According to QQ, although actor Takeshi Kaneshiro has virtually distanced himself from the entertainment industry, his fame and charm continue to captivate the public. Many younger actors only need to slightly resemble him to immediately attract the audience’s attention. Recently, actor Ci Sha of A Splendid Game he was often compared to Takeshi Kaneshiro for his similar visuals, which immediately elevated the public’s perception of his appearance and made him seem more suited to the big screen.
Takeshi Kaneshiro is widely considered one of the greatest visual icons of Chinese-language cinema. Even actor Chen Kun, famously confident in his appearance, once admitted: “The most handsome man in the entertainment industry is Takeshi Kaneshiro.” Female celebrities, meanwhile, found it almost impossible to resist “god of beauty”.
Among them, Song Hye Kyo has openly expressed her admiration for the senior actor on multiple occasions. He shared it she likes Takeshi Kaneshiro for his overwhelming masculinity. Although language barriers often prevented her from fully understanding it, his body language alone was enough to hypnotize her. Song Hye Kyo also described it as someone who was born with the aura of a superstar.
In 2014, Song Hye Kyo starred alongside Takeshi Kaneshiro in The crossing. Once again, she openly expressed her affection for him despite the language difference. Besides showering him with praise, she also admitted that the actor represented her “ideal type” and the dream boyfriend.
Taiwanese actress Joe Chen has also repeatedly praised Takeshi Kaneshiro in interviews. He confidently stated, “Takeshi Kaneshiro is the most handsome man in the world” and even blushed in embarrassment after being teased for expressing her feelings too passionately.
Born in 1973, Takeshi Kaneshiro is of Japanese and Taiwanese descent. He rose to fame in the 1990s due to his academic and exceptionally handsome appearance. Along with Jimmy Lin, Nicky Wu and Alec Su, he was known as one of Taiwan “Little Heavenly Kings”, standing next to the Hong Kong legend Four Heavenly Kings. His notable works include Maybe Love, Chungking Express, House of Flying Daggers, School days, Fallen Angels, DragonAND Red Cliff.
At the height of his career, Takeshi Kaneshiro was considered the ultimate symbol of masculinity in Chinese entertainment and the dream man of millions of women. Numerous actresses have publicly expressed their admiration for him, including Michelle Reis, Jessica Hsuan, Kelly Chen, Gigi Leung, Qin Lan, Gillian Chung, Charlene Choi, Shu Qi, Li Xiaoran, Jolin Tsai, Ruby Lin, Zhang Ziyi, Zhou Xun, Selina Jen, Coco Lee, Hebe Tien, Barbie Hsu, Dee Hsu and many others.
Actress Carina Lau once famously stated: “Every girl in Hong Kong dreams of marrying Takeshi Kaneshiro.” Meanwhile, actor Richie Jen jokingly admitted: “Takeshi Kaneshiro, honestly, I never want to hang out with you because no one pays attention to me when you’re around!”
Even Edison Chen, once considered one of the most attractive young stars in the industry, has admitted defeat to Takeshi Kaneshiro. “Takeshi Kaneshiro is the only man more handsome than me” he joked. Alec Su also commented: “Takeshi Kaneshiro’s biggest flaw is that he’s too handsome.”
Even Daniel Wu, another actor celebrated for his images, once shared, “I wanted to tell him that I really like him, but it seemed ridiculous to me that a man would say that to another man.”
Michelle Reis, often called the most beautiful beauty queen, once confessed, “For me, Takeshi Kaneshiro is the most handsome man of the times we filmed Fallen Angelsit was already incredibly beautiful. We rehearsed the kissing scenes all night, but the director cut them!”
Taiwanese supermodel Lin Chi Ling also praised him, saying: “To me, her beauty doesn’t even seem real. She’s too perfect.” Similarly, Korean actress Jang Nara revealed her admiration for her eyes: “When I looked Chungking Express starring him and Faye Wong, I admired it so much. His eyes are incredibly captivating.”
Other beauties such as Kelly Chen, Zhang Ziyi and Ruby Lin also openly admitted: “He is the only male actor who has ever made my heart skip a beat while filming,” AND “I love Takeshi Kaneshiro. He’s my ideal type.”
During his peak years, Takeshi Kaneshiro was one of the most sought-after stars in Asia and commanded some of the highest salaries in the entertainment industry. However, fame and fortune were not enough to keep him tied to acting. According to QQ, even huge offers from producers today are not enough to convince him to return to show business.
“Now I am satisfied and happy with my simple and ordinary life. I just want to be a normal actor. I don’t feel comfortable being a superstar. The constant attention makes me feel suffocated and limited.” Takeshi Kaneshiro once said.
The actor admitted that he never had ambitions to compete for fame or status. Instead, he prefers to live slowly and experience life like an ordinary person.
Director Peter Chan once described Takeshi Kaneshiro as the “the most difficult star to choose”. Despite possessing chiseled images, exceptional acting talent and a huge fan base, earning her the title of “The most handsome man in Asia” — the actor has never shown much enthusiasm in increasing his fame through acting projects.
Most of the time Takeshi Kaneshiro reportedly stays at home sleeping, reading books, watching movies, or playing video games. He refuses to participate in variety shows and doesn’t even use social media to maintain his popularity.
During a program, Peter Chan revealed more about the actor’s unusual personality: “He has hundreds of reasons to turn down a movie offer.”
“He doesn’t really like acting. He loves freedom. Takeshi Kaneshiro only agrees to act when he feels safe.” the director explained, adding that he had to personally travel to Japan to meet the actor.
Sources: K14
