Ai Mikami plays An, the younger sister of the protagonist Rin (played by Juri Kosaka), in the NHK Asadora drama series "Kaze,Kaoru" (NHK General, Monday-Saturday 8:00 AM, etc.), which stars Ai Mikami and Juri Uesaka. Hayasaka, who is making her first appearance in a Asadora, spoke about what she focused on when playing An and her impressions of Mikami.
◇ Paying attention to changes in Yasui's facial expressions: For the scene where he falls in love, "make his eyes sparkle."
Yasu, played by Hayasaka, is Rin's younger sister, two years her junior. She moves to Tokyo with her mother, Mitsu (Mizuno Miki), and begins living with Rin and the others in a row house that was being used as a storage room for Mizuho-ya. In episode 60 (aired June 19), she marries Soichi (Uesugi Shuhei), the older brother of Makimura Taichi (Hayashi Yuta).
When she first appeared in the series, she had to play a character younger than her actual age, so she recalls, "I made a conscious effort to use a lot of facial expressions."
"Because I'm young, I'm interested in all sorts of things, but since this isn't a role where I speak much on my own, I focused on expressing emotions through my facial expressions," she said, explaining how she worked to create the character.
Hayasaka's expressive acting was particularly outstanding in episode 57 of week 12 (aired June 16), which depicted the moment when Yasu falls in love with Soichi. Regarding this scene, Hayasaka explained, "I wanted to capture on film the moment when one person falls in love with another, so I focused on that and acted with sparkling eyes."
"When I first met Soichi in Week 8, it wasn't so much that I liked him romantically, but rather that I felt I might be happy with him, that I might be able to choose a happy path for myself. But in Week 12, that element of falling in love romantically was added. In Week 8, I couldn't even make eye contact with him properly, but in Week 12, I gazed at Soichi as if I were being drawn to him, expressing the change in our sense of distance."
◇ "I can't believe I've been given such a big role"
Hayasaka participated in the audition for the lead role in "Kaze,Kaoru" and was offered the role of Rin's younger sister. Hayasaka said, "It's a Asadora that I've admired and watched since I was little, so I couldn't believe that I would actually be on that screen, and I couldn't believe that I would be given such a big role as the protagonist's younger sister in my first Asadora. At first, I was more surprised than happy."
"My favorite Asadora is 'Come Come Everybody.' Three heroines appear across three generations, so I enjoyed it immensely because I could watch it with a fresh feeling each time the heroine changed. The main character I admire the most is Torako, played by Sairi Ito in ' The Tiger and Her Wings .' She tries her best, but she's also clumsy at times, and I was moved every day by her efforts for the sake of justice."
◇Is playing the protagonist's younger sister a stepping stone to stardom?
Regarding Mikami, who plays his older sister, he said, "From the first time I met her, she was truly like sunshine," and added, "Whenever Mikami comes onto set, I can hear her laughter coming from the waiting room. There are so many things I respect about her as a person, and I feel she is a wonderful actress."
"She acts honestly according to her own feelings, and I was impressed to see her discussing with those around her on set what she felt as the actress playing Rin, and how she moved the set forward, showing her dedication to the role."
The role of the protagonist's younger sister is often seen as a stepping stone to a breakthrough, potentially leading to a leading role later on. Hayasaka said, "If I have the opportunity, I would like to follow in Mikami's footsteps and do my best." As for what to look forward to in Yasu's future, she smiled and said, "I hope we can show how Yasu grows as a person."
