Saturday, September 26, 2020

Interview with Uchida Eiji (about current Japanese movie industry)

- Cinemore Interview dated 26/09/2020

https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/6af0d905c1bb523eef0944f87abcd29693c77580?page=1

He directed Midnight Swan (2020). And worked on Naked Director (2019), Ryoma Takeuchi's Filming Break (2020)


Q: "Not only experimental but also commercial". Success of such movies at box office is accelerating such a trend.

A: Between major blockbusters and low-budget movies, it's said that mid-budget works with around 70 million yen are least profitable. So, they are avoided. But I think, at current situation, mid-budget is the only place to make works that are both commercial and experimental. I have experienced lowest production cost of 5 million for "Lowlife Love (2016)" and probably highest amount in Japan for "Naked Director (2019)" but the works in the zone I just talked about are the most avoided. However, I want to do that. Also, I want good actors to appear in those. I want to shoot challenging subjects with the best performance. I also want to restore the relationship between actors and directors.

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Q: What do you mean?

A: Right now, it's terrible, there is no relationship of trust between the director and the actor, and there are also things like the director and actor met for the first time at the scene. In "Midnight Swan", Kusanagi read the script and said "interesting" and everything started to move, so at that point a relationship of trust with the actors was created. In fact, it was created just by a careful discussion between two people. I always feel that the movie industry will change even more if we take a little more creative time, build relationships with the actors, and discuss the roles, just by doing this kind of obvious things.

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Q: I've heard that all the actors are so busy that the director has to talk about the role during costume trials. And Yamada Takayuki also mentioned the current situation on the actor side that they don't have enough time to make roles.

A: The actors themselves want to prepare properly and perform properly, so it's awkward. After all, the actors are looking for a place where they can play properly. If it's a stage, they have time for rehearsals, but if they want to rehearse for a week with a movie, they can't get permission from the office. They are not volunteers, right? However, if you get the time properly, the result will be a good acting and a good work. I think that is more successful both in terms of the actor office and the production. This problem is in the minds of all filmmakers, but it's a situation where you have to close your eyes because there is nothing you can do about it. However, that doesn't mean that I'm silent. I would like to continue to appeal to this part.

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Movies in discussion as examples of mid-budget tiers:

  • Day and Night (2019) Dir. Fujii Michihito, Prod: actor Yamada Takayuki
  • The Journalist (2019) Dir. Fujii Michihito
  • Just Only Love (2019) Dir. Imaizumi Rikiya
  • Soiree (2020) Dir. Satoyama Bunji, Prod: actor Toyohara Kosuke

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A: There is still a tendency in Japan that there is no need for movie directors to think about anything other than directing. That's the story so far but I think that the times have changed and the director should think about various things such as promotions from now on.

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Q: You've been very active in PR activities as a "promotional captain".

A: The other day, I was laughed a little at for saying "I will do my best" (T/N: that's the usual line of actors). It's been decades, and it's disappointing that we put more money to have about 20 celebrities and make a live-action version of a best-selling novel, but lately, I doubt if that direction will continue. People think "It is meaningful to make it because it is indie. It's not to earn money". We have to break away from the idea. I think Midnight Swan had a good go-ahead in terms of content with a star "Kusanagi Tsuyoshi". I want to set it a precedent for the works that follow. Actors, comedians, writers, and people in the middle of the performing arts are also supporting us and not only this work. The trend of famous actors appearing in interesting indie works is finally being popular in Japan. I'm glad that the number of actors who challenge new things s increasing. So the directors must also work hard.

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A: Overseas, it is normal for successful actors to produce and train young actors. Also, I think it is also a big trend that the number of SME such as Star Sands [Wilderness (2017), The Journalist (2019)] that makes decisions quickly is increasing. For major studios, it may take up to two years for the "GO" sign to be approved. During that time, you may be defeated or dropped off. Compared to other countries, we are still behind in art and culture. That is why I have to raise my voice more and I want many people to know.

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A: I think that young people are watching a lot through Netflix, though they don't know the performers or the director. But for the time being, it isn't catching up for movies. For example, I don't think locals in US watch art movies more than in Japan, but A24 [T/N: Moonlight (2015), Midsommar (2019)] has been successful in making them. So, I think there is absolutely something to do.

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Q: As you said, you want to do something about it.

A: This is not a direct solution, but in recent years there has been a pattern of establishing the deal with a distribution contract as a package contract at the time of publication. Revenue that could not be collected unless the cinema is full is no longer the case. For young directors, I think it's a big opportunity to have new opportunities. Well, even if it hits, we won't get any money (lol).

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Q: Uh ... is that so?

A: This is surprisingly unknown, isn't it? The royalties of Japanese film directors are 1.75% at the minimum rate. Moreover, the royalties from box office are zero and only occur from secondary (DVD, distribution). How many people know this information? I myself started participating in overseas film festivals and learned the difference from overseas for the first time. I think that the number of directors who can earn will increase just by raising this a little more and making it the same as the worldwide standard.

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Q: I was shocked to hear that many domestic film directors are doing part-time jobs, but that's the reason.

A: We film directors have been told, "Poverty is the norm in movies, don't think about money, just direct." But we think that's okay and think about how to survive. I myself was ignorant of money, so recently I have had the opportunity to talk to entrepreneurs, who all say, "The movie industry is interesting." This industry hasn't changed all the time. It has been left behind by other industries. As a result, only some people make money and creators are forced to live in poverty. Young directors appear one after another, but most disappear in a couple of years. Major studios produced in a way that some big-name directors carry around. The subsidy is also small. In such an environment, it's hard to say, "Let's make a good movie, though it's not profitable." In France, there is more national back-up, so you can make culturally meaningful works as well as commercial. I hear that South Korea is even much more generous than Japan. I think that the significance of Japanese films in the world had not been as much as it was at one time, and the position of the director in Japanese film industry has fallen. We have to reset it once.

<END>

Friday, September 25, 2020

Yagira Yuya: 2020 Interview

Q: First, please tell us your feelings about your 30th birthday today.

A: It feels like I am standing at a new starting point. I

feel that I have a stronger desire to improve as an actor so that I can become a better actor.




Q: What were you thinking before you reached your 30s?

A: I used to ask my seniors a lot. "You should spend your 20s like this," or "By 30s, you should have this kind of consciousness." To be honest, I'm just 30 years old today, I was wondering if my behaviour would change. 






Q: Did you get impatient? Men often set goals that they want to achieve by the time they turn 30.

A: I planned to become a Hollywood star by 20 (lol). But I didn't become a Hollywood star and it was difficult even in my 20s. So, in my case, I was more impatient when I turned 20.

I got married at the age of 19 and have children, so I have to pay attention to my family, and now I don't feel as impatient as I did at the time, and I feel calm.




Q: What was your turning point?

A: When I was 19 or 20, I was away from actor work and doing part-time for social

studies, and Dir. Yukio Ninagawa offered me to star in the stage. I thought, "Is this me?", and felt that I had to do my best, I think that was my turning point.


T/N: Dir. Yukio Ninagawa is the one who directed Sai no Kuni Shakespeare Series. Yagira starred in his stage Kafka on the Shore (2012) based on Haruki Murakami's book, and then he appeared in "NINAGAWA Macbeth" (2015).




Q: You did it without a script in Nobody Knows (2004). Director Kore-eda often says, "When directing a child, I do it without a script after this movie.


A: After that, I didn't know how to proceed as an actor. I wonder if the road is gradually becoming clear.




Matsuzaka Tori X Director Fujii Michihito: The Journalist Interview


Q: This is a film related to the real world of Japan. Matsuzaka, when you accepted the film. What attracted you? 

Matsuzaka: I want to work with Shim Eun Kyung, who plays the role of the journalist Yoshioka, and director Fujii Michihito. This is the first reason. At the same time, I just want to play Sugihara Takumi who works for the Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office. 

Q: Are there any worries and fears? 

Matsuzaka: I have thought about the impact on my acting career on this kind of political work. However, this is not a film aimed at the politicians. "Is what happened before my eyes really truth? It is very important to have a pair of eyes that can distinguish and see clearly." It is a film describing about this. After watching the film, I felt this firsthand, so I was fortunate to have participated. 



Q: Director Fujii also challenged a theme that is accompanied by danger in a sense. 

Fujii: Actually I refused it twice. At first, the characters in the script are with their real names. I replied to the producers, "This script can't be filmed, just change it to a fictional one." I want to make a film that portrays the troubles of the bureaucracy and the justice of the journalist... "Organization" and "Individual" are a story about people, and ask the audience which side is right. It is such a movie. I said that if I want to make such a movie, then I can challenge it. 


Q: Why did you refuse it again? 

Fujii: That was... purely because of lack of confidence. I am not familiar with politics, nor am I a frequent reader of newspapers. I am a novice film director who is no different from the young people now, so I felt very scared before I made any criticisms of people who understand politics. But after deciding to shoot, this fear disappeared. If I was hesitant, I would not be able to explain to Matsuzaka and the others what kind of movie I wanted to make, so I started with a thorough investigation of journalists and bureaucrats. 



Matsuzaka: It's like that.

Fujii: Yes. Depicting how people at two extremes exist as an "individual" in coherent pressure of organization, I think this is the most important theme this time. This is not just a topic of politics. To question people how to survive as "individuals" in society, I wanted to make such a work, so I thoroughly investigated the two extreme opinions, and proposed to the actors "I hope you can perform (the role) as a person." 

Q: Why is Matsuzaka interested in Director Fujii? 

Matsuzaka: I heard from Hamada Gaku and other actors that I know saying "I worked with Director Fujii, it was so interesting." So I wanted to work together. When I actually entered the scene, both the director and the photographer Keisuke Imamura are about the same age as me. It can be said that there is more unity than other shootings. The schedule is constantly advancing and the scene is full of excitement. I am very happy. 



Fujii: After I heard Matsuzaka accepting this project, I was particularly relieved. I love "The Blood of Wolves" (2018). Needless to say, I have seen all the movies he starred in, and cinematographer Keisuke Imamura has also worked with Matsuzaka in "Yurigokoro" (2017) and Hamada in the TV series. I’ve heard the high performance evaluation of him from Imamura, and I am happy to be accompanied by Matsuzaka on the journey to complete this movie. 

Q: By the way, I heard that the shooting took only 2 weeks. 

Fujii: It should be a little more, but when I saw the shooting schedule, I thought you could shoot so much in one day? (laugh). 

Matsuzaka: I also said "It's so secretive~" I remember saying this (lol). 




Q: Did you discuss it out of caution before shooting? 

Fujii: Because of the original case written by Mochizuki Isoko, a reporter from the department of Social Affairs of the Tokyo Newspaper, the Journalist played by Shim, it is easy to draw on the material. Most of them describe the righteousness and justice of the reporter. In contrast, Sugihara's "Cabinet's Research Office", I can't understand how it actually is. Although the bureaucrats were also interviewed for information, the other party said that "I haven't seen anyone who is whistleblower." Such a vague character cannot be left to Matsuzaka alone. So I also told him, "Although this is the situation (not available), I want this kind of performance." 

Matsuzaka: The director's words helped me a lot and became a reminder of my imagination. Among them, how to clearly see the feelings generated in his environment and position, extract his thoughts about the things that must be protected, and how to express these, this may be the most important thing when playing Sugihara. 

Q: The expression of Matsuzaka, which has never been seen before, can be seen everywhere in the movie. 

Matsuzaka: I feel like this is a continuous question and answer. From this point of view, the ability to maintain a sense of tension is also related to the driving force behind the character of Sugihara to the end. When shooting, I really didn't relax. 

Fujii: There was such a thing on the first day of shooting. I imagined from the movies in which Matsuzaka appeared that he might have such and such interpretation on acting and methods on expression, but there was none at all. A blink of an eye is also meaningful, it is not even helped by specific technique. I feel very powerful. So I want to keep watching, and I don't want to split the shot. I felt this way at the shooting site. I didn't specifically discuss the shooting method out of caution. How to shoot what Matsuzaka showed was my job. I was reminded that I am very happy to have this job. 



Q: Matsuzaka, do you want to present a different idea from the past, "Actor • Matsuzaka Tori"? 

