Actor Mio Imada plays the role of Jiro Wakamatsu , the husband of the heroine Nobu (Imada) in the Asadora drama series "Anpan " (NHK General TV, Monday to Saturday 8:00am and others), starring Ayumu Nakajima, who plays the honest and gentle Jiro who gently embraces Nobu, spoke to us about how he approached the role of Jiro.
◇ Be mindful not to appear “shady”
"Anpan" is based on the married couple Takashi Yanase(1919-2013) and Noriyuki Yanase (1918-1993). It is a "story of love and courage" that will make you feel the joy of living, depicting how the two met, overcame all sorts of rough seas, and arrived at "Anpanman", the embodiment of "unreversible justice."
Jiro, played by Nakajima, is Nobu's husband, a graduate of a maritime academy who works as a first-class engineer. His father is the chief engineer and an acquaintance of Nobu's late father, Yutaro (Ryo Kase). Jiro himself once met Yutaro on a ship. His hobby is photography.
Looking back on when he received the offer, Nakajima said, "When I heard about what kind of role it was, I thought it would be difficult. People have been watching Takashi (Takumi Kitamura) and Nobu for a long time, so I thought they would probably dislike the idea of them suddenly going on a blind date and getting married."
Regarding his first impression of Jiro, he felt that "he only has nice things to say, so sometimes he comes across as suspicious or superficial."
"To avoid that, I tried to be conscious of 'making everything into communication.' I would imagine in advance how I would want to convey a line. For example, should I say it to calm the other person down, or to make them laugh, or to cheer them up? There are an infinite number of ways to say things. I made it a priority to prepare in this way, and to act in response to the acting that came to mind on the spot."
◇What was the scene where you "realized that you had connected with each other"?
The first scene to be shot was when Jiro meets Nobu on an arranged marriage date and when he asks her again at a restaurant, and Nakajima said that these were particularly memorable scenes.
"The director, Yanagawa Tsuyoshi, who I've known since 'Hanako and Anne,' gave me direction on my facial expressions and emotional expression, such as, 'Let's not do this,' or 'Look me straight in the eye when you say this.' I think that kind of detailed direction led to Jiro's sincere character, and personally I think it turned out to be a great performance. I felt like Nobu had opened up, and Jiro was also moved, or rather, I felt like we had a connection, and I hope that this comes across to the audience."
In the film, Jiro and Nobu get married after meeting only three times, but he also thought that their relationship "wouldn't be convincing unless there was a moment when they truly connected with each other."
"Because they are often away at sea, there are very few scenes with the couple, and we are unable to show the process of their relationship building and the distance between them closing. In order to express that, I not only thought about what was written in the script, but also how to show it in other places."
He said that many of his ideas expanded during filming, saying, "The easiest to understand is that he changed the name he calls him from 'Nobu-san' to 'Nobu.' Also, when he gets home, Nobu helps him take off his clothes, and as you get closer to him, your facial expressions and emotional expressions become more expressive. I tried to express through such small details that the two of them have everyday lives, and I acted in a way that showed the human side of Jiro and that their relationship allows Nobu to be honest with herself."
