Ken Watanabe of Tokyo Vice Lands Supporting Role Despite Contrary Reports
Ken Watanabe, the Oscar-nominated actor who stars in the Emmy-buzzed HBO/Max drama series Tokyo Vice as Hiroto Katagiri, a detective in the organized crime division of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department and a father-figure to Jake Adelstein (Ansel Elgort), an American journalist in Tokyo, is being submitted for Emmys consideration as a supporting actor, contrary to previous reports that he would be pushed as a lead actor alongside co-star Elgort, reports The Hollywood Reporter.
Tokyo Vice is the most-viewed original on the Max platform and is currently in the awards conversation for its highly acclaimed second season, which has received even better reviews (93 percent on Rotten Tomatoes) than its first season (85 percent). The show is competing in a year where the drama categories at the Emmys are lacking, with only one past drama series nominee eligible for recognition (Netflix’s The Crown>), making it poised to capitalize on the opportunity. The show also attracted a large audience at its official FYC event for TV Academy members on April 3 at the Avalon in Hollywood.
For the first season of the show, Watanabe was submitted in the supporting category, but his significant contributions to the second season (which has 10 episodes compared to the first season’s eight) may have led to speculation about him being in the lead category.
The show’s creator J.T. Rogers has described season 1 as setting the table and season 2 as flipping the table over. In season 2, dark forces within the yakuza disregard the rules of the underworld, leading to consequences. Katagiri, who previously tried to maintain peace between yakuza factions, faces new challenges with the arrival of detective Shoko Negate (Miki Maya). The season explores whether the supposedly incorruptible Katagiri can remain clean under pressure and threats towards his family from the yakuza.