How Ansel Elgort Learned Japanese For 'Tokyo Vice'

For his role in "Tokyo Vice," Ansel Elgort learned Japanese, spending more than four hours a day studying and immersing himself in the language. "It was such a cool thing to have to do - a great challenge," the actor, who portrayed Tokyo-based American journalist Jake Adelstein, told Access Hollywood. Ansel and co-star Ken Watanabe also shared what it was like to meet the real-life Jake and how they took what they learned into their roles. "Tokyo Vice" Season 1 is streaming now on HBO Max.
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"Access Hollywood," now in its 27th season, is an Emmy-nominated, half-hour syndicated entertainment news show. Broadcasting live to the East Coast, it features hosts Mario Lopez, Kit Hoover, Scott Evans, and correspondent Zuri Hall. The program delivers exclusive celebrity interviews and major entertainment news directly from the red carpet.

[@eh4825]

I’ve lived in Japan for years and I am a translator and I am sooo impress with how good Ansel’s Japanese is in such a short time. I would say he is about the same level to Ken’s English but in a much shorter span of time. I have never met anyone that can speak this well in such a short time. Hats off

[@RyanJ504]

That's quite a compliment, because I always thought Wantabe's English was exceptional, at least since I started seeing him in movies 20 years ago.

[@eh4825]

I know, right. And I don’t say it lightly. As someone who has studied Japanese and is not bad at all, I did not speak as smooth as Ansel after 7-8 months (or a year maybe, can’t remember). I don’t know anyone that can do that. Ken is great but Ansel just reached that level in a much much shorter time. It’s impressive!

[@ceced1417]

Ansel’s Japanese is so good in this show! Liked their relationship in the show. I hope there’s a season 2! Can’t leave us hanging!

[@Shadowdoc26]

I know. I want to know is Sato alive or not? Who left Jake the video? And I'm 95 percent sure miyamoto is dead, but how? Did they decapitate him? Did they bury him alive in concrete? Or burn him alive?

[@LeanneMustafa]

I'm so excited for Febuary 2024 to get these answers. My only wishes now for season 2 is to hopefully do well enough to keep the series going. I love Tokyo Vice so much, I'm rewatching it now again :D @@Shadowdoc26

[@kami_oniisama9884]

Just released today. Go enjoy

[@okamifang4059]

They're still coming out

[@blakrumba]

Ken Watanabe is so beautiful. A legend in the industry 💙 So glad to find another project in which to see him. 👏🏾

[@robertgrey7266]

Elgort has a good teacher. I’ve been living in Japan for 25 years and his Japanese ability sounds equal to or better than my own.

[@daninthepan]

Been here in Japan for 21 years and have mastered the language to a pretty high level (4 years of 4 hours a day including 10 hours a week of private tuition). I have to say, I was blown away by his level of proficiency in the show. Well done Ansel, he was totally believable as a foreigner who'd mastered the language. I also felt the show did a really good job of capturing some of the minutia of what it's like to live here long term: from the milliard of microaggressions like speaking fluent Japanese to someone and having them reply in pigeon English, and the countless unwanted assumptions made on your behalf (he can't possibly read this so let's not send it to him) to the more brazen, in your face discrimination - I too have been told I can't rent an apartment because the landlord doesn't want a foreigner (a friend of mine in 2019 was told by every estate agent in the town there was nothing for him). Jake Adelstein's Japanese is of course off the scale and the fact he even had the balls to take that test to enter the company is ridiculous - total respect to him and what he does/did. A lot of people say if you don't like it go home. I say If you don't like something, try to change it and that is exactly what Jake Adelstein did/does.

[@daninthepan]

BTW - I am in no way claiming to understand what racism feels like in the UK (where I'm from) or anywhere else. Overall, I am a hugely over-privileged white-male who is lucky enough to live here. Just stating a few facts.

[@Sauc3_d]

I absolutely loved this show!! So happy someone special recommended it to me. Crazy to learn such a tough language and then memorize lines and act it all out. Re-energized my love 😍 for Japanese language/culture. Hope Season 2 becomes a reality- too many cliffhangers!Thanks for this interview- means a lot!

[@Shadowdoc26]

HBO confirmed season 2. I can't wait either.

[@sheryleddins6239]

Excellence all around, from opening credits on. Great graphics, art direction, lighting, photography, casting, script... Just splendid work.

[@philosopher2king]

This kid is amazing. He and Samatha sound extremely credible and fluent.

