One of Japan’s most promising young actors is to make his comeback, after a drug overdose threatened to derail his blossoming career. Yagira Yuya (19, photo) is to co-star with Sato Eriko in the “human drama” movie “Subete wa Umi ni Naru.” Yagira plays a high school bookworm and the victim of bullying, who develops a relationship with a bookstore clerk (Sato). The movie is the directorial debut for Yamada Akane and is scheduled for release next spring. Yagira was an unknown when he grabbed international headlines by becoming the youngest ever Best Actor award winner at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival at the age of 14 (photo, left). His standout performance in Koreeda Hirokazu’s “Daremo Shiranai” (Nobody Knows) put him firmly in the spotlight and he made several films over the next few years. But his last big-screen performance in “Houtai Club” in 2007 was followed by health problems and he buy cytotec online radar for a year. When he did make the news again, in September 2008, it was after an overdose of tranquilisers landed him in the hospital. Though he’s been away from acting for two and a half years, he’s been busy. He writes a blog and last November published his first novel, “Yamanai Ame.”
Earlier stories:
Yagira Yuya Denies Suicide Attempt (Sep 1, 2008)
• Comedian Horiuchi Ken (39) has married a woman 17 years his junior, he revealed yesterday while filming an NTV variety show. After the show, he held a press conference and was joined by the other two members of popular comedy trio Neptune, Nagura Jun (40) and Harada Taizo (39). HoriKen was previously linked with actress Igawa Haruka (32) in 2003.