Actor Faces Viewer Reaction After Playing "Bad" Character on TV Show
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Japanese actor Asuka Kudo recently appeared as a guest on the morning TV program 'Asa-Ichi.' He plays a character named Shimamura in the drama 'Blossom,' who is often described as a bad or selfish man.
Following his appearance, some viewers expressed frustration online. One comment questioned how Kudo could sit so calmly, apparently reacting to strong feelings about his character's behavior in the drama.
During his time on the show, Kudo apologized repeatedly, saying, 'It really hurts my heart.' He also expressed a wish to share more, saying, 'If I could have appeared longer, I would have. There is a lot I want to say.'
His comments suggest he felt there was more he wanted to explain or discuss but did not have the chance to during his appearance.
The official Instagram account for 'Asa-Ichi' posted about Kudo's guest appearance, which drew attention and reactions from fans and viewers of the drama.
The strong reaction from some viewers appears to be connected to how convincingly Kudo portrayed his character, which some say made it hard to separate the actor from the role.
This kind of viewer response is not unusual when an actor plays a particularly controversial or disliked character in a popular drama.
Vocabulary10 words
- guest
- someone invited to appear on a show
- frustration
- a feeling of anger when something is hard to accept
- apologized
- said sorry
- a popular app for sharing photos and posts
- reactions
- feelings or responses people show
- controversial
- causing strong different opinions
- portrayed
- played a character in a show
- appearance
- a time someone is seen in public or on TV
- character
- a person in a story played by an actor
- drama
- a TV series with a story
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Quiz
Answer key
1. Asa-Ichi 2. His character in 'Blossom' is disliked 3. He wanted to appear longer and say more
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Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
Japanese actor Asuka Kudo recently appeared as a _____ on the morning TV program 'Asa-Ichi.' He plays a character named Shimamura in the drama 'Blossom,' who is often described as a bad or selfish man.
Following his appearance, some viewers expressed _____ online. One comment questioned how Kudo could sit so calmly, apparently reacting to strong feelings about his character's behavior in the drama.
During his time on the show, Kudo _____ repeatedly, saying, 'It really hurts my heart.' He also expressed a wish to share more, saying, 'If I could have appeared longer, I would have. There is a lot I want to say.'
His comments suggest he felt there was more he wanted to explain or discuss but did not have the chance to during his appearance.
The official _____ account for 'Asa-Ichi' posted about Kudo's guest appearance, which drew attention and reactions from fans and viewers of the drama.
The strong reaction from some viewers appears to be connected to how convincingly Kudo _____ his character, which some say made it hard to separate the actor from the role.
This kind of viewer response is not unusual when an actor plays a particularly _____ or disliked character in a popular drama.
Discussion questions
- Why do you think some viewers reacted strongly to an actor because of his character?
- Do you think it's fair to judge an actor based on the character they play? Why or why not?
- Have you ever disliked a character so much that it affected how you saw the actor?
- What would you say if you were in Kudo's position during the interview?
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