Japanese pop star Miyavi gets under the skin of brutal POW camp commander in Angelina Jolie WWII drama Unbroken

POP star Miyavi says he ‘threw up’ and felt the pressure of playing the villain in Angelina Jolie’s movie, Unbroken.

WHEN Angelina Jolie first approached Miyavi to play the villain in her WWII drama Unbroken, she wanted to know whether he would be prepared to cut his rock star long locks.

But the singer’s short, back and sides didn’t surprised his fans at the film’s world premiere in Sydney as much as his demure behaviour.

“On the red carpet I was really polite, behaving as an actor, especially because this film is sensitive and sincere and I don’t want to ruin that,’’ he says.

“On stage, I am more aggressive.”

Cruel intentions ... Jack O'Connell and Miyavi in Unbroken. Picture: Supplied

Miyavi, known to his mother as Takamasa Ishihara, had no acting experience when he signed on to play The Bird, a sadistic POW camp commander who systematically brutalised Unbroken’s real-life hero Louis Zamperini (Jack O’Connell) during his long and harrowing internment in Japan during the war.

But it’s clear from the contrast between Miyavi’s provocative stage persona and his earnest, soft-spoken demeanour during interviews that he’s a natural-born performer.

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Even so, no one, least of all the singer/guitarist, underestimated the stretch between his innate talent for rock n’ roll theatrics and a fully-fledged dramatic performance in a big budget feature film.

Rock star ... Miyavi on stage. Picture: Supplied

“Because I had no experience as an actor, I tried not to act but to put reality into the performance so that at the end of each day, even when I got back to the hotel, I was still The Bird,’’ he says.

Unrelenting ... Miyavi and O'Connell in Unbroken. Picture: Supplied.

Since his character was lonely and isolated, even from his fellow Japanese guards, Miyavi chose to distance himself from other cast members during filming.

“Angie and I talked about it and we came to believe that The Bird was really unbalanced and lonely and sad. To put reality into the performance, we decided I should keep a distance from the other actors.

“It was tough, but worth it. It was important to bring reality and humanity and respect to the character, because The Bird was an actual person. He has a family. That’s why we cared about the character so much.”

Miyavi at the premiere of Unbroken in Hollywood. Picture: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images

For most of his time on set, Miyavi was required to keep his character’s emotions tightly reigned. But as the film built to a highly emotional showdown between The Bird and Zamperini (Jack O’Connell), the first-time actor’s lack of professional experience began to tell.

“Anger, confusion … I had to express all those negative feelings without any dialogue,’’ he says.

“I had no idea how to get to that point.

“I really felt the pressure. It was Angie’s first movie with a Hollywood studio. And there were more than 200 extras and a professional crew waiting for me.

“I ended up throwing up.”

Mentors ... Jolie and Pitt with Miyavi his wife Melody at the world premiere of Unbroken in Sydney. Picture: Richard Dobson

With Jolie’s help, Miyavi was able to channel the fear and emptiness he felt into his final, climactic breakdown.

Once his job was done, the singer/guitarist got the chance to bond with fellow cast members, including Connell and US actor Garrett Hedlund, through music. With producer Matthew Baer on drums, they formed the Unbroken band.

Intense role ... Japanese pop star Miyavi as The Bird in Angelina Jolie's Unbroken. Picture: Universal

For the wrap party, Jolie liaised with Miyavi’s manager so he could perform for the cast and crew.

“It was great. Angie was dancing in front of me.

”I have learnt many things from her and (husband) Brad Pitt — as an artist and as a parent,’’ says the musician-turned-actor who has two daughters of his own with wife Melody.
“They are so natural and they dedicate themselves to their kids.”

Unbroken opens on Thursday January 15.

Originally published as Japanese pop star Miyavi gets under the skin of brutal POW camp commander in Angelina Jolie WWII drama Unbroken