The Friday drama " DOPE " (TBS, Friday 10pm) co-stars Takahashi Kaito of the popular group "King & Prince" and actor Tomoya Nakamura . The drama is gaining momentum as the murderer of Jinnai Teppei's (Nakamura) wife, Kaori (Iriyama Noriko), is revealed. We spoke to producer Hasegawa Haruhiko, who is in charge of the drama, about the reasons for casting Takahashi and Nakamura and what goes on behind the scenes of filming.
◇Takahashi Kaito: "A very reliable person"
The story is set in a near-future Japan where a new drug called "DOPE" is rampant, characterized by a high fatality rate and, in extremely rare cases, the ability to awaken special powers. Due to a sharp increase in violent crimes committed by "dopers" who have been awakened by the drug, the Narcotics Control Department has established a special investigation division made up of people with special powers who are born with special abilities. They are cracking down on DOPE.
Takahashi plays Saiki, a drug enforcement officer with the extraordinary ability to predict the future, with images of future events streaming into his brain. He became a drug enforcement officer after seeing his mother, Miwako ( Sei Matobu), suffer from drug addiction. He is earnest, has a strong sense of justice, and is a straightforward person who takes everything seriously.
Hasegawa described Saiki as "a very difficult role," saying, "It's hard to portray someone who grew up in an unfortunate environment and has such a strong heart. A lot of things happen at work and at home, and she's surrounded by strong characters like Jinnai and Jiu (Iura Arata). I think it was an incredibly difficult role to make Saiki stand out as the main character."
The offer was made about two years ago, when Takahashi was 24 years old. "She had outstanding acting skills for her generation, and her smile is so cute. Saiki doesn't actually smile that much, so I thought it would be good to have someone whose occasional smile is charming," he explained. "I thought (Takahashi) might be a genius, but he has thought things through and studied a lot. He consulted me on various things from the stage of creating the character. He is a very reliable person, even though he is young," he said, revealing his impression of her.
The film's breathtaking action scenes are also a highlight. Takahashi, who took on action for the first time, revealed in an interview that he struggled. However, Hasegawa praised him, saying, "(Takahashi) has outstanding athletic ability. Action is a 'form', so it's like choreography, and Takahashi is incredibly quick to learn it. He showed incredible explosive power and stamina. It didn't feel like it was his first time at all."
◇ Tomoya Nakamura, who has been with her for over 10 years, said, "Work hard and become a genius"
On the other hand, Jinnai, played by Nakamura, has superhuman eyesight and exceptional eye abilities. He is a character who stands out for his unconventional and unconventional behavior, and after the death of his wife, he developed a strong hatred for dope.
Hasegawa has known Nakamura for around 12 years. "I've known him for a long time, so I know that he worked hard to become a 'genius.' He reads the scripts a lot, and I think he must have put in more effort and study than I could have ever imagined," he said, revealing his immense trust in Nakamura.
"I'm basically in love with Tomoya Nakamura, so when an attractive role for a man in his late 30s comes along, I think Tomoya Nakamura would be good (laughs). From the beginning, I thought Tomoya Nakamura would be good for the role of Jinnai."
After the drama aired, he saw a viewer comment that said, "This is the kind of Tomoya Nakamura I wanted to see." He emphasized, "I naturally thought he would be a good fit, but it was all thanks to Nakamura that he was able to make Jinnai fit in so well. I think that's amazing."
Episode 8 will be broadcast on August 22. Hasegawa said, "Saiki will face one trial after another from now on. However, she will face them with a strong will that will not give in, and I think that is what is moving and relatable, so I want to portray that well."
※The "taka" in Kaito Takahashi's name is pronounced "hashigo-daka"
