I was just a kid and I didn't have a dad. That's hard because when you're a kid you blame yourself for everything. And I blamed myself for him not being around for my parents not being together.
I knew that I needed to do something that I desperately loved. There was a period where I did question if it was acting because I knew that I would be making things hard on myself. I knew that there was going to be a little bit of a hullabaloo because of my dad being who he is and all that.
You can' t help being a musician because you've grown up with music yet being one means being compared to your dad and being slated for it. But I really don't have the ambitions of most people going into the industry.
My dad remembers being in school with my uncle and the teacher would say outright to the class that the Japanese were second-class citizens and shouldn't be trusted.
I often talk with other actors about that time when you've just finished a job because I think you do take on the characteristics of some of the characters you play. Sometimes it can be a great thing and sometimes it's a bit haunting because you're not quite sure how to leave it on set. My dad talks about it as being 'de-personalised.'
I'm into being a dad that's where my focus is most of the time. I'm an actor that's my job but it's not my life. I have a lot of other interests too.
I wanted to make a point of basing myself at home being close to my family. I'll never be able to repay Mum and Dad for what they did but at least they know they'll never have to work another day. I'll do whatever it takes to look after them.
When I was growing up my mother would say 'Your dad may have to learn about being a father because he lost his own and that would have affected him'.
I love being a dad it keeps me fit and inspired and children are so funny. They always supply you with acting material!
My dad used to draw these great cartoon figures. His dream was being a cartoonist but he never achieved it and it kind of broke my heart. I think part of my interest in art had to do with his yearning for something he could never have.