 Young
Actors
Conor and Gray Ishimatsu
Ready to Rumble on
MTV
Two brothers from the Los Angeles area, Conor (age 7) and
Gray Ishimatsu (age 9), are cast to play young Jackie Chan and his
schoolmate on MTV's "BIOrythym," which aired this past May. Click
here to view a one minute clip of the half hour show. Check
your TV listings for re-runs. This was a great profile on Jackie!
AsianConnections caught up with the youngsters and their
parents while they were playing video games at LA's recent E3 trade
show.
Conor
Kai Ishimatsu
Age 7, plays young
Jackie Chan in the MTV documentary.
Born: 6/27/90
in Santa Monica, CA
Horoscope: Year
of the Monkey. Parents say he certainly is all monkey!
School: 2nd
grader
Favorite Food:
Almost everything including some exotic Asian foods.
Favorite Sport:
Anything involving motion! Conor studied karate for 3 years but
is taking a break from training to enjoy other sports, especially
roller blading, boogie boarding at the beach and playing video games.
Favorite part
about acting in the video: All the physical action.
Least favorite
part: Concentrating for hours and following the director's instructions.
How he was selected
for the video: The producer/director asked Conor's karate teacher,
Jesse Borja for recommendations. Borja is a multi-blackbelt martial
artist from Saipan and an accomplished actor/stunt double in movies.
The director selected Conor for his familiarity with martial arts,
his appearance and his prankster attitude which fit with the Jackie
Chan image.
This is Conor's
first venture into film and he got the part by luck. He does not
audition or pursue acting jobs, however, since he was 4 years old,
Conor has been saying he wants to be an actor when he grows up.
Grayson
Quinn Ishimatsu
Age 9, plays
young Jackie Chan's schoolmate in the MTV documentary.
(Gray is Conor's older brother by 19 months)
Born: 11/13/90
in Santa Monica, CA
Horoscope: Year
of the Horse
School: 3rd
grader
Favorite Food:
Typical boy food, pizza, popcorn, spaghetti, macaroni and cheese,
and sushi, udon, onigiri and rice.
Favorite sport:
By far, roller hockey has captured Gray's attention. His team won
the local championship earlier this year and he has just started playing
in a new league. He says: "Dad, I was BORN to skate!!!"
He also likes karate but is not in training at the moment and every
summer loves being at the beach and in the winter, snow skiing at
Mammoth with the family.
Favorite part
of doing the video: Gray is well disciplined and enjoyed being directed
in the film and hanging out at the cool MTV Studios in Santa Monica.
Least favorite
part: Nothing.
Prior experience:
This is Grayson's second real part in a film. In 1996, when Grayson
was almost 6 years old, he was hand picked by recording artist,
Cyndi Lauper, to appear as the only child in her music video for
her single "You don't Know" which aired on MTV.
About Mom and
Dad: Bruce Ishimatsu is a partner in the international law firm,
Bryan Cave LLP, with offices in Santa Monica, CA. Bruce is a commercial
litigator for companies, many of whom are Japanese. Bruce also advises
entertainment and Internet companies in transactional matters. Bruce
is a third generation Japanese-American, a native Californian. Kyle,
Conor and Gray's mom, is originally from Hawaii. Kyle loves to volunteer
at Conor and Gray's elementary school and is active in Church. Like
her two sons, Kyle loves sports like tennis and riding horses.
--------------------
July 2000 - The Ishimatsu brothers are the great- grandsons of one
of America's most influential community leaders, I.K. Ishimatsu,
who passed away on June 21, 2000.
Click here for
the story.
|
