CNNgo.com Interview

Hiro Hayama: 'I should have asked for more money'

Hiro Hayama: 'I should have asked for more money'   CNNGo.com http://www.cnngo.com/hong-kong/play/hiro-hayama-i-should-have-asked-more-money-535521#ixzz1JxwQpQyi

The male lead of Hong Kong's 3D soft porn "Sex and Zen: Extreme Ecstacy" tells us about the pains and pleasures of being the stud in the much-hyped erotic movieHiro Hayama stars in "3D Sex and Zen: Extreme Ecstasy."Hiro Hayama, male lead of Hong Kong's most talked-about soft porn " 3D Sex and Zen: Extreme Ecstasy" hails from Japan. Hayama has been in Hong Kong for about 10 years, struggling to make it in show business. "Sex and Zen" is the first movie in which he tackles the male lead.Also read our review of "Sex and Zen."CNNGo: Being Japanese, what impression did Hong Kong's soft porn make on you?Hiro Hayama: It's very good. Hong Kong should make more of these kinds of movies. Soft porn has entertainment value.CNNGo:

Were you willing to take on this role because it is your first male lead?Hayama: Yes. I told the filmmakers in the beginning: "If it isn't the lead role, I'm not doing it."

To be honest, I took a real gamble with this role. It was like buying the Mark Six. It isn't just me, the entire cast and crew and even the investors are all gambling with this one.CNNGo: Did anyone say anything bad to you after you agreed to take the role?Hayama: There hasn't been anything negative, everyone has just been very curious. They keep asking: "What are Japanese girls like?" And other questions about the filming process.CNNGo:

How about your family? Did they object?Hayama: No, they did not. Before I took on the contract I called my wife who is in Japan. I thought she would really object to it, but she said: "If you haven't done nudity before, then just go ahead and take it all off."She thinks that as an actor I should try it at least once. But never twice. And I can't have real sex with the actresses.CNNGo: Do you think Hong Kong people misunderstand soft porn actors?

There is a very thin line between pain and pleasure. Actors don't realise their expressions for sex scenes are very similar to expressions of pain.

Hayama: Everyone thinks we've got it all. We get to be intimate with the actresses and get paid to do it. But actually it's not like that.First of all, we have to make sure our genitals do not appear on screen, so we must secure our penises with sticky tape. The skin that is taped becomes very irritated. I had to go and see a dermatologist.If you don't believe me, try taping your penis for a month and watch what happens.CNNGo:

How do you tape it?Hayama: Do you want to try? Take your pants off and I'll show you now.CNNGo:

No, that's okay. You can just tell me.Hayama: Fine. You just have to tape your genitals to your body and make sure they are secure.You have to shave first, but the hair grows back within two days and it still hurts when you pull the tape off. In the end I just pulled the hairs out. It was so painful.CNNGo:

It must hurt even more if you have a physical reaction to the actresses?Hayama: You definitely will not have any physical reaction. Even though you are faced with the actresses' naked bodies, there are always dozens of other people on set.When the camera is rolling I have to focus on my actions, my expressions, my lines, the camera position. There is no way to have any involuntary physical reaction.CNNGo:

Sounds tough. Do you get paid more for this movie?He's actually enjoying himself.Hayama: No. When I agreed to the role I didn't know it would be this erotic. I regret it slightly now.If I knew that this film would be getting so much attention I would have asked for more money.CNNGo:

Were you stressed about taking your clothes off for the camera?Hayama: Yes. I remember the first day of shoot with Saori Hara, I was really embarassed. She took her clothes off quickly but I was taking my time. She tried to teach me not to be nervous and said that it isn't a problem for me to touch her anywhere on her body during the shoot.It was so embarassing for me, but I eventually got used to it.

A lot of people are naked in the scenes, so after some time everyone became numb to the nudity and nobody was interested in whether I had clothes on or not.CNNGo:

Kung fu movies have martial arts directors, so did you guys have a sex scene choreographer?Hayama: No, I don't need a choreographer! But the directing was meticulous, the director would show us the storyboard and explain every position to us, each shot had to be drawn clearly and we had to follow the illustrations.CNNGo:

Are acting skills important for doing soft porn?Hayama: Very important. Sex scenes are not the entirety of the movie. There are many scenes that require acting skills.CNNGo:

Is it difficult to do the expressions for the sex scenes?One of the scenes that required his acting skills.Hayama:

The director said that there is a very thin line between pain and pleasure. The actors don't realise that their expressions for sex scenes are very similar to expressions of pain.For me, I just have to think "Why can't we be doing it for real?" and my facial expressions will naturally not look painful.CNNGo:

Are you able to socialize with the actresses normally after the shoots?Hayama: Off-camera we can be really good friends. Even when we are in a naked embrace during a shoot and have to pause, we can continue to be in the embrace and carry on a normal conversation.Saori Hara once said to me, "In Hong Kong we always have to be so careful not to show our genitals on camera. Well, if we were really doing it then that wouldn't be a problem."

She's right about that.The acting would be easier if it wasn't just simulated sex. But I definitely won't go there. Once I start down the road of  category four movies (hardcore porn), there's no going back.Tags:

    * Saori Hara

    * 3D Sex and Zen

    * Hiro Hayama

    * soft porn

    * celebrity interview