Actor Ikematsu Sosuke appeared at the stage greeting to celebrate the completion of his starring movie "Honshin" (directed by Ishii Yuya, to be released on November 8th) held in Tokyo on October 10th. Ikematsu shared an episode where he unintentionally hid his true feelings.
In reference to the title of the movie, when asked about an episode where he "couldn't tell the truth," Ikematsu told a story about a time when he went to Korea and, despite being pressed for time, said he "really wanted to eat samgyetang," but was taken to a restaurant frequented by movie legends. When the samgyetang was served, he realized "it wasn't samgyetang that I wanted to eat." He revealed that what he wanted to eat "wasn't chicken in the first place," but ended up saying "this is what I want to eat. It's delicious," drawing laughter from the audience.
Also attending the stage greeting were Miyoshi Ayaka, Mizukami Koji, Tsumabuki Satoshi, Tanaka Yuko, and director Ishii. In response to the same question, Miyoshi said, "I lose memories from a week ago, and I've gotten to the point where I really forget things when I sleep, so I don't have any stories to share," and Mizukami said about himself, "Even if I want to hide my true feelings, I can't."
The film is the latest work by Director Ishii, known for "The Great Passage" (2013), and is based on the novel of the same name by Akutagawa Prize-winning author Hirano Keiichiro. It is set in a future where digitalization has progressed even further and the boundaries between "real" and "virtual" have become blurred. This human mystery explores the hearts and essence of the people around Ishikawa Sakuya (Ikematsu), a young man who chooses to revive his deceased mother using AI in order to find out her "true feelings," and the people around him.
Ikematsu said he read the original novel four years ago and brought the plan to director Ishii, explaining, "It had such a strong impact on me that I felt it was a story about us. I suggested to Ishii that he read it, even though I didn't think he would give it a go." He introduced the work by saying, "It's about a lost young man and how the characters live, incorporating common topics that surround us."
