premiere at the same time every Friday.

bryanlim@asiaone.com