Suzuki Ryohei stars in the TBS Sunday Theatre "Reboot" (Sundays at 9pm). Suzuki has received praise from all quarters for his dual roles as corrupt detective Gido Ayumu and pastry chef Hayase Riku who disguises himself as Gido. Producer Higashinaka Keigo, who is working on this production, recalls, "This is a world line that only Suzuki Ryohei could have played. He worked stoically, putting his soul into each and every scene." We spoke to Higashinaka and scriptwriter Kuroiwa Tsutomu about Suzuki on set.
◇The script was written after Suzuki Ryohei's appearance was decided
This is an original work that Kuroiwa spent three years planning. With each episode airing, various speculations are posted on social media, creating a lot of excitement. Filming finished before the summer of 2025, so there was some time before it aired. Higashinaka said, "I was determined to make a really interesting work, so I'm grateful that everyone has been so positive about it."
For Kuroiwa, this was the first time that a drama was broadcast after he had finished writing the entire script. "The enthusiasm on set was amazing, and I thought it would be tough if there was no reaction (from viewers). For the first time, I was scared, thinking, 'What if it ends up being a huge flop? What should I do next?'" Kuroiwa recalls. After the drama aired, there was a huge reaction, and he said, "I was honestly relieved."
Writing the script began once Suzuki's appearance was confirmed. The premise of "changing one's face = rebooting" was said to have been fraught with the risk of becoming a "fantasy" if it wasn't convincing. However, seeing Suzuki on set dispelled those concerns.
"Hayase impersonating Gido" pretends to be Gido so that the people around him don't know. At the same time, it was necessary to show the audience that inside him was Matsuyama Kenichi, who plays Hayase. "While it could have been made into a comedy by doing an easy-to-understand imitation, Ryohei was able to strike a fine line of tension. He's really good at it."
◇The spectacular "Suzuki Ryohei VS Suzuki Ryohei"
In episode 5, the scene where the "real" Gido and Hayase, who was disguised as Gido, faced off against each other drew much attention. Of course, Suzuki was the only one playing the role, but on the screen, the "Gido" and "Hayase" were acting out a fierce battle. Viewers gave a big round of applause, saying, "Suzuki Ryohei's performance as two actors was amazing."
Higashinaka said, "As you can see from episode 5, the first thing that came to mind was that no one else could make this film without Suzuki Ryohei," demonstrating his absolute trust in Suzuki.
Suzuki himself spoke in the visual commentary for episode 3, currently streaming on "TVer," about how he studied Matsuyama's acting before filming. He conducted extensive research using 34 minutes of footage of Matsuyama's scenes as Hayase, as well as an original audio tape of Matsuyama's lines. He even analyzed Matsuyama's skeletal structure, which surprised Matsuyama.
Kuroiwa was impressed, saying, "Ryohei is a studious person, so he picked up all of Matsuyama's performances and studied his mannerisms, like how he moves his hands and how he walks. It's amazing." He said he has the impression that Suzuki can effortlessly do things that normal people can't do, saying, "It's like watching a perfect figure skater's performance, like watching a miracle, like watching an athlete. I felt that actors are amazing creatures."
