Training for Ghost In The Shell was like going through NS, says Chin Han

SINGAPORE — Shooting Ghost In The Shell, the live-action remake of the seminal Japanese manga and anime series, had Singaporean actor Chin Han recalling his National Service days.

The 47-year-old — who stars in the movie alongside Scarlett Johansson, who is cast in the role of human-cyborg counter-terrorist commander Major Motoko Kusanagi — said that since he plays a special officer on Johansson’s team, he had to go through five months of physical training.

“It was very intense and challenging — we had to go through physical conditioning, military and special operations training, and learn to use weapons,” Chin Han (whose full name is Ng Chin Han) told TODAY in a phone interview from his home in Los Angeles.

He joked that this was all new and challenging, since “it has been a while since I did NS”.

Weapons training was particularly different from his time in NS, given that the guns used in the movie — which sees Chin Han in the role of Togusa, a main agent in the intelligence department Section 9 — were custom-made for the film.

“We had to learn how to load and reload them, to fire them on the run and to switch weapons quickly,” he said. “I never thought I would be doing so much action in my 40s.”

Ask him whether Johansson, known to do her own stunts in movies, could beat him in any of the aforementioned activities, and Chin Han laughs.

“I will say this, she is a very committed performer. She did not skimp on training. She is a tough lady,” he said. “It is comforting when you know she is on your team.”

The role sees Chin Han playing a good guy, as he protects his unit from a sinister hacker, and an even more sinister threat from within. In his Hollywood breakout role in The Dark Knight (2008), and in Netflix series Marco Polo, the Singapore-born actor has been cast in villainous roles.

“To me, it’s about whether the role is interesting,” said Chin Han, who has also had roles in Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) and Independence Day: Resurgence (2016). “As long as there is a fully-fleshed-out character with an interesting arc, then I enjoy the role,” he said, although he admits that “yes, there have been a few villains in my body of work”.

Chin Han is clearly passionate about characters. Ghost In The Shell came under criticism for the casting of Johansson as the very iconic, very Japanese Major. But Chin Han has said in past reports that he feels that “there are some stories that are so effective and universal that they lend themselves to adaptation”.

When it comes to his own roles, one had to ask if his nephews and nieces — who range in age from “very young” to their teens — living in Singapore are ever disappointed that their uncle is often cast as the bad guy. “I think they simply enjoy watching their uncle on the big screen,” he said.

A HAIRY ISSUE

For the role of Togusa, Chin Han had to make one big sacrifice — he had to grow his hair out into a mullet. The figure, in anime or manga, has always sported the style.

“It is an integral part of the character design, it is his signature look, and I got to play out my 1980s boy-band fantasies,” said Chin Han, who broke into showbiz with Channel 5 drama Masters of the Sea (1991).

He said that for the mullet, there were “a few hair extensions for augmentation” but “most of it was my own hair”.

And while it was fun to wear the look for a month or so, he suffered through so many months of it that he told those in charge of his hair and make-up to cut it off on the final day of shooting.

“I gave them warning that I wanted it done,” he said. “I even videoed it.”

He has kept a lock for posterity, he added, but will not be putting the video up on Instagram.

Chin Han said that in the next few days, he will be “chilling out” as he will be flying to the American East Coast and other locations for the film’s premiere in the next week. No trips are planned for Singapore, as he is in talks about a Chinese movie, he said, and his trips home depend on the schedule of his projects.

Asked whether he ever gets tired of being tasked with carrying the Singapore flag abroad — he is, after all, one of Singapore’s best-known actors — he paused before crafting his answer — not because he is hesitant, but rather because he wants it to be known that support from home is “always special”.

“I always appreciate it when people enjoy the work,” he said. “But it is particularly heartwarming to find support from home. When I get approached by fans in Iceland or London, it is always nice. But when it is someone from home (approaching me), that is something very special.”

Since he has starred in Hollywood blockbusters, there are some who assume Chin Han is raking in big money. His worth on some websites is said to be US$4 million (S$5.6 million).

Asked about this, he laughs. “Let’s say I have everything I need,” he said. “I have a loving family. I drive a new car that doesn’t break down. I am sitting on my balcony speaking to you, while watching the sun set on the Hollywood hills. I am very grateful for my life.”

Ghost In The Shell opens in cinemas on March 30.