Matsuzaka: No, no. If you bring this awareness, you will see other ambitions in the character and your acting will easily become uncoordinated, so on the contrary, you should not have this awareness (lol). This time, even after reading the script, there are many scenes that can't be imagined when confronting Eun Kyung. This is not known without entering the scene, this kind of scene continues, there are many self-questions and answers. 

Q: Which scene was the director shocked after seeing Matsuzaka? 

Fujii: I was particularly impressed by the last phone call between Sugihara and his boss, Kanzaki (Kazuya Takahashi). The meticulous and urgent performance is really wonderful. 

Matsuzaka: I am glad to hear you say this. 

Matsuzaka's last sentence in the feature film 

Q: The struggling expression in front of the current direct boss Tada played by Tetsuji Tanaka, and the tears in front of Sugihara's wife played by Honda Tsubasa are also particularly good. 

Fujii: The scene was filmed very early. About the fourth day of the shooting, Honda said, "Thanks for your hard work" during the photo shoot. I thought "Ah, it's finished", I remember it clearly (laughs). 

Matsuzaka: Early in the first half. 

Fujii: There were a lot of things in that tearful scene, which caused trouble for both of them. I told Matsuzaka, "It's okay to have tears that are not pretty. I want to show feelings like I'm in confusion but I'm almost determined." After that, Matsuzaka adjusted well. What I want is the tears of that feeling. I can see that expression constantly, so I like Matsuzaka the most in this movie (lol). 

Matsuzaka: Thank you (laughs). 

Fujii: Also, Matsuzaka's excellence as an actor was also concentrated in the final scene. 

Q: The last expression is very shocking. Matsuzaka also said, "It is an expression that you did not know how to do until the shooting." 

Matsuzaka: Yes. When I read the script, I didn't know what kind of expression it should be. 

Fujii: The script says "(Yoshioka and Sugihara) turned dark after looking at each other" (lol). 

Matsuzaka: Yes. After seeing this, I can't imagine how to perform. For myself, I couldn't find a hint how to perform this. It is very important that the scene was shot in front of the National Diet Building. There is usually a sense of liberation when the building appears in movies, but this time it is an atmosphere full of oppression that makes the body tight, and there is even a feeling of wanting to escape quickly. Because it was shot in this tense atmosphere, it might have been appeared like this. 

Fujii: Although the producer told me that “the front of the National Diet Building is dangerous, you can’t shoot”, but I insisted that “it’s meaningless if we don’t shoot there” and didn’t give in. 

Matsuzaka: Yes. 

Fujii: However, there are still many restrictions, and it is not a place where you can simply shoot. So we are told to just "shoot with camera right away", Matsuzaka's expression when he came out of the parliament area was really terrifying, and I thought it was really amazing. Before the filming, Matsuzaka said, "Is it enough to just look at each other and end it? For example, move your mouth a little and say something?". So Matsuzaka, who came here as Sugihara, said that at the end. So it was a one-time shoot and OK-ed, and it pierced my heart all at once. 

Matsuzaka: (Looking at the photos of the two people in front of the National Diet Building on the flyer) This one. When standing here, I naturally thought that if it were Sugihara, he would say that. 

Fujii: But the final crank up was not here, it was the scene where Sugihara was walking in the corridor. 

Matsuzaka: Yes. 

Fujii: It's also there. I told him before the filming, "No lines here. Sugihara walks in the long white corridor. This is meaningful." Matsuzaka replied "I know". Although it was only a walking performance, Matsuzaka's expression gradually collapsed after the camera started shooting, and tears naturally overflowed in the expression of "What should I do?". With the tears there, Sugihara's words in the last scene also worked very well. It became a great scene together.












Nagano Mei - 2020 Crank-in Interview

Mei: I want to do movies which include "horse riding" or "musical instruments". 

I want to do a music movie. Especially bass. I like musical instruments and play them. But I can only play one riff on bass, so I want to try it properly. I also want to play Chopin on piano.



Mei: When I took photos with a horse in the photobook "No cambia", he was very fond of me. When I said "Look here", he looked at me properly and posed. It was really cute. I used to ride horses, but it was only a little, so I want to ride properly. Historical drama is also good.





