YOKOHAMA, Japan — Kate Hudson faces west, away from the soft California morning sun, interlaces her fingers, and stretches with her arms raised. She lifts and perches her left foot on her right thigh calmer than the still, crystal-clear water in the pool directly behind her.
Technically Kate's yoga is acting — she stars in the debut film streamed worldwide "INFINITI Presents: Conquer Life in Style with All-New QX60" — but her tree pose is clearly no charade. She stands this morning near West Hollywood with a freedom, poise, and grace that can't be rehearsed — let alone pretended. Her connection to the ground around her is solid and her stability unflappable. She exhales softly and pauses before dropping her foot, and darting 15 feet away, just outside the camera's gaze.
"Cut!" yells the assistant director from a far-off corner of the impeccably maintained backyard oasis.
Kate's bare feet patter on the soft beige concrete, 15 feet back toward the pool as she lines up for another take.
Thousands of miles from Kate's gaze west and days earlier, INFINITI Chairman Peyman Kargar, Senior Vice President of Design Alfonso Albaisa, and Global Head of Product Strategy Eric Rigaux, settle into the second floor of Yoyogi Studios in Tokyo. The studios are across the street from Yoyogi Park, famed for delicate cherry blossoms that assert the arrival of spring in busy Tokyo.
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The cold concrete of Yoyogi Studios is balanced with wood and glass everywhere in the chic building in an idyllic neighborhood. Brassy lights flood the second-floor studio with warmth and character as Alfonso, Peyman, and Eric cycle through their respective sets. The sets inadvertently capture the characteristics of each INFINITI executive: Peyman's comfortable couch speaks to his familiarity and easygoing nature; Eric's tech-heavy set and modern desk is reflective of the smart and sharp manager. Alfonso's mid-century modern set perfectly captures the designer's inner spirit.
Busy But Happy
Peyman settles first into the plush brown leather couch, then rehearses his lines in his head, speaking with a natural rhythm to his French-tinged English that carries his smile through to the listener.
"Hi Kate," he says once. "Hi Kate!" he says again.
They've never met in person, but the warmth in his voice belies that unnecessary detail. Almost reflexively he improvs an answer when Kate asks how busy he is.
"Busy," Peyman says. "But happy."
It's his ethos to life and work. And he wears it on his shirtsleeves.
His dialogue will be used in the reveal film for the all-new 2022 INFINITI QX60, which brings Kate together with the INFINITI team in Japan. Safety and the current atmosphere preclude in-person gatherings for now, though you wouldn't know it from their tone.
Kate's effervescent and kind spirit is matched in Alfonso's demeanor and Eric's enthusiasm. The connection among the four may be the car but, separated by thousands of miles, the conversations are never forced.
Chalk that up to Kate's natural and thoughtful attentiveness. Surrounded people at nearly all times — she's a mother, successful entrepreneur, New York Times bestselling author, philanthropist, all on top of being a Hollywood actor — her radiance personalizes each moment for everyone around her.
Busy is an understatement for her, but if the aim of the INFINITI QX60 SUV is to #ConquerLifeInStyle, all four — Kate, Peyman, Alfonso, and Eric — are providing the roadmap as executives, professionals, and parents. Launching an all-new SUV with sleek design, intuitive technology, and serene comfort takes years, and the INFINITI team in Japan's hard work shows in gorgeous sheet metal, decadent interior, and confident drive.
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Human, daring, forward
The term "movie magic" gets stretched to describe any filming or what goes on behind the scenes. In truth, there's no magic at all — the actors bare everything for the cameras and hide nothing up their sleeves. It's what makes Kate real on film; she is very real in person. When Kate declares "I've got this Alfonso" there is no doubt she does. It's also what makes Alfonso interesting and thoughtful; he's all those things and it shows in his meticulously crafted designs.
The magic really comes from the ability to bridge an ocean and bring to life four people who've never met, but who embody similar concepts found in the all-new INFINITI QX60. Kate's multifaceted life is undeniable, Alfonso's passion is inescapable, Eric's enthusiasm is contagious, and Peyman's kindness is pure.
Their personalities create personal connections that play well on camera but are just as real off-camera. It's the type of connection that's perfect for an SUV designed to be daring and forward, but also very human.