Mio Imada plays the role of stonemason Kamaji, grandfather of the protagonist Nobu Asada (Imada), in the Asadora drama series "Anpan " (NHK General TV, Monday to Saturday 8:00 a.m. and others), starring Kotaro Yoshida This is his first Asadora Asadora appearance in 11 years since "Hanako to Anne" in the first half of 2014, and he talked about his thoughts on his role, his impressions of the role, and stories with his co-stars.
◇ On reuniting with the "Hanako to Anne" team, "I feel like I'm returning to my old home"
" Anpan" is based on the married couple Takashi Yanase(1919-2013) and Nobuyuki (1918-1993), the manga artist and picture book writer who created "Anpanman." It is a "story of love and courage" that will make you feel the joy of living from your whole body, depicting how the two, who were once nobody, overcame all sorts of rough seas and arrived at "Anpanman," the embodiment of "unreversible justice."
"Anpan" was written by Miho Nakazono, who also wrote the script for "Hanako and Anne," which Yoshida starred in. Yoshida said, "It was definitely because of 'Hanako and Anne' that my work became so well-known that it was used in TV and movies, so it's a special work for me and I'm grateful for it."
"The staff, including the chief director, are the same as those who worked on 'Hanako and Anne.' When I received the offer, I felt like I was returning to a nostalgic place, to my old home, so I was very happy. 'Hanako and Anne' was what you might call my big break, so I hope that by appearing in it, I can give back to them."
Regarding Nakazono's script, he said, "It's very simple in a good way. It goes straight into your heart, and there's always a scene woven into the 15-minute broadcast that will make you cry at least once, so it doesn't feel forced and you cry naturally. It's simple and easy to understand, yet deep. I was bawling my eyes out reading it from the very beginning."
Nakazono says that he wrote the character of Kamaji with the image of the stubborn old man Terauchi Kantaro, played by Kobayashi Asei in the 1974 TV drama "Terauchi Kantaro Ikka" (TBS).
"I'm a big fan of Terauchi Kantaro and watched him in real time. But because it's NHK, they can't do anything too extreme, like flipping the table, so it's difficult to find the balance. I'm currently trying out various acting styles through ad-lib."
◇What is your impression of your co-stars?
The cast of "Anpan" is filled with talented actors, from young to veteran. Yoshida Yuumi Kawai Imada, Kawai Yumi who plays Nobu's younger sister Ranko, and Nanoka Hara who plays Meiko, saying, "They are all wonderful grandchildren. I have so much to learn from them."
"I feel that their acting style is different from that of our generation. In our generation, we thought that shouting was one way to express emotion when acting, but these girls are able to express joy, anger, sadness and happiness without raising their voices. They are only in their 20s, so it's really amazing. Clear pronunciation is an absolute must for an actor, and I learned it by practicing clear pronunciation and voice training. They may have also practiced, but they are born with clear pronunciation, have strong voices and can control their emotions; it's always amazing."
Regarding Sadao Abe, who is also from the theater world, he laughed and said, "This is the first time I've been deeply involved with him, but he's a quiet character and different to the image of Sadao Abe I have in mind, so I'm plotting various things to him."
"After about half a year of filming, we started to communicate with each other and he started responding with various ad-libs. It's fun that Abe-san has started to initiate things. Whatever you do has an effect and comes back to you many times over, so I'd like to see more interactions between Abe-san and me. I'm looking forward to Nakazono-san and the producers increasing the interactions between me and Abe-san (laughs)."
When asked about a memorable episode from the set, he revealed that he was "nervous" about acting alongside Miyoko Asada, who plays Kamaji's wife, Kura.
"I was 13 or 14 years old when Asada debuted as an idol, and because of that time, I get excited every time we meet. About a week after filming began, she started calling me 'darling', and I was like, ' Miyoko Asada called me 'darling'!' (laughs). I sent her messages to brag to my friends from middle school, and they were all surprised, like, 'Seriously?' We became such good friends, and I'm really grateful to Asada. When we stand up, we hold each other's hands, and we support each other during filming."
