Talent Satomi Shigemori appeared at the promotional ambassador inauguration event for the movie "BETTER MAN" (released March 28th, directed by Michael Gracey) held in Tokyo on February 28th. Shigemori, who was appointed as an ambassador for a movie for the first time, said with a smile, "I heard about it (the appointment) two days ago, and just popped in today, but it was such a good movie that I thought, 'Yesssss!'"
Shigemori could not hide her surprise, saying, "I wonder how someone managed to get my name to come up (as an ambassador). I thought it was a prank until the end. I still can't believe it. Since the movie is about monkeys, I thought for sure that Okamura (Takashi) would suddenly pop up at some point, but he didn't appear until the end, and I thought, 'This isn't Mechaike'."
In reference to the content of the film, when asked who in the entertainment industry he thinks of as a monkey, Shigemori replied, "Okamura from Ninety-Nine." He said, "Okamura is the complete opposite of 'BETTER MAN,' he's all sparkling on stage but behind the scenes he's really plain. His life and way of living is plain. I thought he was a really plain person, and I thought that contrast was wonderful."
The film is the latest work by director Michael Gracey, who also directed "The Greatest Showman" which was released in Japan in 2018. This musical entertainment depicts the turbulent life of British pop star Robbie Williams in a dynamic yet poignant way with innovative visual expression. The fact that the main character is portrayed as a monkey throughout the entire film has also attracted attention.
