Tatsuya Fukazawa , a member of the popular group Snow Man, is appearing in the TV Asahi drama series " The Kidnapping Day " (Tuesdays at 9pm). While active as a top idol, he has also built a career as an actor, appearing in last year's much talked about drama " My Precious" (Fuji TV). In this production, he has changed his image to black hair, puts on glasses, and takes on his first role as a lawyer. When we asked Fukazawa about his role, he revealed the "secret" behind his glasses.
The film is based on the 2023 Korean drama of the same name. The film follows the story of the kind-hearted but clumsy kidnapper Shinjo Masamune, played by Takumi Saito, and the amnesiac genius girl Nanase Rin, played by Yuno Nagao, as they go on the run while being pursued by unidentified men.
Fukasawa plays Yamazaki Tadashi, a former private tutor who used to frequent Rin's home and who now works as a lawyer. He is always calm and collected, and does not reveal his true feelings. He is a key person who will determine the fate of Shinjo and Rin.
This is his first time playing a lawyer, and he says that the thing he is conscious of when preparing for the role is his posture. "I imagine lawyers to have perfect posture, but I usually have a hunched back, so I'm not good at straightening my posture (laughs). I tried to keep my back as natural as possible so that it wouldn't look like I was straining myself during the performance. I even went to a chiropractor to improve my posture as much as possible. Maybe because of that, the director hasn't said anything about my posture so far (laughs)."
In terms of appearance, he incorporated glasses. "I usually have an image of being silly (on variety shows), so I wanted to show at least a little bit of 'lawyer-likeness.' Of course, in terms of posture and speech, but also in terms of dress, if you wear glasses, you look like you can do your job, right? But while you might think that glasses are just an item that makes you look cool and helps you do your job, they are actually surprisingly important. I can't say much because it would be a spoiler (laughs). You wouldn't believe it... they're not just an item."
"The role of a lawyer is the furthest thing from my perspective," he said. He was nervous at first, but director Hidehiro Fukagawa's words saved him. "He advised me, 'Forget about playing a lawyer as you think, and try to act while thinking about how Yamazaki would feel.' The lines were difficult and I felt pressured, but those words somehow relaxed my shoulders and made it easier to act."
Director Fukagawa also told them, "Let's each try acting in a way that we've never done before." "In one very important scene, I ended up saying my lines in what I thought was a really uncomfortable position. I wondered if I'd made a mistake, but the director said, 'That's it!' and gave me the OK. I thought it would be more natural to say my lines in an uncomfortable position, rather than in what I thought was comfortable. I'm learning new ways of expressing myself every day on set."
The cast includes the main actor, Saito-san, the much talked about "genius child actor" Yuzuno-chan, Yosuke Eguchi, Hatsunori Hasegawa and other talented actors. "When I read the script, I thought I was in a dangerous place... but I want to do my best while having fun learning one thing at a time," she said forcefully.
