On September 6th, actress Suzu Hirose appeared on stage to greet viewers in Tokyo to celebrate the release of her starring film, "Distant Mountain Light" (directed by Ishikawa Kei). When asked about her impression of Hirose, Nikaido praised her, calling her a "reliable leader." She explained, "She's very reliable and always on set, so that all the staff and we in each department were able to work on set with peace of mind," and both she and Hirose bowed to each other, smiling shyly.
Looking back on the filming with Nikaido, with whom she co-starred for the first time in this movie, Hirose said with a sense of fulfillment, "I was able to see with my very own eyes the persuasiveness and overwhelming presence of Nikaido, which made me think that only she could play this role, and it was a very stimulating time."
Hirose confessed that when she was working on this film, "I felt something was off inside me as I was digesting the story." She also revealed that she was helped by Nikaido's persuasive power and presence, saying, "When I was in front of Sachiko (played by Nikaido), I felt like a string was coming undone."
The film is based on the novel of the same name by Nobel Prize-winning author Kazuo Ishiguro. Set in Nagasaki in the 1950s and Britain in the 1980s, it is a human mystery that uncovers the secrets of the memories of Etsuko (Hirose), a survivor of the atomic bombing. The film was screened in the Un Certain Regard section of the 78th Cannes Film Festival, held in Cannes, France in May.
Yoshida Yo and director Ishikawa also attended the stage greeting, and Suzuki Mio, who plays Sawako's daughter Mariko, played by Nikaido in the film, appeared as a presenter to present a bouquet of flowers.
