Actor Masahiro Higashide returns to the big screen after relationship and cheating scandals 

He is set to appear in the movie “Winny.” 

Actor Masahiro Higashide, who had an affair with Japanese actress Erika Karata, will return with a new work.

On February 23rd, “Winny” starring Masahiro Higashide released its first trailer on the official YouTube channel of ORICON NEWS. 

In “Winny,” Masahiro Higashide transforms into Isamu Kaneko, the developer of the app “Winny,” a peer-to-peer file-sharing program developed in 2002. Kaneko was arrested in 2004 for violating copyright laws after developing the app. He later died of myocardial infarction in 2013 at the age of 42.

Masahiro Higashide is said to have gained about 18 kilograms to embody the physique similar to Isamu Kaneko, and borrowed glasses and watches that Isamu Kaneko actually used by the deceased from his bereaved family to play the role. 

Masahiro Higashide married Japanese actor Anne Watanabe, who was two years older than him, in 2015. They had a pair of twin daughters and a son in 2016 and 2017, respectively.

However, in 2020, the couple divorced after the ex-husband was exposed of having an affair with Erika Karata, during the filming of the movie “Asako I & II” in 2017. At the time of the news, Masahiro Higashide was widely criticized because Erika Karata was still a minor. 

One year later, Masahiro Higashide was found to be dating a 28-year-old woman after the divorce. In response, Humanite Inc. terminated their contract with the actor in an announcement, “We will terminate the exclusive contract with Masahiro Higashide on February 14, 2022.”