The lobby of the Setagaya Public Theatre in Tokyo teemed with women on Sept. 1, each eager to see Kei Tanaka in action. The 34-year-old actor — and judging by the buzz in the lobby, bona fide dreamboat — recently captured hearts in "Ossan's Love," a TV Asahi rom-com in which he played a cute gay salaryman.
If the women were there to see something similar, however, they were in for a surprise. Tanaka is currently starring in a Japanese stage version of "Swimming With Sharks," a dark U.S. comedy that some critics have described as the male version of "The Devil Wears Prada."
Set in the dog-eat-dog world of Hollywood's film industry, the 1994 movie detailed the abusive relationship between a producer's personal assistant, Guy (played here by Tanaka), and his cruel boss, Buddy Ackerman (played by Tetsushi Tanaka, but portrayed memorably in the original film by Kevin Spacey). Rounding out the main cast of the Japanese production is Maho Nonami in the role of Dawn, Guy's love interest.