Actor Hiroya Shimizu (26) is currently appearing in the TBS Sunday Theatre drama " The 19th medical record " (Sundays at 9pm). He plays Keita Kayama, a third-year internal medicine resident at Uotora General Hospital who is in the same year as Takino ( Fuka Koshiba). This is Shimizu's first time appearing in a medical drama, and we asked him about his impression of Jun Matsumoto, who plays the main character, general practitioner Tokushige, and how he prepared for the role.
◇ I learned about the existence of "general practitioners" for the first time
The drama is based on the manga "The 19th medical record : Akira Tokushige's Medical Interview" by Fujiya Katsuhito (Zenon Comics/Core Mix, currently being serialized).
As this was Shimizu's first time acting in a medical drama, he was filled with excitement and nervousness. The role was full of technical terms and contained lines that he had never heard before, so he had to figure out how to make them fit into his own personality.
"The rhythm of my speech and the way I separate words and phrases to make them as natural as possible. I'm the type of person who normally records myself to check how my lines sound, so I paid particular attention to that."
"General practitioners" are doctors in the 19th new field, "general medicine," after 18 other specialties such as neurosurgery and ophthalmology. Shimizu learned about this field for the first time through filming. When he spoke to the doctor who served as medical supervisor for this film, he learned that the job of a general practitioner places emphasis on "how much they can face patients."
"When my character, Shikayama, examines patients, he is facing the computer as he types into their medical records, so he doesn't often turn his body toward them. But a general practitioner has another nurse take their medical records, and then he faces the patient and examines them, observing their eyes, gestures, and the way they speak. This sometimes leads to the discovery of unexpected illnesses, which can lead to saving lives. I hope that this will be an opportunity for people to gain a greater understanding of general practitioners," he says.
This is his second time working with Matsumoto, following "Tonari no Chikara" (broadcast on TV Asahi in 2022). "My impression of him hasn't changed since the first time we worked together. He has a great understanding of the set. He has such a good grasp of the set that you wonder, 'How many eyes does he have?' He creates his acting after considering all the factors involved in filming, such as the camera and lighting."
Matsumoto is able to instantly assess the situation on-site, such as if the camera is blocking his view from a certain position, and quickly correct it. "I learn a lot every day from watching his quick thinking and broad perspective up close."
Matsumoto's "aura" naturally raises morale on set. "He has the ability to naturally pull everyone up, making them think, 'Okay, we have to do our best.' He listens to what we have to say in a friendly manner, and sometimes we joke around and burst out laughing. Matsumoto has a playful side, too," he reveals.
◇ Episode 4 delves deeper into Kayama's humanity
Shimizu's character, Shikayama, is a character who has a philosophical view of the situation, saying, "There's no point in thinking about things that don't lead to answers." Is there anything about Shikayama that you can sympathize with?
"I think I used to think that way too. When I was a teenager, I was very straightforward about my desires and the efforts I needed to make to achieve what I wanted to become, and I tended to exclude everything else. But over the past few years, I've come to realize the importance of facing each and every thing one at a time."
I've always been the type of person who thinks of work and private life as separate things.
"Since acting is fundamentally a job that deals with emotions, I feel every day that whatever I feel and experience in any situation will be put to good use in the role. I've come to think that there is meaning in experiencing various things and worrying, and that these situations are for the sake of moving on to the next step," he says, noticing the change in himself.
The fourth episode will delve deeper into Shikayama's character. Shimizu said, "I hope to portray Shikayama's growth and how his attitude towards his job as a doctor and towards himself will change."
