Actor Kei Tanaka stars in the WOWOW original drama "Drama W Koki Mitani' Oi, Dazai '," written and directed by Koki Mitani . This is the first new work in Mitani's "One-scene, one-shot drama" series in 12 years, and the third installment is a time-slip comedy about a man who admires Dazai Osamu and struggles through the ages. We spoke to Tanaka, who plays the main character Komuro Kensaku, about how he got into the role, the behind-the-scenes of the one-shot shoot, his interactions with Mitani, and his feelings about entering his 40s.
◇ Filmed with the desire to convey the emotions he felt to viewers
The first installment of the "One-scene, one-shot drama" series was Mitani's first TV drama directorial work, "Short Cut," in 2011. It told the story of a married couple played by Kiichi Nakai and Kyoka Suzuki who get lost on a mountain path and come to understand each other as they argue. The second installment was "Airport 2013," broadcast in 2013, an ensemble comedy in which the late Takeuchi Yuko plays a ground staff member and causes a big commotion with a cast of unique characters played by Namase Katsuhisa, Toda Erika, Joe Odagiri, and Kagawa Teruyuki. This third installment took about 10 years to conceive, and following on from "mountains" and "sky," the setting was chosen to be "sea," and it was filmed last fall.
Tanaka, who is a fan of the series, revealed how he came to appear in the film, saying, "Mitani and I share the same gym, so we meet up occasionally. One time, we were talking about the one-shot series, and I said, 'I really love it, but are you not going to do it anymore? If you ever do it again, please let me know. I'd like to be involved in even a little bit.' He said, 'That'll be great. Got it,' and that's how it happened. I guess it's not a matter of what made me decide to appear in the film, but rather what you talk about (laughs). I was surprised when I was offered the lead role."
When asked about the appeal of the series, he said, "When I saw the previous two films, I thought, 'filming it in one take would only be a burden' (wry smile). But even though the main theme is shooting it in one take, when I watch it I forget that it was filmed in one take, and when I suddenly remember it, I even feel moved. I felt like I was being shown something amazing," he said, sharing his own viewing experience.
Tanaka analyzed the film from an actor's perspective, saying, "I'm an actor too, so I felt the difficulties and the respect for everyone (involved in the production). I thought it was amazing." When asked how he felt now that he was on the acting side and how he felt about the filming, he replied, "In terms of how it felt, I honestly don't know (laughs). Of course, it was difficult because we had to avoid cutting, but I really felt the luxury of being able to act in a continuous sequence."
They had about a week of rehearsals beforehand, and the situation was such that all that was needed was to film on location, but Tanaka began by saying, "I had seen their previous productions, so I imagined it to be much more calculated." He went on to talk about what went on behind the scenes, saying, "The acting area changes from day to day and depending on the time due to the tide levels, so we could only realistically film during limited periods of time, and what's more, when it rains, a "river" will appear the next day that wasn't there (laughs). It felt more like a spontaneous performance than I had expected, or like we were doing it on impulse."
◇ The essence of acting that I felt again through one-shot filming, and my feelings about turning 40
When asked what he realized after appearing in the long-awaited series, Tanaka said, "I realized that it was a luxury to be able to act in a series."
"The reason I regularly perform on stage is to get back to the basics of theater, to see its true essence, and to be reminded of things, so I think it's important to live in that world as a whole. That was the case this time as well. I felt that there is a difficulty in being able to do it as a whole, but also a luxury."
The most difficult thing about filming in one take was that "the sweating wouldn't stop," which resulted in the color of his costume changing.
"I tried six times in total, and the sixth take was the OK one, but even then I wasn't sweating. When the sun was out, the heat, the movement, and the sweat from the acting made me sweat like a waterfall. The vest of the costume was grey, but because sweat was noticeable, I changed it to a less conspicuous black halfway through."
During the six one-take shoots, "after shooting the actual scene once each time, we all watched a preview together, including the staff, and each department identified areas for improvement."
"While looking at the previews, Mitani gave instructions and we discussed the angle of view with the cameraman, and we updated it little by little. It was a daily accumulation of such efforts, where we would notice things and clearly see what we should try next. As we looked at the previews, I could see that it was getting more and more interesting, so that was good," he recalls.
Tanaka is now 40 years old. "I spent my 30s running through the years, trying all sorts of different things. In my 40s, I want to start changing the way I work, little by little," he says.
When asked about changes with age and career progression, Tanaka answered, "Time off." She explained how her perception of time off has changed, saying, "I've never taken a long break after a drama series ends before. But recently, when I look at my schedule, my time off is black, and when it's completely black, I feel happy."
However, he continues, "there are also drawbacks," and "if there's no black, it's like, 'There's no black!' But on the other hand, if you wear only black all the time, it's like, 'There's no work!' So it's difficult (laughs). In the end, it's wishful thinking, and I think balance is important," saying he has realized the importance of switching between on and off.
"People who live fulfilling lives are very good at splitting their time and how they use it. I know that I can use my time well, even if I don't have much, but I'm really bad at it. I want to somehow become the kind of person who can use my time well."
"Drama W Koki Mitani' Oi, Dazai'" will be broadcast and streamed on WOWOW Prime and WOWOW On Demand at 10 pm on June 29th. (Interview, text and photography: Endo Masaki)
