American expat actor in Taiwan makes splash in Japanese-Taiwanese co-production of popular 3-part TV drama "Taiwan Express" now available with 3 episodes with English subtitles thanks to a group of global subbers in Tokyo: reruns NHK and PTS esp 1,2 and 3 June 14, 21, 28

 

Photo of Gary Gitchel 

Interview conducted by blogger Dan Bloom in Taiwan
RERUNS of show in Taiwan and Japan on June 14, 21 and 28, all 3 eps

10 minute video of ''Taiwan Express'' TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0astxpavIg

Exclusive interview with Gary Gitchel in Taipei on this page: in his own words, the inside story on how he got the gig, how the drama was filmed and where, and why it's become a hit in Japan where actress Haru commands a huge fanbase there. NOTE: all 3 episodes are now available with English subtitles online at a free website. For details and links contact this blogger or leave query in comments below. FREE　ＥＮＧＬＩＳＨ　SUBTIＴLES　ＨＥＲＥ：https://www2.dramacool.movie/ru-taiwan-express-episode-2.html

MORE VIDEO OF SHOW HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGE5Zt4Vi40



QUESTION: How did you get cast as Jack Bart and when was the audition?

2-minute video trailer of the TV show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpfAc7L9I3w

GARY: I had just completed shooting the PTS TV series “Lady Butterfly” in September 2019. The casting director on that show, Benjamine Ho, called me one Friday afternoon in early October and asked me if I was free, something about a Japanese director. I threw on my business suit and took an Uber over to the production office in Xinyi District, knowing nothing about the show. Benjamine met me at the building entrance and hustled me up to a conference room. Details were basically exchanged in the elevator. I was escorted into a large room and there were about 10 or more Japanese producers from NHK. They had a translator explain the story to me and the scope of the project, explaining that we would shoot several months equally in Taiwan and Japan. The meeting went well, lasting about 45 minutes. I finally told the director “I’m your guy” and he came around the table and gave me a big hug. The whole thing was an actor’s dream. Although I am not 100% certain, I think that I was the only guy for the part of Jack that they ever saw. I never read the script or auditioned during that meeting, we just chatted. 

MORE VIDEO OF SHOW HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbxhMaEgSZk

QUESTION: Who is Jack Bart in the TV show, his job in Taiwan for HSR? In the movie how old is Jack, and is he American or European? .

GARY: There's an interesting evolution on Jack’s name. In the novel from 2012 that was written by a Japanese novelist and became the story for the TV series, in the 1st draft script, his name was ''Jacques Barth''. By the time an English translation script was delivered to me, he became "Jack Barth." In the credits and publicity materials it is Jack Bart -- I believe the Japanese side had some trouble pronouncing the “th”, it came out as a hard “t” in the filming when my name is used, and so it became “Bart”.

The Taiwan High Speed Rail (HSR) was one the first public-private partnerships in the world and also the largest civil engineering project in the world at that time. The partnership bid out and hired many different engineering firms from around the world to work on various elements of the project. Jack Bart in the TV series, the part I play, is the general manager of that consortium. He was “the-buck-stops-here” guy. 

In the script it was never defined what Jack’s age was. Note that the timeline of the story is over 8 years. Jack is American in the series. The real-life character that Jack is based on was a Frenchman. I am 66, but have always looked younger. I still play 40 year olds all the time. They did dye my hair for the production, taking out all the grey….

QUESTION: How many weeks or months did filming last?

GARY: Principal photography began in late November in Taipei. We shot in Taiwan at various locations until the first week of January 2020. Then production moved back to Japan. We shot all the interiors of the HSR boardroom at NHK Studios in Tokyo. Photography wrapped on February 28, 2020.

QUESTION: You spoke what sounded like Japanese in Episode 2. Did you read words from script in roman letters to do that scene?

GARY: Actually, I did not speak any Japanese in the show. You may be referring to the scene in Episode 2 where I go ballistic on Anzai in the boardroom and jump up into his face. That was English, but I was so pissed off that I guess it might have sounded Japanese...

QUESTION: Has there been any news of the TV show and you in USA newspapers or websites yet, like thewrap.com in Hollywood or the Los Angeles Times? Or in Japan in English language newspapers like The Japan Times or in Taiwan like The Taipei Times?

