It was revealed on March 10th that Shingo Katori, who gained attention on Korean production company SM Entertainment's first debut survival program "NCT Universe: Japan's Number One Jerk Salaryman's Worst Man: My Family Was Fake" (Fuji TV, Thursday 10pm), starring Katori Shingo. Heitetsu joined "CULEN," a group that includes Katori, Inagaki Goro, and Kusanagi Tsuyoshi, last fall. With this drama appearance as an opportunity, he will begin full-scale entertainment activities based in Japan.
This is Katori's first starring role in a Fuji TV drama series in 11 years. The story follows the protagonist Omori Ippei (Katori), a former TV reporter who is involved in a scandal and finds his life on the brink. He begins to wish to create a better society through raising his children, and decides to run for office in order to change Japan.
Heitetsu is 22 years old and was born on May 7, 2002 in Miyagi Prefecture to a Korean father and a Japanese mother. He will move to Korea in 2022 as a trainee for SM Entertainment, and in 2023, he participated in the audition "NCT Universe: LASTART" held by NCT, a global group with no restrictions on the number of active groups or members, to launch a new group. He attracted attention for his 184 cm tall, slender figure and handsome looks. This will be his first acting role and his first time acting alongside Katori.
Heitetsu plays Nogami Satoshi, a former TV producer and former subordinate of Ippei. He is the person who caused Ippei to quit his job at the TV station, and at the end of episode 6 (broadcast on February 13th), Nogami appears glaring at Ippei on a street vision screen. He recalls the time when Ippei severely scolded him at work, and from his appearance of being shaken, it is revealed that he still harbors unusual feelings for Ippei. In episode 10, it is revealed that Nogami is currently working as a video distributor. He runs a video channel called "Nogacchi's News wo KILL" that exposes the behind-the-scenes of the news, and has become a popular video distributor with over 200,000 subscribers.
Meanwhile, Ippei, who is at odds with the ward mayor Hasegawa (Masaaki Sakai) and the Minseito Party member of the House of Representatives Kuroiwa (Jun Hashimoto), who are trying to push through the redevelopment plan for Oedo Ward, refuses to run in the ward assembly election as an official Minseito Party candidate and declares that he will run as an independent in the Oedo ward mayoral election. How will Nogami view Ippei? The battle between Ippei and Nogami begins...
Comments from Heitetsu, Katori and others are as follows.
◇ Comment from Heitetsu
--How do you feel now that you've finished recording your first drama?
I had a heavy burden on my shoulders until the end of filming (laughs). The production team taught me my shortcomings, and through trial and error, I think I managed to get through it.
-What did you keep in mind when playing the character of Nogami Kei?
I think that Nogami's strong sense of justice and stubbornness towards his own beliefs are also in me. However, in Nogami's case, I feel that he may feel some contradictions in his own sense of justice. I tried to be conscious of how to express such delicate aspects while acting, but it was difficult after all. But I am very grateful to this character Nogami for making me realize many things and giving me an opportunity to think.
-How was your first time working with Shingo Katori?
It wasn't our first time meeting, but it was the first time we spent such a long time together. After all, I've been watching him on TV since I was a child, so I was very nervous. But this time, I decided to take a risk and ride on the back of my great senior... no, I'll borrow his chest (laughs). So, actually, before we started filming, I was wondering whether I should apologize to Katori-san in advance, saying, "I'm sorry, I'm sure I'll cause you a lot of trouble this time." But I thought that making such an excuse would just be selfish, so in the end, I went to filming without saying anything in particular. Because of that, I wasn't able to talk much with Katori-san on set. Maybe Katori-san thinks I'm "a shy kid" (laughs).
◇Comment from Shingo Katori
-What is your impression of Heitetsu?
He's taller than me and has a powerful presence, but coupled with the character, he also has a timid and sensitive side to him. And yet, he also has a certain sharpness to him, making him a very unique actor.
-How was your first time working with Heitetsu?
There is a scene where Ippei and Nogami are talking alone, but I never expected the atmosphere to become so tense... (laughs). I think it's a very tense scene that I couldn't have imagined from episode 1. As someone who enjoys it more the more tense I get (laughs), I was able to spend a very fulfilling time. I felt the strength hidden in the depths of his eyes, and did my best not to lose!
◇ Comment from producer Taku Kitano (Fuji Television Drama Production Department)
When I met and spoke with Heitetsu for the first time, I was overwhelmed by his unique presence, and I strongly felt that he possessed both the sensitivity and seriousness of a man in his 20s living in this modern age.
We felt that the "documentary" nature of this person was essential to the drama, so we cast him in the role of a key person in the final part of the story, the person who is suspected of past power harassment of the Shingo Katori character, Ippei, played by Katori Shingo.
Although this was his first time acting in a film, he performed confidently opposite Katori. We hope you will look forward to the emergence of this new talent.
