Midget actor stands tall in Japanese entertainment world

[Anchorman]

Mitsuru Akaboshi is a big man in the world of Japan's little people, rising -- metaphorically at least -- from the streets of Saitama Prefecture's gritty Hasuda to become arguably the country's most famous midget actor, according to Jitsuwa Knuckles (September).

The 39-year-old Akaboshi was a ruffian schoolboy who overcame numerous obstacles to climb to such heights as appearing in a penguin suit to perform in a Japan Railways commercial.

"You've got to be a bit of a rough-head or people will walk all over you. And they'll trod on you if you're dressed like a geek," the Thumbelina thespian tells Jitsuwa Knuckles. "I barely attended a day of class during junior high. I used to just sit around smoking cigarettes, drinking Coca-Cola and listen to the rock and roll blaring out of the speakers on my stereo. I'd grown out of fighting by the time I finished elementary school, so I was more interested in making lots of buddies. It was a really great time. I had a ball. But I guess we caused some problems then. One guy I knew told me I was a delinquent and that was really bad because I really stood out."

Akaboshi's life took a turn for the better after he decided to become an actor. He has since appeared in 40 films, other promotional videos and TV commercials. Akaboshi says he's willing to perform anything. A case in point is the popular TV commercial for JR East featuring a penguin plugging its Suica e-money ticketing system - it's actually Akaboshi dressed up in a flightless bird suit and shrunken even further than his normal diminutive size through computer graphics.

"What's the charm of being an actor? I guess it's being able to play so many different roles. There are my bread-and-butter roles, but I can also play madman parts, or idiot roles, or even do erotic stuff. I don't want to be typecast, though, so I also want to take on serious parts and play the cool guy sometimes. Sometimes, acting gets to me, though," Akaboshi tells Jitsuwa Knuckles. "Look, I've got a handicap, so my career's all about just how far I can go. The only way I can do that is make the other people I deal with know what I've got to offer. It's all a matter of whether I can show just how imaginative I am." (By Ryann Connell)