GARY: There has been no awareness of the show in the U.S. that I know of -- and I have been watching the trades. However, in Japan it seems to be developing into a phenom. Haru the star is extremely popular in Japan, I think kind of like a Julia Roberts type of image. You should check out the NHK feedback forums on the show. Lots and lots of fanboys and girls. Ah, Japan!...

QUESTION: Was the show mostly a NHK production or 50/50 with PTS TV in Taipei, Taiwan's public service network?

GARY: I don’t know the specific split on financing between NHK and PTS. However, the director was Japanese, the photography crew were all Japanese except for the “C” camera who were all Taiwanese. All the line producers were Japanese. Support services were all Taiwanese while shooting in Taiwan, but only the C camera crew traveled to Japan. 

QUESTION: The experience of working on that high-profile TV series (high-profiled in Japan and Taiwan) must have been a personal high for you as an expat actor in Asia, no?

GARY: Definitely a very rewarding gig on many levels.

1) The part provided me a chance to do a deep dive into the HSR development history, along with additional research on the Shinkansen. There are actually a handful of Western guys still living in Taiwan who worked on the HSR, and they were an invaluable source of info. I love history and I love trains, having had the chance to ride the Shinkansen and the TGF during my life.

2) The Japanese production values and team were top-notch professionals. Everything was unbelievably efficient every day.

3) The cast was excellent and a pleasure to work with.

4) The challenge, oh, the challenges!!

Language was a real thing on this set. The director spoke no English or Mandarin. So we all had translators/handlers. In my case she was trilingual. A typical day in Tokyo at NHK was: the director watched all the shooting in a control room on another floor. After each take, he would radio directions to the Assistant Director on the set. The AD would relay those directions to my translator. She would translate to me. If I needed clarification or had questions, the same chain would proceed in reverse. And then back again. Also, the Japanese actors that I worked with did not speak English. All their English lines were phonetically taught to them and they had a special guy on set to do only that. So improvisation was not really a thing on this set. The script had to be perfectly delivered or they would not know. When the Japanese guys mutter under their breath at me in a few scenes, I have no idea what they were saying. Interesting!

QUESTION: Before you retired in San Francisco and flew to Asia in 2014, what was your day job there before retiring?

 

GARY: I have been an actor my whole life in the U.S. My college degree was theater and I made my way to L.A. shortly after graduation. Basically in the 1970’s I was in LA, the 1980’s in New York and then San Francisco since 1990 until I left the States in 2014.

Of course, the life of a journeyman actor is sometimes not sufficient income to make a good life; so I have been a fine dining maitre’d, general manager, wine consultant -- and in San Francisco I did some commercial real estate brokerage on and off. All the while doing TV commercials, voice work, Silicon Valley corporate films, bit parts in L.A. movies shooting in San Francisco, etc.

So there you have it! You might want to ask about my ''Taiwan Immigration Gold Card.'' I am the first professional actor in Taiwan to ever receive the Gold Card -- and that has provided many advantages leading to me developing the work I am doing here.

QUESTION: Thank you Gary for taking the time to answer these questions. Congratuatlions of doing a great job in the movie. RERUNS of Part 1,2 and 3 in the series airs in Japan and in Taiwan on TV again on Saturdays, June 14, 21 and 28th at 8 pm in Tokyo and at 9 pm in Taipei.

GARY: Thank you for your interest in this!

Gary Gitchel

      SAG/AFTRA since 1978

BONUS EXTRA:
THE TV DRAMA THEME SONG, ENDING CREDITS in Japanese and with English translation:

VIDEO OF ENDING SONG IN JAPANESE:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=5YMD8EcbDWM&app=desktop

https://www.nhk.or.jp/drama/dodra/ruu/html_ruu_sp2.html

"Connected Heart"

Lyrics: by Kumiko Tabuchi [translation by ''Mrs. Google'']

Born separately

To live together

Deeper than a bond

Hot thoughts

Golden wind  

Blowing on the green earth  

Thoughts connected  

Connected dreams

Oh, torn in the times

Washed away sadness  

Even if you lose everything do not forget  

You and I

Don't let go of each other's hands

A heart that will be connected forever

『つながる心』　　作詞：田渕久美子

別々に生まれても
共に生きるのだと
絆より深くなる
熱い思い

金色の風
緑の大地に吹く
つながる思い
つながる夢

ああ、時代に引き裂かれ
押し流され
悲しみ
すべてをなくしても
忘れないで

あなたとわたしは
離さない　互いの手を
永久に　つながる心を

MORE VIDEO OF SHOW HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbxhMaEgSZk