"DOPE": Tomoya Nakamura and Iura Arata stimulate each other despite it being their first time acting together

The drama series " DOPE " (TBS, Fridays at 10pm) stars Kaito Takahashi of the popular group "King & Prince" and actor Tomoya Nakamura . In the final episode airing on September 5th, the fierce battle between the Special Investigation Unit and the mysterious man Jiwoo (Arata Iura) finally reaches its climax. We spoke to Nakamura and Iura, who said they were inspired by each other during their first time acting together.

◇ Tomoya Nakamura was delighted to co-star with Iura Arata, saying, "Yay!"

-What impressions did you have of each other?

Nakamura: I've been watching Arata's work since I was a teenager, such as "Ping Pong" (2002), so I was looking forward to working with him.

Iura: Is that true? (laughs)

Nakamura: Well, when I was first told that "Arata's schedule might be difficult," I rebelled and said, "Absolutely not! I'll make a fuss!" (laughs). But when I heard that Arata had been chosen, I was so happy I said, "Yay!"

Iura: That's very nice.

-What impression do you have of Nakamura, Iura-san?

Iura: When I heard that it would be my first time acting with Tomoya-kun, it gave me great motivation to think, "What will come out of acting together?" There were many scenes where Jinnai and Jiu confront each other, and the excitement that motivated me sometimes went awry in a good way, but there were also moments when I was purely happy and excited, but it was really fun.

This is because Tomoya-kun not only plays the "attack" role but also the "receiver" role accurately. He fully understands the scenes that are necessary for Jinnai and ignores the scenes that are not. His sense is wonderful, and I was able to create the character of Jiu freely.

He takes what is expected of him and colors it with his own colors. It is precisely because he has that kind of power that when I act with him, I feel as if I am being swallowed up. It's not just exciting, there are also moments of suspense, and if I let my guard down even for a moment, he could take away my pace. It was that fear, including, that made me think, "I want to act with this person."

-What do you think about Mr. Iura's words?

Nakamura: It's an honor. In that sense, I think Saiki (Takahashi), Jinnai, and Jiu are the characters that carry the meaning of this work's existence. I've always personally thought that three pillars are necessary, and if there are words like thesis (positive), antithesis (negative), and synthesis (negative), then these are the ones that turn the wheels in a play. I think Jinnai and Jiu are similar in terms of the effect they have on the viewer.

On the other hand, I think Saiki is a main character who can be a window for the viewers and who you want to watch grow. Kaito plays Saiki, who has a fresh and straightforward energy, and Arata plays the mysterious man Jiu. In particular, I didn't know what would happen with Jiu until I went to the set, but I felt like, "Just go ahead and do it."

When I look at the edited footage, I can see that it is indeed an effective essence. I think this is at the stage of selecting the actors, and it all comes down to how well the three of them fit together. My role involved both Saiki and Jiu, so it was always fun and stimulating.

I would like to continue working with amazing seniors like Arata. I feel that he lives by standards that I cannot measure up to, so acting with him makes me think, "I guess I still can't measure up to him." Of course, Kaito has a lot of charms that I cannot bring out, and many things that I admire about him. However, based on my experience and journey as an artist, there is a lot I can give him advice on. This time, I was able to enjoy acting in that narrow space, so I think I was able to experience a really good position.

Iura: I still seek out seniors too. I think I'll continue to seek them out forever. When I was in my 20s and 30s, I was inevitably surrounded by amazing seniors in my troupe, but as my career has progressed, I've gradually become the oldest actor and senior more often. When I work with seniors, I'm reminded that I'll always be a junior, and that there's still so much I want to learn from these amazing seniors.

As Tomoya said, the younger generation has imaginations and sensibilities that are different from what we might imagine, and they express themselves without being bound by anything, which results in a high level of purity. If I were to express myself in that way, I would now have to do it technically, so it's wonderful that I can do it straightforwardly, and I feel that this feeling is something that we should always have, regardless of age.

◇The final battle is a "full course"

-What was the most memorable thing about filming this movie?

Nakamura: I wonder what will happen in the final battle of the final episode.

Iura: It was a life-or-death struggle in many ways.

Nakamura: Up until now, there have been action scenes against drug addicts, but many of them have involved VFX, so it sometimes doesn't feel real on set. The final episode is like a full course, or maybe they even intended to write the script that way. So I think viewers will be saying, "It's a full course!" (laughs)

Iura: As Jiu, I had never been able to see the dopers' battle scenes live, so when I read the script, I wondered if a real person could do that. I'm really excited to see if the final episode will have scenes that go beyond what we've seen in the footage so far, and give us a whole new kind of surprise.

Nakamura: I think so. I think viewers have been curious about where Jiwoo really shines.

--The production announcement press conference seemed to have a friendly atmosphere as you all spoke with each other, but what was it like in between filming?

