Genevieve A. Suzuki
Vol. 22, No. 23, Dec. 7, 2001

Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa isn’t your typical movie actor. He doesn’t schmooze with big names such as Ben Affleck, his co-star in “Pearl Harbor”; he doesn’t have an agent — why pay someone 10 percent when Hollywood is calling, anyway? — and he doesn’t crave bright lights and the big city, opting instead to reside on Kaua‘i’s north shore.

Tagawa, who has also starred in “Picture Bride,” “The Last Emperor,” “Rising Sun,” “Mortal Kombat” and “Johnny Tsunami” — a Disney film — has the sort of calm demeanor you would expect from a mountain guru, not a popular actor.

And while he usually plays the bad guy in movies, Tagawa lives the life of a good guy.

The jurors of the 2001 Hawai‘i International Film Festival, from left: Cary- Hiroyuki Tagawa, San Francisco Chronicle film critic Edward Guthmann, director Emily Liu and director Bey Logan. (Hawai‘i Herald file photo)
The jurors of the 2001 Hawai‘i International Film Festival, from left: Cary-
Hiroyuki Tagawa, San Francisco Chronicle film critic Edward Guthmann,
director Emily Liu and director Bey Logan. (Hawai‘i Herald file photo)

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Genevieve A. Suzuki was a journalist for several years before moving to San Diego, Calif. to attend law school at California Western School of Law in 2005. She now has her own family law practice in La Mesa, Calif. and serves on the La Mesa Community Services Commission and on the boards of directors of the San Diego Japanese American Citizens League and the La Mesa Park and Recreation Foundation. She and her husband, Derek K. Suzuki, have two children, Quinn and Deacon. She feels very fortunate to have worked for The Hawai‘i Herald and counts her time at the community newspaper as among her most valuable experiences.

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