"Diamonds Sleeping in the Sea" (Sunday 9pm) is a TBS Sunday Theatre drama starring Ryunosuke Kamiki. The final episode will be broadcast as a 2-hour special (extended by 56 minutes) on December 22nd. On the TBS official YouTube channel, a special conversation between screenwriter Akiko Nogi, Kamiki who plays Teppei and the modern-day host Reo (double role), Tao Tsuchiya who plays Yuriko, and Elaiza Ikeda who plays Rina has been released. Here we introduce excerpts from the conversation between Nogi, Tsuchiya, and Ikeda.
The drama is a story of love, friendship and family spanning 70 years, set on the island of Hashima (Gunkanjima) in Nagasaki Prefecture, which developed through coal mining from the beginning of the Meiji era to the postwar high economic growth period, and in modern-day Tokyo. It is written by Akiko Nogi, directed by Ayuko Tsukahara, and produced by Junko Arai, the team behind the dramas "Unnatural" and "MIU404" (same series) and the movie "The Last Mile."
◇Cast and scriptwriter talk about the afterglow of the production
Tsuchiya: During filming, we live our roles, so as the end of filming approaches, a sense of loneliness begins to grow. Do you feel lonely when the script you've worked on from scratch leaves your hands?
Nogi: That happens a lot. When I was writing the final episode, I felt like, "These guys can't write anymore."
Tsuchiya: I imagine it took a lot of research and interviews to write this much, but since it took so long, don't you hope it continues for a long time and doesn't end in three months? (laughs)
Nogi: But I'm getting tired of writing any more (laughs). Even after the draft is finished, everyone is still acting brilliantly, so I'm very happy. The scene in episode 4 where everyone shares the offerings was especially dazzling! Lina was so cute when her brother Susumu (played by Takumi Saito) gave her the melon. How was it acting in that scene?
Ikeda: It was a very happy time...! In that scene, Susumu-san was also cute. He was more shy than I expected, and Lina was like, "Oh my?" (laughs). It was also around the time Lina started to get used to Hashima, so it was fun to act in it.
◇The screenwriter looks back on the best performances by character
Nogi: In episode 2, Lina was singing jazz in front of Yuriko and she was incredibly good! She sang it a cappella so effortlessly...!
Ikeda: I thought that was a challenge from Nogi to me. I remember that in the first meeting, Nogi and Director Tsukahara told me, "I'll leave it to you," about the Hashima Ondo. I was grateful for that, because I grew up watching my mother sing in jazz clubs from a young age, so I had a lot of creative ideas.
Nogi: Yuriko's acting is touching, and of course there are expressions that I like every time. I especially like that unique movement in the first episode when she says to Asako, "I followed Teppei because he said he was going home!" The feeling of "Yuriko, this girl!" really expresses the character, and no one can do that. I always get excited about those kinds of small expressions.
Ikeda: He's not a mean person normally, but it's easy to mistake him for a mean person. I too am mesmerized by Yuriko's poutiness and the changes in her beauty that make me fall in love with her.
Nogi: I couldn't participate today, but Sugisaki-san's character Asako is actually younger than everyone else. I'm always impressed by how Sugisaki-san takes that into account and plays the role of someone much younger.
◇A cast member weaving a story spanning 70 years talks about their approach to acting in each era
Nogi: This film is a long story that begins in 1955, so you probably shoot scenes from different eras together. How do you all match the eras and the acting?
Ikeda: Lina is a character whose costumes are easily adapted to the trends of the time, so I was able to change her appearance. Even after she got married to Shinpei and started a family, I thought it would be nice to see her have a playful look that is characteristic of Lina.
Nogi: It seems like the costumes bring out the Lina of that age. What about Yuriko?
Tsuchiya: I didn't find it that difficult. Because the script is good! (laughs). There are a lot of really wonderful lines in it, so I didn't have to act as if I was older, and I just acted as I felt the lines. Nogi-san's breathing comes first, and then I mixed in my breathing with Director Tsukahara's... that's how it felt.
Nogi: Thank you...! (Reading the questions from the staff) Is there anything you wish you had tried playing someone else?
Ikeda: It was written specifically for me, right? So, if I change, the character will change too. What would happen if I were Asako? Would I have to hold my bangs back?
Nogi: Since the characters are all written to suit each other, if Ikeda-san was playing a different role, I'm sure I would have written it differently. Asako's bangs are the way they are because Hana-chan is playing her (laughs).
Tsuchiya: I feel like it has to be Shimizu (Hiroya) to play the role of Kensho, and everyone else is perfectly suited to their roles.
Ikeda: Yes, I think it was good that I played Lina. There are many elements to this film that you can enjoy by watching it over and over again. Everyone has something they don't say, but they each carry something on their shoulders. But in the play, they don't actually hide it that much, so I'm sure it will be interesting no matter how many times you watch it.
Tsuchiya: I am also happy to be able to play Yuriko. I hope that the viewers will enjoy the story and pick up the diamonds scattered throughout it!
Nogi: I'm glad to hear that. Thank you again for playing the role! If you watch until the end and then watch it again from the beginning, you may discover something new. The story will be full of turmoil until the final episode, so don't miss it!