Iura: Thinking back on it now, I think I honestly exchanged more lines with Tomoya. I asked him what kind of plants he grows, and I heard he's good at cooking, so we talked about "Bongoo" (Takahashi Kaito's home cooking) from our own perspectives. (laughs)

Nakamura: I told you about how I got scolded (by Takahashi) for topping it off (laughs). Well, there were a lot of things I had to think about for the scene with Jinnai and Jiu.

Iura: That's right.

Nakamura: Which one to choose? And since we were only shooting one or two scenes a day, we didn't have much time to talk.

Iura: Because it was a role that carried a past on its shoulders, I had to do my best in the limited time I had. I'm sure the Jinnai that Saiki doesn't show had to be in front of Jiu, and there's also a Jiu that only Jinnai shows. So, even in between filming, I felt like I was always on the lookout.

Nakamura: No matter what, Jiu does like Jinnai.

Iura: I like it.

Nakamura: When Ji-woo appeared in episode 7 dressed as an oil tycoon, I realized, "Oh, this guy just wants to have fun" (laughs).

Iura: Jiwoo is a person who finds life difficult, but he cherishes people who make him feel "fun" even for a short time. When Jiwoo met Jinnai, I think he felt like he had "found" him, someone he could play with without worry.

Nakamura: This is a deep story. It's like when two fighters get into a stance and they understand each other's feelings (laughs).

◇How do you approach a role?

Is there anything you'd like to ask each other?

Iura: I appeared with Kaito-kun and Toyoda Yudai-kun (who plays Shibahara Takumi) on "Street Rumors Checkout! What's Really Going On?" (TBS), and the question "Does the role linger with you?" came up. We each said that we did and didn't, and when it was my turn to be the first to answer, I simply answered "I don't linger with it," and gradually better answers started to come out (laughs).

Nakamura: It's the clown thing that starts off.

Iura: Exactly. So it ended up being like I had no emotion whatsoever (laughs). I'm sure that each actor has a different way of approaching a role, but what about Tomoya?

Nakamura: Basically, whatever the role, whatever the scene, I feel like I'm always at an equal distance. But when I think that there's a scene where it would be better if there wasn't a sense of distance (from the role), I get fully immersed in it. I don't want to see a scene where I'm fully immersed in the role like that.

In this work, I have almost no memory of scenes like the scene in episode 2 where he discovers his murdered wife Kaori (Iriyama Noriko), or the scene in episode 7 where he fights in a tunnel with his former colleague and Kaori's murderer, Tokura Toshihito (Koike Teppei). It depends on the case, but basically, I get out of the role. I'm not the type to get hung up on a role or anything, I'm just not into it. I'm basically in a state where I don't even have an on/off switch, and sometimes I get into the role.

Iura: I see. On the day of filming a scene that you're so immersed in that you don't want to watch it, do you ever feel a bit irritated or nervous, even though you don't realize it?

Nakamura: Yes, there is before the scene. Once we finish shooting, it's "Now it's just a matter of editing it to make it look good!" (laughs).

-What kind of questions will Nakamura ask Iura?

Nakamura: I don't ask people I like. I have a strong sense of treasure hunting, wanting to find it myself... What kind of curry do you like?

Iura: I often make keema curry. I like minced meat dishes, and I've tried South Indian and butter chicken, but in the end, the one that I find most comfortable to make and eat is waterless keema curry made with spices.

Nakamura: Do you put in a lot of vegetables?

Iura: Onions, tomatoes, and ginger, maybe.

Nakamura: Spices too?

Iura: I'll add a variety of things.

Nakamura: I once made it from scratch using spices, and I thought, "(Commercially available) roux is delicious" (laughs).

Iura: I know what you mean (laughs). I often make it myself, but my family says they want to eat Japanese curry, so I end up making curry with a roux too.

Nakamura: It's the taste I had as a child.

Iura: That's right. When you make it with a roux, it's such a different dish that you might think, "Maybe it doesn't even need to be called 'curry' anymore?" But it's still delicious in its own way.

--Please give us a message from both of you as we approach the final episode.

Iura: If you've been with this series up to this point, all that's left is for you to enjoy the final episode. It may end beautifully, or it may not.

Nakamura: I wonder what will really happen. At this point, we don't really know. We have no idea what will happen in the scenes with just Saiki and Jiu.

Iura: That's certainly true.

Nakamura: Even when I'm on set, I can't imagine how the VFX will turn out. So when I'm not in a scene, I find myself wondering, "What's going to happen?" The final episode is also the one where the mysterious existence of Jiu is finally revealed. How will Saiki and Jinnai become involved as they come face to face with Jiu? Perhaps we were heading towards this final episode from the very beginning of the first episode. I hope you'll look forward to seeing what happens to the three of them at the conclusion.