Q: First of all, I want to say it's amazing. It made me feel glad to be alive and gave me light.
A: Thank you very much.
Q: The main characters were all impressive and stuck in my mind. What did you pay special attention to in terms of casting and direction this time?
A: The main cast is made up of famous people, but I wanted to work with only people who are really good at acting for this film. It may sound bad to put it this way, but I didn't want to cast people just because they were popular. Of course, Furuta-san and Tori are very good actors and very popular. Basically, I cast them based on their skill in acting and whether they fit the role or not.
Thanks to that, I was able to watch the whole thing without directing. The shooting progressed so quickly that I went to onsen in between takes (lol). I went 3-4 times. I even took a nap once. I guess that's what happens when you choose a good actor. Moreover, if you have people who are good at acting, it's okay to include idols, or people who don't have much experience. If they are surrounded by good actors, they won't act strange. They won't overact and become natural.
A: When someone who is not very good plays the leading role, everyone follows suit and overacts. This time we had only good performers, so it went very well. I asked people at workshop to join this time. The one who played Natsumi had no experience in acting, but even Terajima-san asked me, "Where did you find her?"
About Arata Furuta
Yoshida: I had a line to convey the theme of the film. I wrote the script with a sense of leaving an impression on the audience by saying it memorably. However, Furuta-san didn't say the line in a memorable way, but rather said it quite normally. By then, I realized that people don't really say things that seriously. I learned to trust the audience ability to understand the message without saying "Sir, here I'm saying an important line right now!"
Q: Just when Furuta-san was standing, he looked so intimidating that I feel numb.
A: I was also impressed. The paramedic was watching the scene on monitor behind me, and he said, "Wow! how he could do it like this?" I think you can't become like that by working hard. It's not about acting skills, but about being the "chosen one". I think he knows how he should look in this film, so he knows how to keep it from looking fake.
About Tori Matsuzaka
I think Tori thought of various ways to see things in his own way. He can portray the characters in a very grounded way. I don't like people who get overwhelmed. This time, too, he is very skillful in just being normal, without expressing anything excessive.
He's a top actor in Japan and has won awards, but on the set, he's like a 20-y/o rookie who says, "This is my first time in a movie". He's so humble and soft-mannered. He always says everyone "Onegaishimasu!"
So, in a good way, he doesn't feel like a leading man at all. That's why neither the staff nor I are nervous around Tori at all. But when the camera rolls and he starts acting, he suddenly changes. I feel so every time.
Furuta-san and Terajima-san's roles are like monsters. You'd think Tori doesn't look like someone who can compete with them but he can face them perfectly when the camera rolls. People say he worked hard to get to this position, it's true but I think he's actually talented.
Meaning of Kuhaku (Blank)
It has various meanings, but the most important is what is going through Soeda's mind after losing his daughter. Before "Thicker Than Water (2018)," my partner who I wrote the script with, my only friend and business partner passed away suddenly. I think writers sometimes let out what's inside of them when they write, but when I was making "Thicker Than Water", I felt bound by something. When I was thinking about what that was, I realized that I hadn't come to terms with it.
"What does it mean to come to terms with something, and is it even possible to come to terms with something?"
That's what I decided to write about in this story.
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