Kondo Yohdi and Joe Nakamura for ATHLETE: Shows September 25 in PH

We got to interview the stars of ATHLETE a film by Takashi Oe earlier today. Meeting Kondo Yohdi and Joe Nakamura was a pleasant experience especially since we do seldom meet international actors. 

Nakamura san says “I tried to match my persona and character to one of my friends, I used to work in the district and did this film. This is my first time here, but I hope everyone understands that this is about love, not about any nationality or country, it is never one way. I hope straight person would understand that. In the story it is hard because I have a daughter. I want them to understand it, so it would be easy to come out and open their heart. We are behind Asia, a little hard to accept truths, they try to tie it up in certain jobs like hairdressers, comedians, and never the family type men. I never made love with a guy before but I had to know and research about it, I watched brokeback mountain a couple of times. When I had this offer I already had many friends who are lgbt but this never changed me because I was already happy with them. I want to also work with Filipino actors. I want to work with Anne Curtis. I wanna go sea the beaches, ear more Filipino food and cultural places.” 

Kondo san says “I watched films in the past but I just wanted to focus on love. I don’t really concentrate on gender, for me, love is love. This is what role I wanted to do. It is different a situation, but this would get you to understand how it is in Japan, maybe fall in love with someone from Japan too. My character is going to do what he wants to make his partner happy. For them to know the real value of happiness. My generation is more accepting, but the older ones have to be more masculine and not understand it. Our bedscenes had to have breathing controls. This is my first time to act so I was nervous , but we didn’t think about the reception at all. It was a role and it had good reason to be told. Even if I am not gay and going to play a gay guy, it did not trouble us at all because we have friends who are lgbt and hope this helps them. I will not stop doing Youtube, we only have one life and I will do my best to upload more content even if I am busy with the acting job. I want to work and maybe do a superhero movie, but I have to learn Filipino and English first before I could do that.” 

They also have the Purple Beauty Team (Shigubi Purple) to help them promote the film. They will be performing with the PPOP generation tonight in Promenad Greenhills. They are Kimono dancers, all above 50 years old but they look young. 

This title has many meanings, but they are swimmers and something happened to the role of Joe Nakamura before the divorce started, so in a nutshell, things really started from them being an athlete. This will show only on September 25. This movie will only be seen in Robinsons Movieworld, exclusively! 

Go watch it!