Tao Tsuchiya plays Yuriko, the daughter of a Takaba Mining employee, in the TBS Sunday Theatre drama "Diamonds Sleeping in the Sea" (Sundays at 9pm), starring actor Ryunosuke Kamiki. At first glance, she appears to be a free-spirited young lady, but Yuriko has complexes due to past events and for some reason ends up saying mean things to her childhood friend Asako (Hana Sugisaki), who grew up on the same island. Tsuchiya's acting has been a hot topic, with people saying, "I wanted to see Tao like this!" Tsuchiya, who is showing new horizons, spoke about her thoughts before the fourth episode (broadcast on November 17th). ◇ "Yuriko, let's live" she called out from the heart The drama is a story of love, friendship and family spanning 70 years, set in Hashima (Gunkanjima) in Nagasaki Prefecture, which developed through coal mining from the beginning of the Meiji era to the high economic growth period after the war, and in modern-day Tokyo. The show is being produced by the same team behind the TV dramas "Unnatural" and "MIU404" (on the same network), and the movie "The Last Mile," with screenwriter Nogi Akiko, director Tsukahara Ayuko, and producer Arai Junko.
When asked about her impressions and reactions to episodes 1 to 3, Tsuchiya said, "This is just my personal impression, but I feel like there have been a lot of recent Sunday Theatre productions that leave an impression of 'strength' when depicting how people survive in society. I have watched with excitement and participated at times, but this time the story's arrow does not point upwards, but rather looks at society through compassion, family and love, like the currents of the ocean, and I feel like it's a production that will nurture and encourage viewers to think about what it means to truly cherish something."
When asked about her impression when she read the script for episode 4, she said, "From the moment I received the offer, I felt that Yuriko's emotional wounds were so deep that I wouldn't be able to fully express them by simply working hard. I discussed these feelings with the director, producer and scriptwriter, and decided to meet Yuriko through this exchange. So when I opened the cover of the script for episode 4, I called out to her in my heart once again, 'Yuriko, let's live.' I wanted to make it a priority to just make Yuriko live her life carefully, with responsibility and resolve."
In episode 2, there was a scene that caused a stir when Yuriko, the mother Sumiko, prays to God instead of evacuating when a powerful typhoon hits, and Yuriko says, "Pika fell on Urakami too!" What is your impression of Yamamoto Mirai, who plays Sumiko? "She was dignified and stoic, but also very playful and cheerful, and a wonderful person who laughed a lot! Although Yuriko and her mother have a history together, filming began relatively soon after filming began, and I didn't have much interaction with her mother, so I had to tackle difficult scenes after meeting her just a few times, but she was always considerate of me, and when it came to actual filming, she would really go all out and tackle things as if she were a real person. I'm really grateful!" she recalled. ◇Awkward scenes with Sugisaki Hana, who is usually good friends with her: "To be honest, it was hard"
Regarding his reunion with Sugisaki, who plays Asako, who is also good friends with him in private, he said of the awkward scenes they shot: "I love Sugisaki Hana as an actor and as a person, and we often talk about trivial things and laugh, so to be honest, it was hard to play a frustrating relationship. Depending on the role, it may be necessary to distance yourself from your daily life, including waiting time, but this time I didn't do that. That's because Yuriko has always loved Asako. When I looked into Sugisaki Hana's eyes, feelings naturally welled up, so I was able to approach the filming with great peace of mind." He revealed his inner thoughts, feeling the bond that only a friend and a frontline actor can have.
Finally, to the viewers looking forward to the broadcast of the fourth episode, he concluded by saying, "I have a lot of feelings... too many to put into words. And I think that this fourth episode depicts and contains many things that cannot be expressed in words. Through Yuriko, I have conveyed my gratitude and respect for those who struggled to survive in this era. I also conveyed my prayers for those who tried to survive and those who could not, as well as my anger and hope that this must never be repeated. Please accept it."
In the fourth episode, the story moves forward as the feelings of each person spending August in Nagasaki and the feud between childhood friends are unraveled. Look out for the scenes that depict the feelings of people 70 years ago, including Yuriko.
