Kentaro Sakaguchi on New Asian Thriller 'kiDnap GAME' and Working With Lee Joon-gi

Japanese actor Kentaro Sakaguchi is stepping into the role of a detective hunting for the truth after his own wife is kidnapped.

In Channel A's new Tuesday drama "kiDnap Game," Sakaguchi plays Toshiro Niide, a detective who pursues the case after his wife is kidnapped. The thriller follows a string of kidnappings that happen simultaneously across seven Asian cities. Set in Seoul, Tokyo, Taipei, Singapore, Bangkok, Manila, and Naha, the series is a co-production between South Korea, Japan, and Hong Kong.

Sakaguchi described Niide as "a person with a strong sense of justice and remarkable inner strength." Explaining why he took the role, he said, "I rarely lose my temper in real life, but Toshiro Niide shows anger in the most powerful way. I was drawn to him precisely because he has a side that I don't have."

He also thought carefully about how that anger would look in different moments. "I had long talks with the director about how the emotion should explode in different ways," he said. "Is it anger mixed with sadness? Is it pure anger? Is it anger that carries loneliness?"

The physical side of the role required a change in his body. "There are a lot of fight scenes, so I focused on gaining weight in a short period and bulking up to build the character on a solid foundation," Sakaguchi said.

He also shared his thoughts on working with Korean actor Lee Joon-gi, who plays Han Ki-joo, a character who moves between cooperating with and clashing against Niide. Sakaguchi called Lee "someone with a deep love for the set." He added, "Even in moments when it was physically exhausting, he warmly led the set, and thanks to that, the staff and I were able to draw strength together and take one more step forward."

Sakaguchi has also been in the news recently for reasons outside the drama. Reports emerged that police were called to his home 11 days after he announced his marriage, followed by allegations of assault. His agency, Tristone Entertainment, pushed back on Oct. 28, stating, "There is no truth whatsoever to the claim that he committed any act of violence against the other party." The agency did not address whether police were dispatched or what took place between the couple at the time.

"kiDnap Game" premieres Oct. 6 at 10 p.m. KST.