10 Questions For Ken Watanabe

Ken Watanabe is becoming something of a patron saint of cinematic lost causes. In The Last Samurai, the Japanese actor played the title role as a doomed warrior with nothing left but his honor. He's at it again in his new film, this time as a World War II Japanese officer mounting a last stand against American troops in the critically acclaimed Letters From Iwo Jima. Watanabe, 47, spoke with Time's Michiko Toyama about his role, what it was like working with director Clint Eastwood, and the challenges of being true to the horrors of war.

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