Los Angeles, Dec 26 (IANS): Hollywood actor Keanu Reeves says while filming “47 Ronin” with all-Japanese cast, he felt like an outcast.

He plays the outcast character Kai in the film based on a classic Japanese tale about 47 Samurai in 18th-century Japan who avenge the murder of their master.

“Even though everyone was really nice to me and we got along great and it developed great, I still couldn't hang out and speak Japanese, so in a way I was always Kai. I could say 'Good morning,' and 'Nice to meet you,' and all that, but I couldn't hang out,” Reeves said in a statement.

But the language barrier didn’t come in his way of other things like learning to use the Katana, the traditional Japanese long sword.

“I'd never worked with a Katana before, that was fun. Even though it's a fake fight and it's movie fighting, you still have to have technique. I'm a beginner, but I got to be very specific, so that helped. I've always been drawn to eastern culture,” he said.

Universal Pictures International India's “47 Ronin” will release in India Jan 3, 2014, in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.