Matthew Fox discusses working with Academy Award-winner Tommy Lee Jones on his latest feature film Emperor, the pressures of portraying a real person and whether he'd like to star in Star Wars Episode 7! Directed by British-born Peter Webber (Girl with a Pearl Earring), Emperor explores the hardship in post-war Japan, days after Emperor Hirohito's surrender. Military official Bonner Fellers (Matthew Fox) is tasked by General Douglas MacArthur (Tommy Lee Jones) to investigate the enigmatic emperor's true motives for resigning and ascertain whether he should be tried for war crimes. The emperor is regarded as a god amongst his people and the outcome of this mission weighs heavily on the delicate relationship between Japan and the US. Driven by his determination to find his lost love Aya (Eriko Hatsune), whom he met as an exchange student in the US, Fellers' mission proves even more testing and his memories of Aya inescapably condition his final judgement. A moving and intimate take on this pivotal moment in history, Emperor opens in UK cinemas on 4 October 2013. Featured on http://flicksandthecity.com/matthew-fox-interview-emperor/ http://bit.ly/movie-interviews-tv - Watch more movie interviews! http://FlicksAndTheCity.com - Visit Flicks and the City! http://facebook.com/FlicksAndTheCity - Like Flicks and the City on Facebook! http://twitter.com/flickscity - Follow Flicks and the City on Twitter! Interviewer & Editor: Anastasia Valentine http://twitter.com/avalentine - Follow Hayley on Twitter! http://vimeo.com/avalentine - Check out Anastasia's videos! Synopsis A gripping tale of love and honour forged between fierce enemies of war, EMPEROR unfolds the story, inspired by true events, of the bold and secret moves that won the peace in the shadows of postwar Japan. Matthew Fox (WORLD WAR Z, I, ALEX CROSS, "Lost") joins with Academy Award® winner Tommy Lee Jones (LINCOLN, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, THE FUGITIVE, HOPE SPRINGS), newcomer Eriko Hatsune and award-winning Japanese star Toshiyuki Nishida to bring to life the American occupation of Japan in the perilous and unpredictable days just after Emperor Hirohito's World War II surrender. As General Douglas MacArthur (Jones) suddenly finds himself the de facto ruler of a foreign nation, he assigns an expert in Japanese culture -- and psychological warfare -- General Bonner Fellers (Fox), to covertly investigate the looming question hanging over the country: should the Japanese Emperor, worshiped by his people but accused of war crimes, be punished or saved? Caught between the high-wire political intrigue of his urgent mission and his own impassioned search for the mysterious school teacher (Hatsune) who first drew him to Japan, Fellers can be certain only that the tricky subterfuge about to play out will forever change the history of two nations and his heart. EMPEROR is directed by Peter Webber (GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING), from a screenplay by David Klass (WALKING TALL, DESPERATE MEASURES, KISS THE GIRLS) and Vera Blasi (WOMAN ON TOP, TORTILLA SOUP). The film is produced by Yoko Narahashi (THE LAST SAMURAI), Gary Foster (SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE, GHOST RIDER, DAREDEVIL, TIN CUP, THE SOLOIST), Eugene Nomura (TAJOMARU, SURELY SOME DAY) and Russ Krasnoff (THE SOLOIST). The behind-the-scenes team includes such notable filmmakers as Oscar® nominated director of photography Stuart Dryburgh (TEXAS KILLING FIELDS, THE TEMPEST, THE PIANO), Academy Award® winning production designer Grant Major (KING KONG, THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy), and Academy Award® winning costume designer Ngila Dickson (THE ILLUSIONIST, THE LAST SAMURAI, THE LORD OF THE RINGS TRIOLOGY). The story of EMPEROR is based on the resonant, real events of 1945, when General MacArthur took control of a shell-shocked Japan on behalf of the U.S and Bonner Fellers worked covertly to investigate the Emperor's fate while the future of the nation hung in the balance. Entwined with an against-the-odds romance, the story traverses the conflicting loyalties between heart and homeland, between revenge and justice, as the world rebuilds from the ruins of war.

• published: 30 Sep 2013
• views: 819