[@chrismayer8098]

Can't get enough of this show. Wish there would be a Season 3.

[@lw8099]

You got your wish!

[@chrismayer8098]

@@lw8099 Did I?? I don't see anything official yet!

[@Partoftheratpack]

@@chrismayer8098it’s cancelled post season 2 right

[@TheRyanos]

This show will blow up in the next 3 years trust me on that! So many series get popular when it's already several seasons in and the same will happen to this gem. I love it!

[@speedvaxer]

it’s done after season 2

[@paranoidhumanoid]

I'm so impressed by how much his Japanese has progressed! Rinko was the same way when she came to NYC to study English -- it was slow at first but she studied hard daily and was very immersed in it and within months she became very proficient.

[@gurpchirp]

fuck it, im learning japanese

[@dessie6857]

Haha I was just saying the same thing!

[@BusterBossJR]

Haha good luck. I'm learning it myself right now!

[@DL_2021]

Great cast! Great show! One of the best show in 2022

[@jhenriquez156]

Season 2 PLEASEEE. Arigato Gozaimasu!

[@LeanneMustafa]

ep 1 and 2 are out now, theyre pretty good im excited for the next episode next week ^^ enjoy!

[@maymarcelino707]

Waiting for season 2! ❤️

[@LeanneMustafa]

the wait is over! :D

[@okamifang4059]

Holy smokes! I had no clue this was based on a true story

[@bencera6067]

It’s really impressive, man big props to him for learning

[@robbach2816]

as an artist in the '80s I worked for his father mopping up the the photographers studio floor. I don't even think he was born then

[@ReticentSociety]

Ahhhhhh, this reminds me of my first time learning japanese, only N5 level and I can barely handle it...I WILL NOT GIVE UP!!!

[@LeanneMustafa]

hows your japanese now? i hope you're still going! 頑張って!

[@coffeeaficion]

We need season 2 !

[@LeanneMustafa]

and we finally got it!!! season 2 ep 1 and 2 are out now, theyre pretty good im excited for the next episode next week ^^ enjoy!

[@HarryNicNicholas]

apparently (i have heard) if you get arrested for any sort of crime in japan you're expected to confess, even if you are totally innocent, if you don't confess you just just dicked around for days on end until you do, that it's easier to confess, pay a small fine or spend a short time in jail, than to try to defend yourself, which is expensive and you can't expect bail while any sort of hearing or trial is arranged. this is why arrest and successful prosecution rates are so high in japan, and probably why crime figures are low. while i was there one day out sightseeing i noticed a camera had been left on a wall, when i pointed it out to me (now ex) wife she said to just leave it, the owner would probably remember it and come back, and if not it was quite safe there until someone reported it to the police.

[@AJdada815]

Is Watanabe really wearing nike tech fleece hoodie lol dope actor

[@Duves]

I was thinking the same! But I thought it was a UNIQLO fleece hoodie possibly 🤔😅

[@user-rz7ft3rj9u]

EXCELLENT SHOW & EXCELLENT CAST!!!

[@stvrcrypto6129]

Why did it end like that??? My man sato didn’t deserve that

[@Shadowdoc26]

We don't know if he's dead. It's a cliffhanger. We're going to have to wait to find out.

[@Sincere5ive]

I hope he’s not dead, he was my favorite character

[@rivacra]

Probably (and I hope) he's not dead. And I hope he will be with Samatha next season :D

[@henryyoung2361]

He’s not dead. If you read the second book he’s still alive

[@Marguns21]

Consequences for everything.

[@benficaM8888]

I've seen his Japanese interview. Very surprised how decent his Japanese is.. I know people who lived in japan for years and speak worse japanese.. Well done

[@streglof]

I literally assumed he knew Japanese before the show

[@yacinebt4251]

One my favorite tv show

[@robertgrey7266]

A new episode of the show is being shot in my neighborhood this week. Rural Nagano, at a cabin out in snow country.

[@andidina939]

I always wonder how ansel speak japanese so good ... is not easy but with 9 hour pratice everyday, he can do it omg thumbs up 👍🏻

[@Ghost_Rider_786]

Woah did not realise Ansel learnt Japanese for the role ....That is pure dedication

[@christinestromberg4057]

I thought Ansel was amazing in that series. I loved it.

