‘Planet of the Apes’ Actor Gets Baptized After Powerful Role in Religious Film

Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa has a decorated resume, covering all sorts of projects from many TV shows to movies like Mortal Kombat and Planet of the Apes. Most recently, the Japanese-born actor starred in The Man and the High Castle as the Japanese trade minister Tagomi as well as the Netflix reboot of Lost in Space. However, behind all his work on camera, Tagawa loves Jesus.

In 2015, Tagawa portrayed a priest in the Russian-made movie The Priest-San. The movie follows a Japanese priest who flees to Russia after wars in his home country. While there, he helps local residents stand against corruption.

While filming in Russia, Tagawa recalls his thoughts of the church and Christianity, “when I first came to Russia, I had very little time to get into the character. So, I visited a number of Russian cathedrals in Yaroslavl and Rostov. Simply being inside had a very powerful effect on me.”

Tagawa expressed a desire to be baptized in the Russian Orthodox church, but one priest was skeptical of his authenticity until he got to know Tagawa on a more personal level. The Orthodox priest said, “seeing his faith and sincere intentions, I decided to baptize him.” {eoa}

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