Popular enka singer Jero has taken on his first acting role, it was learned on Thursday. He is part of the cast of Hideaki Hosono's "Donju," which is based on a comedy play by Kankuro Kudo.

The movie stars Tadanobu Asano as a dim-witted writer named Dekoyan who becomes the target of multiple murder attempts by his friends, but he seems unable to die due to his thickheadedness. The supporting cast features Kazuki Kitamura, Yoko Maki, and Yusuke Santamaria.

Jero was apparently offered the part last summer, while he was still in the midst of his rise to fame. In the movie, he plays Akira, an unemployed thug who serves as an underling to Kitamura's character. He makes several appearances during the film, doing odd jobs such as door-to-door sales and working for a ramen shop.

Filming has already wrapped up, and the movie is slated for release in May. Jero also provided an insert song called "Rurou no Machi," which will appear on his first album "Yakusoku," out on February 25.