Mei: When I work, I always keep my mother's words in my heart. "If you decide to do the job, do it to the end. If you want to quit after all the work is done, you can always quit. But if you start, don't throw it out in the middle."





Mei: I am lucky to meet wonderful people! I came to be conscious that acting is a job at the scene of "Tsukuroi Tatsu Hito". I had my senior actress Nakatani Miki push my back. Nakatani Miki said "You'll definitely get better at acting, so you should continue properly." At that time, I was glad to hear the words. I was surprised. I became positive, thinking that "I have to work harder until I get better and work together with her again!"




Mei: There were many challenges along the way. The biggest one was asadora "Half, blue". However, as much as it was difficult, it became a fortune. What I feel most is that "I formed a composure within myself."

Matsuzaka Tori X Author Tsujimura Mizuki (Author of Cannes Selection: True Mothers (2020))

Special Discussion for Call Boy (2018)



Tsujimura: Wasn't it difficult to shoot? 


Matsuzaka: It was really hard. I thought "I don't want to go to shoot tomorrow" every night. The demands of Director Miura are much higher than the stage version. In this industry, I have learnt some skills to cheat to look like certain emotions but Miura-san sees through the lies in acting. (impersonating) "Cut! Just now, it's not correct, isn't it?"


Tsujimura: Didn't he say what's wrong?


Matsuzaka: No, he didn't say that.




Tsujimura: It's true that women who watch the movie can see through that Matsuzaka has a lie, like the director. They can detect if you thought "You were just an "old hag" now" while acting. However, you were wonderful, and even women older than your grandmother, as depicted in the original story, seem to be adorable when they were in their 40s, 20s, teens and younger. That feeling was expressed as it was.


Matsuzaka: Is that true? Thank you very much.




Tsujimura: Although people just talk about love scenes, it's a movie where Ryo listens to the whole story of women who are scared because they may be rejected when speaking out, so it's very gentle. If you see this, it will be the same as if you bought Ryo without actually buying.






Matsuzaka: Isn't it the topic that everyone doesn't want to touch? I hope it'd become such a film that "When the characters in Call Boy and people who watch it present such a thing to each other and sublimate it, the weight they were carrying becomes a little lighter when they leave cinema.”





Matsuzaka: I wasn't surprised at the feelings of the women in "Call Boy" and I thought again that every woman has a "woman" in the middle. I felt that I was reminded of it, probably because I grew up being sandwiched between my older sister and younger sister.




Matsuzaka: It's is a movie that gives you compassion for the other person by exposing yourself. If that compassion is conveyed to the people around me,  I think what's painful was a feeling of being in a very narrow space.



Tsujimura: That's true. Nowadays, everyone is so lonely that they hold it by themselves. But when you look closer at other people, you can see that they have same feeling/thinking as you.

Monday, September 21, 2020

Matsuzaka Tori for Call Boy (2018)

Q: Ryo's behaviour changes depending on the partner, and it is a role that grows along the story. I think it's a role that needs you to show various aspects, but what was the aspect that you yourself cherished?


A: How to catch the details of women. We show the physical communication rather than the conversation, so please do not overlook delicate manners in the film. Even a facial expression or a breath, it changes depending on the partner, so I was very careful about it.




Q: It seems that storyboards were prepared for all scenes, right?

A: In this production, all movements were decided. Since it is a physical conversation, so it is the same as having no dialogue/script if you do not decide in advance.


The director didn't tell me that I shouldn't ad-lib, but there was nothing like ad lib in terms of movement. 

In the real production, I put emotions on the movements that we planned, and the difference from the rehearsal was that the amount of emotions that were put in.




Q: Ryo is a very flexible person, isn't he?


A: I think he is originally a person with great kindness. He spent all his time unaware of it, but as he met various women, I think he began to understand his capacity.




Matsuzaka Tori: I live in Shibuya while shooting to become Ryo.

When I got home, I am scared that Ryo might get switched off, so I lived in a business hotel.



Matsuzaka Tori: With 3-week schedule, it would continue every day from morning till about 2am at midnight. It was hellish shooting. I was asked for a more delicate and submerged acting. It was really hard because I had to create something like an exchange in a dialogue without conversation.




