Ryusei Yokohama actor Nakamura Hayato Hayato is currently the talk of the town for his role as Hasegawa Heizo Nobui in the taiga drama " UNBOUND (Berabou) " (NHK General TV, Sundays 8pm and others), starring actor Yokohama Ryusei. Heizo falls for the Yoshiwara courtesan Hana no I ( Fuka Koshiba) and is played by Tsutaya Juzaburo(Yokohama). As a result, he is nicknamed "Kamohei" on social media and is quickly becoming one of the most beloved characters in the drama. This is all thanks to Hayato's excellent performance. We spoke to him about the "behind the scenes" of the role, including how he prepared for the role and the reputation he has received.
◇Heizo makes you laugh: "I hope I can be a kind of breather" - "Space" is also important
Hayato plays Hasegawa Heizo Nobuyoshi, a drifter known as "Honjo no Tetsu" in his youth, who is said to have indulged in debauchery in the pleasure quarters. Later, he is appointed by the senior councilor Matsudaira Sadanobu to serve as the "Arson and Theft Control Officer" and works hard to crack down on violent bandit gangs.
Speaking of Heizō, he is a familiar hero from the historical drama "Onihei Hankacho" written by Shotaro Ikenami and the TV series based on the same novel. Hayato also revealed that his image of Heizō was "mostly based on" the TV series in which the late Kichiemon Nakamura played the role for a long time.
This is a Heizo with a manly sex appeal and aura, played by big-name stars such as Uemon and Tetsuro Tamba, and Hayato has also received feedback that this time's "UNBOUND" Heizo is "different from the image."
Heizō is a "UNBOUND" that overturns his previous image. He is constantly being taken advantage of by Tsutaju, and by the third episode, he has squandered all the savings his parents left him, which makes him seem a bit foolish, but Hayato himself doesn't seem to mind.
"UNBOUND features the parts of Yoshiwara that we don't usually delve into, so it's a dark and heavy piece of work, but by having Heizō appear, I hope to be able to provide a bit of a chuckle for the audience, and act as a breather."
Another thing I value when acting is "white space."
"Because it's a taiga drama that will be broadcast for a year, I think there is room for the character to grow. How I can make Heizo grow in a respectable way in the work ' UNBOUND' is a challenge for me, and I think there are viewers who are expecting that, so right now I'm trying not to make him too impressive, or rather, I'm conscious of leaving some room for him to grow in every move and line."
◇ Improvisation in the midst of a storm. During a kabuki rehearsal, Kankuro said "Kamohira" to him.
The narcissism in Heizō is also one of the reasons why he has become popular as a "lovable character." The way he visually conveys this to viewers is through his hair, which hangs down over his face and is called "shike."
"That (the sadness) makes it clear that he's not an ordinary person. I think that the narcissistic side of him is obvious just from his appearance, as he blows and touches things, and it was a big help for me to be able to aim for the idea that 'if I try to act too cool, it will actually make people laugh'."
Heizō's distinctive "shike" was developed by studying the length and the amount of hair oil used, and "adjusting it to the millimeter." The blowing was improvised by Hayato, who said, "The director asked me, 'What should we do about that shike?' So I said, 'Well, shall I try blowing it?' That's how it all started."
"We had just started filming, when they brought out a high-speed camera and said, 'We're going to shoot a storm with this.' I thought, 'You've got to be kidding me? This is a taiga drama, right?' But the idea of having fun with a storm was something I came up with on my own, and I'm having fun doing it in my own way."
We also talked about Heizō's nickname, "Kamohira." Hayato said that during rehearsals for the kabuki play "Kirara Ukiyoden," which is based on the life of Tsutaya Juzaburo, Kankuro ad-libbed, "Today, Kamohira is treating you."
"Everyone knows because they watch the drama, and that's how well Kamohei has started to take root. If the viewers are happy to see Kamohei again, then I'll consider it a success, and I hope they'll look forward to seeing how great Kamohei becomes."
