Actor Yuya Yagira stars in the drama series "Lion's Lair" (TBS, Friday 10pm). It is a human suspense drama in which Kouto (Yagira) and Mijito (Bando Ryuta) meet a mysterious boy (Sato Ozora) who calls himself "Lion" and get caught up in an incident. The bond between the three characters deepens with each episode, and viewers have commented that the casting is divine. We spoke to producer Yuka Matsumoto, who is in charge of the series, about the behind-the-scenes casting.
◇After Yuya Yagira was chosen to play the lead role, "Many people wanted to try it"
Regarding the reaction to the series, Matsumoto said, "There were a lot of kind comments. I feel like it's rare that I receive so many warm comments." The casting of the film, which includes a lineup of talented actors such as Yagira, Bando, Ono Machiko, and Okayama Amane, has also been a hot topic, but he revealed, "I worked hard on the casting. Many people were interested in taking on the role because Yagira was in the lead role."
Kouto lives for his younger brother, Mijito, who has autism spectrum disorder. When he was thinking about who to play Kouto, he was conflicted. "There are actors whose roles I can imagine as resigned, closed-in, a little dark, and withdrawn... but I was conflicted, wondering, 'Will it be interesting to have them play it as is? Won't the tone end up being even darker?' By chance, I heard that Yagira's schedule was free around the time we were aiming to shoot, and I thought it would be interesting if Yagira played the lead role."
He feels that Yagira's character, Kouto, exudes a "fundamental kindness." While watching Yagira's acting through the monitor, he was impressed, saying, "It's not just the lines, but the timing, the eye contact, and the atmosphere he creates that are overwhelming."
◇ Captivated by Bando Ryuta's acting in the movie "Closed Ward"
Since the first episode aired, Bando, who plays Mijito, has been receiving rave reviews on social media, with people saying, "His acting is amazing." Matsumoto, who was captivated by Bando's acting in the movie "Closed Ward - Each Morning," said, "I really liked his acting at the time, and I wanted to work with him, which is how we got to where we are now. I read in an interview that (Bando) was studying hard at the time, so I thought, "Bando is the perfect person for this role!"
When dealing with autism spectrum disorder, he created a system where he could read books, watch videos, hold study sessions, and have any questions he had at any time. Bando cleared his schedule for a month and frequently attended "Sakuranbo Classroom," which he was supervising.
"Bando-san shared what he had studied with me, saying that there was a documentary like this overseas. He shared that with Yagira-san, and we talked about how that part of that work could be reflected in 'Lion's Den,'" he revealed of their exchange.
◇The Lion role was chosen after a five-month audition. As it was a role with a lot of weight, we narrowed it down to 5-7 year olds who had spoken the lines, and we received about 70 applications. From there we narrowed it down to 10, and then to about 4, and we watched for changes over the course of more than a month.
"As for Ozora-kun, he had too much energy, and he would run out of the audition room and run around, and he would always throw around his stuffed animal, and I felt like he needed to calm down (laughs). But when the play started, I thought it was amazing that he was able to slip into the role on his own, as if to say, 'This is the role of the Lion,'" he revealed.
"The Lion's Lair" weaves a miraculous tale with the ensemble of Yagira, Bando, and Ozora. With the drama now in the middle, we're looking forward to seeing how it unfolds.
