Ko Ah-ra Cast as Lead for Japanese Movie

Actress Ko Ah-ra, who has gained popularity in Japan recently, was cast to play a lead in the joint Japanese-Mongolian movie “The Blue Wolf” by beating competition odds of 39,157 to one.

The movie’s producer, Haruki Kadokawa, offered Ko the role at a March 25 event held in Tokyo that marked the release of Ko’s first photo album. Nicknamed “Midas Touch,” Kadokawa decided to produce the movie after a ten-year hiatus.

Ko’s photo album, entitled “Ara in Rome,” was produced by Kadokawa personally for the first time, attesting to the high interest in Ko as an actress. The album is based on the famous movie “Roman Holiday,” which stars Audrey Hepburn. The photo shoot was held in January in Rome, Italy by the famous Japanese celebrity photographer Kishin Shinoyama.

Ko says she has always been interested in Rome and learned a lot about the city during the photo shoot, adding that the album includes photos of her with both long and short hair.

“The Blue Wolf” is a large-scale movie costing 23 billion won and depicting the life of Genghis Khan. Ko plays the role of a woman-warrior named Kuran, the principal lover of Genghis Khan. The movie opened in Japan on March 3 and topped the Japanese box-office in its first week. It remained in the top-ten for three weeks in a row, taking the third spot in its second week and the eighth spot in its third week.

credits: KBS Global