It is said that the adaptation of this wildly famous original has sunk after many talks attempting to visualize. It was the lucky timing like it was waiting for "Matsuzaka Tori". He must be the only actor who can play Ryo, who is distressed, beautiful and attractive.




Q: How long will you work as an actor?

A: I wish I could do it all the way. For eg, even if my waist cannot bend anymore, I might be able to do such a role. Even if I can't make a good voice anymore, I might be able to do such a role. After I acted all the roles, I will retire.




Q: How did you feel when you saw the finished movie?

A: I thought it wasn't like a Japanese movie. Jam Eh I, the cinematographer, is active in commercials but it was his first time to make a feature film. Perhaps because of that, the lighting and camera work are void of Japanese movies, and it looks like a French movie. There was no weird vividness, and I think that was a big factor in keeping the balance of this movie. If not, you may not be able to watch for 2 hours. 




Saturday, September 5, 2020

Dir. Lee Sang-il X Watanabe Ken X Matsuyama Kenichi X Moriyama Mirai X Ayano Go X Hirose Suzu X Aoi Miyazaki X Tsumabuki Satoshi - Rage/ Anger/ Ikari (2016)

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Q: In particular, Hirose Suzu told in another interview that "Director screamed at her "Idiot (Bakayaro)". On the first day of shooting, you took many takes in the same scene and said you never turned the camera on that day. Why was the production so severe?

Dir Lee: No, I think I was expecting much on her potential. In terms of roles, she's going to experience things that a normal 17/18-year-old can't, and I think it's a "pain" beyond her own imagination. It's not really easy to think about it, not just the mind. For me, unless the "pain" is transmitted like a water fountain, I cannot give an OK. I think I was pretty aggressive in order to get there.


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T/N for the following question: Ayano Go and Tsumabuki Satoshi live together for filming but after his scenes, Ayano ghosted Tsumabuki. (Like in the movie)


Tsumabuki Satoshi: There are a lot of wonderful scenes from a movie perspective, Naoto (Ayano's role) takes a good look when he's in contact with me on the scene. I think that's the moment of Naoto’s absolute happiness. Especially about romance. It felt like it was cut off.


Ayano Go: I got out during the shoot. And when I came back and reunited with Tsumabuki in the studio for the first time in a few days, he ran with an adult face version of a kid and hugged me. I can't forget that face (lol).


Watanabe Ken: That's just like a dog that's been abandoned (lol).


Tsumabuki: I was happy that you came back.


Ayano: Also, when I was watching the movie, I was surprisingly calm and thought, "Oh, Yuma (Tsumabuki) has such a face when he's with other men." The face is worse than when he was looking at me (lol).


Matsuyama Kenichi: These two are completely a couple (lol)


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Q: Producer Kawamura barely go to the site


Prod. Kawamura: During "Villain (2010)", I went to a shoot where Tsumabuki strangled Mitsushima Hikari's neck, but it ended up taking Dir. Lee 3D3N to shoot that one scene. Since then, I am particularly careful not to go to Dir. Lee's shooting site.


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Prod. Kawamura: Dir. Lee repeated 70 takes in the first scene of Hirose Suzu, and he didn't turn the camera on at all. Ppl would ask, "How is the first take different from the 70th take?" However, by repeating 70 takes in the first scene, the final product will change greatly. Rather than how that scene changes, actors who play that scene change. Dir. Lee can wait for that person to change. Normally you can't wait. There are times when I can't understand his commitment to shooting. But, thanks to his personality, I think we have made it this far.


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Watanabe Ken: All Dir. Lee's movies hurt. Not only "I'm impressed" type but also "deep pain in my heart" type. Recently, there are a lot of movies with a good taste, so I don't think young people have a chance to see such movies. Fortunately, this movie was seen by relatively young people. I think they have experienced some sort of "danger" in the movie. It is necessary for Japanese movies to have such works remaining alive. I feel that this is a movie that will survive 10 or 20 years from now.


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Q: Moriyama, for Okinawa-hen, seems to have actually lived alone on the uninhabited island before the filming. Where did your motivation come from?