[@matildawolfram4687]

I want to thank the author of the channel for making this beautiful and useful video for us! Many people are embarrassed to speak a foreign language if they have no speaking skills. People are afraid to hear criticism from others in their address. It all comes from having a psychological complex - to make a mistake. But, after all, he who does nothing is not wrong! In Yuriy Ivantsiv's workshop "Polyglot Notes. Practical tips for learning foreign language" states that we need to talk as much as possible: with yourself, with the mirror, with inanimate objects, with children and with pets. Find an interlocutor in real life or online. Talk without shyness. People won't care how you speak. They understand that you are a foreigner, as long as they understand you. They may even acknowledge your progress in their language and compliment you. However, always be prepared for criticism of your speaking skills. If you have the will to speak, you will gain an interesting interlocutor to consolidate your knowledge. Everyone is strewn with mistakes - don't be afraid to learn from them. As the Latin wisdom says, "walk and thou shalt not go astray". In the book "Polyglot Notes" by YuriyIvantsiv an entire chapter is devoted to the development of spoken language. Here you will find many useful tips and each student can choose a technique that suits him or her best! I wish you all the best of luck in your language learning!

[@cyberbeefpv2810]

Great show!

[@jeanniehughes1761]

I feel they should bring Sato back because we don’t know if he died or and girl came back down the street and found him I loved his character he was very handsome cool but like a young man struggling I don’t feel he evil just put into bad situations love the show and jake & sato made great friendship

[@emceeable]

Very impressive to learn Japanese and loved the show!!!!

[@punarvasuiamback6578]

Loved answl in Tokyo vise , he is awesome 🌺

[@sandra969]

Ilove thisshow soo darn good and his japenese ..cant wait for 3

[@ndwolfwood09]

I love Ken Watanabe and am impressed by Ansel's passion to learn Japanese, @2:44 I was bit confused and thought maybe Ken misunderstood the question? lol

[@eh4825]

Yeah, Ken is great but he definitely was off there. I guess he anticipated the question to be about their character and not what he thought of Ansel’s Japanese improvement…

[@punarvasuiamback6578]

He is just superb…. Loved him in Tokyo vise and baby driver ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@StephNuggs]

Good show! A bit formulaic at times but had good pacing and was entertaining at the end of the day

[@takitonmaru]

i really need that season 2 baby, tokyo vice is killer

[@LeanneMustafa]

you got it! well, at least season 2 ep 1 and 2m that is. Theyre pretty good im excited for the next episode next week ^^ enjoy!

[@HarryNicNicholas]

i'm surprised ken watanbees english isn't as good as i imagined, he carries it off in the show so i expected fluency. having said that i was married to a japanese for 20 years and my japanese is terrible, enough to be polite, not enough to hold a conversation. my japanese inlaws were very accommodating though, my ex wife's mother was an excellent cook, my father-in-law loved that i could out drink him (any excuse for the japanese to get out the whiskey bottle) and i have fond memories of my visits to japan - i say it's like space travel, i look up at the sky and expect to see rings like saturn, extraordinary country, really terrific people, and a sensible religion!

[@krampus1094]

Did you also have this feeling that it wants you to come Japan, but it doesn't want you to stay?

[@angelaa.4377]

Great Show !!

[@maxrebo8455]

I do get to practice my Japanese in Melbourne, Aus. There’s a fair few Japanese here fortunately.

[@HisameArtwork]

I also went to a japanese restaurant in USA and nobody there was japanese. Not surprised but still disappointed.

[@tonyscott1378]

There are plenty of Japanese restaurants in Los Angeles and San Francisco areas that are owned and operated by Japanese people, and with many Japanese customers. But, there are also many that are owned and operated by Koreans, and sometime you will find Filipinos or Indonesians or Mexicans cutting fish for sushi. There is restaurant with one Michelin star in LA where the chef is Caucasian making very traditional Japanese food, and another that is two Michelin stars that has a Japanese-American chef who has never worked in Japan. One of the great things about the USA is that anyone, regardless of their ethnicity or background, who truly loves some type of cuisine can become a great, respected chef in that cuisine if they have talent and the drive to learn the cuisine.

[@beautifulbluemonster]

Wow, his Japanese pronunciation is perfect!

[@tanjaneumann8681]

Best series... live his voice

[@kami_oniisama9884]

“In the beginning I didn’t trust him” I thought he was answering about real life hahaha

[@mukurochan10]

9 hours a day??? You shouldn’t overwork yourself, Ansel ☺️

[@tanjaneumann8681]

Season 3 please... please ... please

[@TMNmedia]

Hes japanese is so good, kudos to him!

