Christopher McCombs

Christopher Brian McCombs (born 25 August 1980) is an American actor and model. He is the creator, star, writer, and producer of the Japanese on demand series “The Benza” and its spin off series “Benza English” on Amazon Prime Video. He is known for portraying Michael in the Netflix original series Followers,[1] and for stage roles such as Hoteye in the live action production of Fairy Tail.[2] McCombs is fluent in Japanese, and has won several acting awards for his performances in English and Japanese alike.[3][4]

Christopher McCombs
Born
Christopher Brian McCombs

(1980-08-25) 25 August 1980
Geneva, Ohio, United States
Alma materCollege of Southern Nevada
OccupationActor, model, writer
Years active1995–present

Early life

McCombs was born in Geneva, Ohio and moved to Cleveland with his mother, teacher Karen Callahan, at a young age. He began acting and modeling professionally in high school at the age of fifteen when his gifted education teacher pushed him into auditioning for shows.[5]

Career

Early career

McCombs moved to Tokyo, Japan in 2010[6] after studying Japanese at the College of Southern Nevada and University of Las Vegas.[7] Though he initially went to Tokyo to work as a model, he began working in educational and variety television shows like Go Ji Ni Muchu.[8] He also occasionally worked as a reporter for NHK World.[9]

The Benza Series
Main article: The Benza

McCombs is the creator, writer, and star of “The Benza”, a Japanese on demand television series which began streaming in 2019. Additionally, he created the spin-off series "Benza English" in 2020, and wrote the story and dialog for a retro RPG video game based on "The Benza", called "The Benza RPG".[10]

“The Benza” was featured at MCM London Comic Con in 2019[11] and has been featured on entertainment sites around the world such as SoraNews24, The Japan Times, and Just Nerd.[12]

The Benza is currently available in 130 countries on Amazon Prime Video, and Benza English is currently available in 70.[13]

The Benza features a mixed cast of Japanese and foreign performers all speaking Japanese fluently. One of the reasons Christopher wanted to create the series was to change the perception Japanese people have of foreigners in the media.[14]

He is quoted by SoraNews24 as saying, “I had only been here for six years but I had already realized that the quality of roles for foreigners in Japan were not (and are not) very good. Lost gaijin, loud gaijin, rude gaijin…To make matters worse, there is a lot of confusion in Japanese culture as to who is ‘talento’ [celebrities who often appear on TV as themselves] and who is an ‘actor.’ So, when you are appearing as an actor and playing the fool, it is often mistaken for ‘talento.’ People assume you are...a fool.”[15]

Awards
McCombs with actress Janni Olsson at Seoul Web Fest 2019

Able to perform in both Japanese and English, McCombs has won several awards for his acting. Most notably, he won Best Actor for his role in the Japanese short film "The Actor and the Model" at Formosa Festival of International Film in Taiwan as well as the Rising Star award at the 2018 Seoul Webfest in Korea[16] and the Best Actor award at the 2019 edition for his leading role in the television series “The Benza.”[17]

References
  1. Weiss, Hannah. "Netflix's 'Followers' takes viewers inside the glittering world of Tokyo's Instagram influencers". Insider. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  2. "ライブ・ファンタジー「FAIRY TAIL」 | 日本2.5次元ミュージカル協会". www.j25musical.jp. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  3. Inc, Natasha. ""壊れた便座"巡る日本発のコメディ「The Benza」韓国の国際映画祭で2冠（コメントあり）". 映画ナタリー (in Japanese). Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  4. "LGBT映画『The Actor and The Model』が国際映画祭で賞を取ったぞ!!". ちるちる (in Japanese). Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  5. "Foreigners in Japan Profile - featuring Chris McCombs". The Japan Guy. September 13, 2012. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  6. Sturdevant, Kayla (April 1, 2018). "Tokyo Cowboys shoot for more diversity on Japanese screens". The Japan Times. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  7. "The Benza (Prime Video) : interviews de l'équipe -". smallthings.fr (in French). July 3, 2020. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  8. "TOKYO MX ＊ 5時に夢中！ - 曜日コーナー紹介". www.mxtv.co.jp. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  9. The Age-Old Beauty of a Castle Town & The Deep World of Origami - J-Trip Plan - TV | NHK WORLD-JAPAN Live & Programs, retrieved January 9, 2021
  10. Goodpastor, Joshua (December 30, 2020). "The Benza RPG Brings Free-To-Play Retro Action To PC and iOS Devices | Happy Gamer". HappyGamer. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  11. "便座が壊れたことをきっかけにはじまる大冒険!? コメディドラマ「The Benza」がMCMロンドンコミコンに初出展！ - ニュース". Rooftop (in Japanese). Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  12. lettura, Salvatore MiccoliSerie TV 2 mesi fa 1 min (November 1, 2020). "The Benza, la bizzarra serie TV sulle tavolette del water, arriverà in Italia su Prime Video". Justnerd.it (in Italian). Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  13. "Exercise your English and your toilet humor with Benza English". SoraNews24 -Japan News-. June 1, 2020. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  14. Bible, Model (June 14, 2019). "An American Christopher McCombs Produces an Amazon Prime Series "The Benza" with Just $20,000 in Japan". MODEL BIBLE. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  15. "Toilet-seat themed comedic-adventure The Benza breaks new ground for foreign talent in Japan". SoraNews24 -Japan News-. August 14, 2019. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  16. PRTIMES. "実話に基づいた日本発のコメディ作品「The Benza」が韓国で開催された世界最大級のドラマ賞で主演男優賞と助演女優賞を受賞！ – Every Life" (in Japanese). Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  17. "日本発のコメディ映画「The Benza」が海外でダブル受賞！シリーズ化が決定！". ニコニコニュース (in Japanese). Retrieved January 9, 2021.
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