Actor Nakano Taiga will be starring in the NHK taiga drama "Toyotomi Brothers!" (NHK General TV, Sundays at 8pm and other times), which will begin airing on January 4th. It's already been about six months since filming began in June last year, but with filming still continuing, he says he feels every day that "it's a marathon, not a sprint." We spoke to him about how he plans to play the main character, Koichiro (Toyotomi Hidenaga).
The drama is told from the perspective of Toyotomi Hidenaga (Koichiro), and depicts the miracle of the Toyotomi brothers, who, together with their brother Hideyoshi (Toyoshiro), achieve the great feat of unifying the country through their strong bond. The script is written by Yatsushi Hiroyuki, known for "Hanzawa Naoki" (TBS) and the Asadora"Ochoyan."
Toyotomi Hidenaga, the protagonist of "Toyotomi Brothers!" played by Nakano, is said to be "the greatest assistant in the world" who wholeheartedly supported his older brother Hideyoshi (Ikematsu Sosuke) in his quest to rule the country.
Nakano feels that while his older brother Hideyoshi was one of the few "true charismatic figures" chosen by the times, Hidenaga was in a sense "one of the many."
"Right next to Hidenaga was his charismatic and talented older brother, Hideyoshi. I imagine that Hideyoshi was a man who rose to the top with incredible passion and unified the country. Meanwhile, Hidenaga, needless to say, served as his brother's aide, but he was also the man who was between his brother, who was constantly climbing the ranks, the vassals who followed him, and the common people. As the ruler of the country, there were surely views that only his brother could see, but conversely, there were probably also views that only Hidenaga could see. I want to cherish those views that Hidenaga saw."
However, Toyotomi Hidenaga remains a man who will go down in history as a famous strategist for his brother Hideyoshi. How does Nakano intend to portray the unknown young man, Koichiro, while maintaining that image?
"If I limit myself by thinking, 'Because this is the role, I won't do this,' I feel like the role will become smaller and smaller, so I struggled with this when I was acting. As for Koichiro's youth, which is not remembered much in history, I think I can show him living an active life that will surprise viewers. Since I'm playing him, I want to make the role lively and full of vitality, and while I'm very careful about the setting of Koichiro in the script - that he comes from a peasant family, has a family, friends and loved ones - I want to play him as an active character, not just a passive one."
"Toyotomi Brothers!", the first "Sengoku Taiga" drama in three years, will start on January 4th. The first episode will be extended by 15 minutes.
