Geek Syndicate
English and gymnastics with English. English is important as most of our students want to work in US and Hollywood. There are many young people who seek their dreams on the streets of Hollywood. Looking back on my twenty-two years as a Hollywood star, not all my time was as productive as it could have been. But as a result of my experience, I am able to help others find success in Hollywood. GS: You started studying yourself at a very young age… SK: Yes since I was five years old I had being doing martial arts. From Japanese Karate, to Kobuto (weapon fighting), sword fighting… I did Judo and Kendo. I have done twelve or thirteen types of martial arts. GS: Growing up who were your inspirations? SK: To be honest… Bruce Lee. When I was growing up in Japan I was watching The Green Hornet. He was the driver Kato. I was very impressed because he was Asian and he made me think that even the Asian people could be on TV. That was my first dream… I thought if Bruce Lee could do it why not Sho Kosugi? He was great… GS: So did you ever meet Lee? SK: Oh Yes. I was very lucky. I met him in 1968 in Long Beach. I used to fight. Not street fights you understand but in tournaments. More than three-hundred in four and a half years. I won sixhundred or so trophies. The first tournament I went to in 1968, Bruce Lee was there. He didn’t fight. He was performing Jeet Kune Do, showing the audience. I watched him and then my friend introduced me to him. He said “Mr Lee this is Sho Kosugi.” He looked at me smiled and said ‘Hi’. Wow! That was it but I will never forget that. As can often be the case with such an interesting interviewee, we got lost deep in conversation about action movies. Kosugi’s knowledge of action movies is encyclopaedic and we talked at great length about Bruce Lee, about my conversations with other genre stars who also cite Lee as their influence (including Kosugi’s contemporaries like Loren Avedon and Matthias Hues) and how without him the industry would have been a very different place. Aware that my time was running short I tried to bring us back on track… GS: As it turned out Ninja Assassin was your return to the bi