Okamoto Natsumi plays Tanaka Suzune, also known as "Suzurin," a member of the Hakata Gals Union (Hagaren), in the NHK morning drama "Omusubi" (General TV, Monday to Saturday, 8:00 a.m. and others), starring actress Hashimoto Kanna. Suzurin is the same age as the main character Yui (Hashimoto), always eats snacks, is dexterous, and enjoys making nail tips as a hobby. Okamoto talked about how she felt when she was chosen to appear in the drama, as well as stories from her co-stars.
◇"I pumped my fist in excitement!" for her first morning drama appearance
Okamoto is active in a wide range of fields, including acting, being an exclusive model for the women's fashion magazine "non-no," and appearing in variety shows. This time, she won the role in the largest "young talent audition" to date, making her first appearance in a morning drama.
Okamoto recalls, "I did a fist pump when I was selected! My mother and grandmother love morning dramas and have been watching them every day for years, so I've always wanted to be in one too and see them happy. When I was given the opportunity to audition, I thought I had to give it my all! I took on the challenge. However, I'm quite an indoor person and like to stay at home, and I don't go out with friends that much, so I wondered where my gal elements are and how I can expand on them during the audition." "Moreover, Suzurin is a gentle and somewhat naive character who speaks slowly, whereas I am relatively impatient (laughs). So in the audition, rather than focusing on the outside of Suzurin, I tried to carefully portray the feelings she had, such as how she became a gal and why she is with her fellow Fullmetal Alchemist friends. After I passed the audition, the producer told me, 'It was impressive to see you talking about Suzurin's life story, which can hardly be called happy, with a good deal of enjoyment and without any sadness,' and I was impressed that he had been watching closely. "I was happy to be able to play her."
◇Suzurin is "a really kind girl who acts for the people she cares about"
Okamoto explained about the character she plays, "When I read the script, I saw that Suzurin quit school to help her mother and work part-time, and she eats snacks to save on food, and she's always doing things for other people, not for herself. But she's never pessimistic, she does things because she wants to be useful to someone. She's a really kind girl who acts for the people she cares about, so I was conscious of that when I played the role."
"I think the other members of Fullmetal Alchemist don't feel sorry for Suzurin, so she can be with her and feel comfortable there. She doesn't have much money, so she makes her nail tips with leftover materials from the Fullmetal Alchemist members, and even though she's a gal, she wears light makeup, but the Fullmetal Alchemist members respect that. It's a really important place for Suzurin, so I act with that in mind."
Furthermore, when asked about the gal-specific speech and intonation, she said with a laugh, "It was difficult at first, but recently I've gotten to the point where I can speak with the right vibe and excitement."
"There's a lot of improvisation, but because each character has a strong emotional connection to their character, even if they improvise, it still works. When we're on set, my gal switch turns on, and it's really fun when we're acting, but we're talking loudly and laughing all the time, so we burn a lot of calories. Recording our voices is like a sport, and when we finish, we're like, 'Give me some water!' We're having fun, so there's not a single trace of fake laughter!"
◇The scene where Suzurin eats rice balls with Yui is all about the atmosphere
In the fifth episode, which aired on October 4th, there was a scene where Suzurin eats rice balls with Yui. Okamoto said, "The relationship between Musubin (Yui's nickname) and Suzurin is still in a very shallow stage. Even so, I think the reason Suzurin let her talk about herself was because Musubin gives off the feeling that she wants to talk and has a broad-minded heart that makes you feel like she'll listen, so I was hoping to create that atmosphere while I was doing it."
"I think it's a heartwarming scene where the two of them eat rice balls in silence. After that, Suzurin's words trigger Musubin to become friends with everyone, which is also a very important scene. I thought a lot about how to say it in a way that would make people want to become friends with her, so please pay attention to it."
To the viewers, she said, "I'm really happy to be in such a wonderful work that makes me feel so cheerful, and I hope the viewers will enjoy it purely. Suzurin is kind, has a distinctive smile, and is always smiling. I think she has a strong happy aura, so I hope you will pay attention to those scenes, but I also focused on why she is in Fullmetal Alchemist, so I hope you will follow her feelings."
Finally, when asked about the highlights, she appealed, "There are lots of details to see. The handmade nails that the makeup artist made with love are really cute. During the costume fitting, I said, 'My clothes are loose-fitting, so I think flat shoes like health sandals would be nice,' and they made me some health sandals with comeppi, an original character from the show. Don't miss them. The accessories that she wears are handmade from parts collected from various other girls, which is typical of the skillful Suzurin. Be sure to check it out on TV."
