Teruyuki Kagawa will play the lead role in the drama series "W Sai" which will be broadcast and streamed on WOWOW from 10pm on April 6th. This is a notable work in which he plays a "certain man" who brings disaster to people, changing his appearance, tone of speech, facial expression, personality and even mannerisms, appearing before the characters as a completely different person. We asked Kagawa why he accepted the offer and what the highlights of the work are.
◇ Appreciating the offer
This completely original film depicts how a "certain man" played by Kagawa appears before six innocent characters living in modern times while harboring conflicts, and a "disaster" mercilessly befalls them. Who is the "certain man"? What is the "disaster"? When and to whom will the "disaster" befall them? The story is about the man's presence bringing about unprecedented fear. The film is directed, written, and edited by Seki Yutaro and Hirase Kentaro of the director group "May," who worked on Kagawa's film "Miyamatsu and Yamashita."
When asked what made him decide to accept the offer, Kagawa revealed, "I had a strong desire that it had to be me." He stated his stance, saying, "Up until now, I have accepted offers where it had to be me. It wasn't in the script."
"I think that's just how actors are. We may discuss the details, but I feel that it's wrong to approach someone from the very beginning as if they're lofty or some kind of 'great teacher.' This isn't the opinion of everyone, but that's how I personally feel."
When asked about his impression when he first read the script, he said with a touch of humor, "There are just two of us this time, but with director Sato (Masahiko) joining us, I imagine it as a trio called the May group. In the sense that the three are one group, I'm not surprised at all about the book that the three of them write. They've written another unique book."
"Nowadays, videos and photos can be manipulated, so you can add lies. Sounds can also be lies; for example, the sound of water splashing cannot be heard at all, but in video it is made to look more powerful and effective. These three people have an extremely advanced ability to know how many lies they can include, which is something that can only be done with video, and I think they included some incredible lies this time as well. They probably didn't think about what the truth was, and I think they ended up just using lies rather than the truth, and closed the story off with lies. It's a very good balance, and I felt they had created a book that was full of intricate crime tactics, so it was an interesting book."
◇How do you play the six roles?
Kagawa played six different roles. When asked how he interpreted and approached the character of "a certain man," he replied, "I believe that if you change your hairstyle and costume, you will generally look different."
"We started with costume fittings and hairstyles, and had some interesting conversations. The costumes were quite interesting, and we were able to differentiate the hairstyles by using wigs and other things. After that, we talked on the spot about making small adjustments to the acting. I thought that in order to differentiate between the roles, I would have to change everything, including the speed and pitch."
Regarding how he portrayed the characters' emotions, he said, "I acted regardless of my feelings.I just focused on what kind of person the characters were, rather than on my feelings."
"I didn't think too much about the fact that he was someone unknown or mysterious, but rather I wanted to convey the nuances of the lines by saying them gently in one story, roughly in another, and timidly in yet another."
When asked about his intentions, and whether he was conscious of playing a character within the story, he nodded and explained, "I'm not in every scene, and since my scenes are limited, everyone (watching) can imagine for themselves. The two directors know how to use them, including how to distribute them. We use the same character in common, but once we've introduced him to a certain extent, he becomes a symbol even if we don't show it much from the next time, so we didn't include much in him."
◇ "I want people to see the evolution of drama in an experimental way"
In this film, Nakamura Anne plays the role of Domoto Midori, a detective from the Kanagawa Prefectural Police First Investigative Division who is pursuing a "certain man" played by Kagawa. Regarding their first co-starring role since the drama "Japan Sinks: People of Hope" (TBS), Kagawa commented, "It's been a while since we last worked together, and I think she has become a good fit for the role of a mature, mature woman."
When asked about any interactions with him in terms of acting, he said, "There wasn't anything in particular," and laughed, "I watched with a smile as the director carefully and patiently instructed Ahn. The director said, 'You're doing great!' and I thought, 'That's great. I've never been praised like that before.''
Regarding the two-director system, he said, "It's just one more person I can trust, and having two directors hasn't caused any confusion; it's actually a good system," but he also frankly confessed, "When we were working on Miyamatsu and Yamashita, we also had Director Sato (Masahiko), so rather than feeling a good balance between the two, I felt more of a sense of loss. I wondered what Sato would say to me if he was there."
"I wonder if there was a sense of loss because the time that Sato-san spoke as a 'professor' was interesting. Of course, I was relieved that the strange worldview was able to progress properly with just the two of them. (Seki-san and Hirase-san) The feelings and trust that the two of them have for Director Sato are incredible, and I also have a strong sense of trust in Sato-san. (Sato-san) is someone I want on set."
Kagawa describes the appeal of this work, which has been created using unique techniques that set it apart from existing works, saying, "Some people may wonder what the time they spent watching this drama was for, but I think it's fine for it to be that way. It gives you the feeling that drama has come this far."
"This drama may be discovering people who like this kind of work. It's easy to say you don't understand, but perhaps it's precisely because of this type of work that some people will raise their hands and say they do, and want to get into something that they specialize in. (The drama) has evolved to this point, so I'd like people to try watching it experimentally."
"Serial Drama W Sai" will start on April 6th. It will be broadcast and streamed on WOWOW Prime and WOWOW On Demand from 10pm on Sundays. There will be a total of 6 episodes, with the first episode being broadcast for free. The first episode is also being streamed for free on WOWOW On Demand, YouTube, and the WOWOW official channel. (Interview, text, and photography: Endo Masaki)
