Toshiaki Karasawa:The "trigger" that made him want to become an actor was Isao Hashizume: "I was so frustrated I was crying in anger in front of the TV"

Actor Toshiaki Karasawa attended a press conference held on January 9th at TV Asahi's headquarters (Minato Ward, Tokyo) for the drama "Private Banker" (Thursdays 9pm, extended premiere special), in which he stars and which begins on the same day.

Karasawa said that his co-star in this film, Hashizume Isao, was the "inspiration" that made him aspire to become an actor. "When I was in elementary school, I saw Hashizume's acting and decided I wanted to be an actor. At the time, Hashizume was playing the role of a 'nasty person'. I got so annoyed by it that I burst into tears in anger in front of the TV, and my mother asked me, 'Why are you crying while watching TV?' Oh, this is TV! I thought acting is amazing!" he recalled.

When he talked about this memory with Hashizume, he replied, "At that time, I was only playing unpleasant characters," and laughed, "I thought actors were amazing!" When the host asked him, "Maybe there will be people who want to become actors after watching this movie," he replied with humor, "I don't think that will happen (laughs)."

The drama is an original story that focuses on "private bankers," "money professionals" who advise the wealthy on how to manage and build their assets. This is a thrilling money suspense drama in which Koichi Anno (played by Karasawa), a skilled private banker with overwhelming financial knowledge and a wide network of contacts, brilliantly solves various financial problems.

Also attending the press conference were Suzuki Honami, Uesugi Shuhei, Anna Tsuchiya, Megumi, Yasui Junpei, Yoshida Uronta, Natsuki Mari, and Hashizume Isao.