Moriyama Mirai: I think the movie scene is a place like Iaido (T/N: Japanese Martial art). There are ppl from various departments on the scene and a sense of being cut or cut (T/N: like Iaido), and the first step is very important. We don't have time to share work with the staff through reharsals like the stage, so it suddenly feels like I'm in a pit. That sensation is what I like about movies. However, you need to prepare yourself in order to be able to come to the scene with a composure. As such preparation, I chose to live on an uninhabited island.


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Q: It is often said that the site is tough.


Watanabe: I think Dir. Lee is just honest about what he wants to shoot. If he doesn't think it's really good, he won't give OK. So, in a way, I was convinced of my performance for the ones that given OK. It's very reliable in a sense.


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Q: This film deals with issues of high social concern, such as Okinawa's base issue and LGBT issue. However, despite the title "Rage", angry people do not appear. What were your thoughts on this point?


Watanabe: It's a story about what it means to believe in people through the events surrounding the murder case. I think that Dir. Lee basically focuses on the weak. Those who are not the strongest people in society, but who have some weaknesses or pains, right?


Dir Lee: It's what behind anger. Rage/Anger looks like a furious emotion on the surface, but there is fear and anxiety behind it. Those things amplified and come out as anger. Not all angry people are confident and angry, but inside, they are very afraid of something. I felt like that.


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Matsuyama Kenichi: This was my first time with Watanabe Ken, so I learnt a lot. He said "There are painful-dramatic developments with Okinawa and Tokyo, but our Chiba-hen doesn't have a big conflict. So, it's "the rest" for audience. I think we need to be a general part." That word became my pillar for acting. Tashiro (Matsuyama character) is a person who has suppressed emotions, so I expressed exactly what I should express and then tried to find out how much I could perform.


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Miyazaki Aoi: It was the longest and most intense two weeks of my life. 


Although it is far from Miyazaki's image and described as "chubby" in the original work, she gained 7 kg to take on the role of Aiko.


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Miyazaki: I've never talked to the director so much. Usually, I will wait for my heart to move rather than think with my head and play a role with myself but this time, not only my heart, I have to fully use my head. There is no easy scene, and no easy ok. I read the script over and over again and searched for Aiko's hiding somewhere. I felt like stepping into a different world.



Miyazaki: The scene where Aiko screams with full body is probably the most exposed scene of Aiko. In the script, it was just written as "慟哭" (T/N: shriek/wail with grief?). During the shoot, the director kept saying "More! More!". It was kind of emotional, so it was difficult.


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Ayano Go: What's important in love is the perspective of seeing the same scenery together. Minorities can't give birth to children but the act of seeing same thing- "seeing what Yuma(Tsumabuki) sees together". I wanted to see the profile of Yuma and the scenery that he is seeing.


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Tsumabuki: I was able to become Yuma because I had Go. It was the first time I could work with s/o of same magnitude and direction. There were, of course, expressions that came out because we lived together. I really love Go during the shoot. I think Go had the same feeling.


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Ayano: It is no exaggeration to say that it is thanks to Tsumabuki that Naoto (Ayano) exists. My life with Tsumabuki was a lovely time.


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Tsumabuki: I'm prepared for Dir. Lee's movie. I'll do whatever I can, and I will expose myself to what I've never seen before. We work together every 5 year. I want to see my own growth and Dir. Lee's growth, too. When we respect each other, I think we can do with so much greed.


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Suzu: I thought it's a "start from zero" with Takara (Role: Tatsuya), and was locked in for about 9 hrs at rehearsal. Even so, the dir called me "idiot" at the scene. Altho I was prepared, I became so sad that I couldn't see the front more and more, I became more sad doing it.

T/N: Suzu and Takara won their respective roles through auditions.


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Suzu: Up until now, I saw veteran actresses and actors as "good", but this time, I didn't feel "good" or "bad", I just felt what they were living as a role.


Suzu: Dir. Lee said "I don't know correct answer for this scene" But when he told me, "At the moment they press your mouth, it feels like your heart is torn", I was full of emotions. It took a long time to shoot, for 2 days. After that, honestly, I was uncomfortable touching ppl.


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