[@skyleafgreen7997]

Love these guys, but honestly, Japanese is DEFINITELY not the hardest language in the world. I don't speak it, but several of my relatives got scholarships to study in Tokyo after taking six months of language classes. Despite being Lingua Franca, English is a much harder language to learn. You can learn and speak it for years, but you'll still get some grammar errors and so forth. Chinese is another hard language to learn.

[@mindtheprivacy]

This is a genius actor.

[@Breathofdeathh]

Being an actor is awesome…getting paid to turn into someone else. Wicked

[@fireflame62]

Alright 4 hrs a day

[@alexiatorrez7680]

He’s so cute 🥰

[@pixie6638]

ansel elgort? in 2022? 🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅

[@Andy_Babb]

Thought dude was a decent actor before the show… anyone who can learn a new language just for a role is no joke lol homie can flat out act

[@rafalski573]

:-) Calkiem spoko jest posługiwać się jednym z najtrudniejszych jezyków świata kiedy nawet nie pamięta się dobrze jego nauki.

[@bravewryy6781]

Yo where did Ansel get that hoodie? it is the epitome of drip! 🥶

[@ReticentSociety]

was wondering too, it really caught my attention!

[@drSJV]

🙏🙏🙏🧡

[@punarvasuiamback6578]

Love you ansal ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@charlienguyen5446]

Did I take crazy pills or did Ken go AWOL on the interviewer @ 2:57 😅

[@krampus1094]

English isn't his first language

[@wenjiewu5479]

Why did Ansel ruin this great of a show maybe they can recast him and just continue with the show

[@NoodleBoy26]

He looks so different with the mustache

[@Disney65Fan]

He reminds.me.of.Charlie Puth here.

[@TheKos2Kos]

Sorry pbd and the crew is backwards. What does having billionaires gotta do with the progress of this country when most of the country lives paycheck to paycheck now ?

[@Kur0y4m4]

I struggle to watch this guy navigate Japanese society. He is supposed to be this immersed learned genius who LIVES the culture, but he continually behaves as an entitled ignorant foreigner would. Which is it? Is he learned, or ignorant?

[@ashleypaige5907]

Hollywood welcoming this guy back with open arms and rewarding him with a season two to his show after being accused of sexual assault and talking to underage girls makes me wanna throw up.

[@mikahong]

Once in a blue moon I check on soc med what's up w him and ye, seems fans have just happily forgotten. Hollywierd was always expected to act blind. But I'm more disappointed in fans.

[@lottonthewizard4352]

@@mikahong He is young and "attractive" so he gets a pass. Nothing new.

[@Victor-fm3xd]

Key word being accused, go back to twitter bitch

[@crystalenergy7904]

@@Victor-fm3xdKey word snapchatting minors and admitted to it LOL

[@crystalenergy7904]

Wasn't Ansel Elgort exposed for snapchatting with a bunch of teenage girls?

[@Victor-fm3xd]

Not exposed, just accused. And nothing ever came out of it

[@ghostland8646]

never proven guilty

[@crystalenergy7904]

@@ghostland8646 there is proof of it and he admitted to having a relationship with one of the teen girls he was snapchatting…

[@crystalenergy7904]

@@Victor-fm3xd Theres EVIDENCE of him flirting with teenage girls on snapchat and he admitted to having a relationship with one of the girls he was snapchatting. Did you even read the story snd his response? Its blatantly obvious. He used a secret snapchat profile to hit on teen girls. Admitting to having a “consensual relationship” with a barely 17 year old girl proves majority of her story to be correct lmfao.

[@ghostland8646]

@@crystalenergy7904 so why is a 17 years old girl on sc going after some famous 20 ish + years old man ?

[@bengreenfield5046]

This interviewer was terrible

[@SW7London]

He's such a bad actor.... completely contrived, doesn't understand emotions so his outbursts feel so fake and plastic and throws off the entire story. surely they had thousands of far better actors to chose from.

[@limegreenpatato]

Worst mustache

[@GabrielaJ.]

🤮

[@coucou6281]

Try and learn another language.

[@crystalenergy7904]

@@coucou6281 He got paid millions of dollars to learn another language for his job and speaking japanese doesnt cancel out the fact hes a creep

[@Victor-fm3xd]

🤮 this comment

[@crystalenergy7904]

@@coucou6281He creeped on minors lol