Iwamoto Renka and Tomiri Nao of the idol group Nogizaka46 attended a press conference in Tokyo recently for the drama series "Futari Escape" (TV Osaka, Saturday midnight 12:55), which begins on October 4th. Iwamoto revealed Tomiri's true character, saying, "She has great junior skills."
The drama is a live-action adaptation of the manga of the same name by Taguchi Koichi (Ichijinsha), and is an "escapist comedy" that follows the story of an unemployed, professional senior who is trying to escape reality, and a junior manga artist who is busy writing manuscripts every day. Iwamoto and Tomisato, who are actually senior and junior in the group, will play the dual lead roles as the senior and junior.
When asked how she felt when she received the offer, Iwamoto smiled and said, "When I read the script, it was refreshing because I had never acted in such a peaceful piece before, and I thought it would be a new challenge since I'd be working with Nao, who is a junior to me."
Tomisato said with a smile, "I haven't done much acting work up until now, so I was a bit nervous about suddenly being given the lead role, but when I heard I'd be starring alongside Renka, I was really happy. My anxiety has now turned into excitement!"
The group consists of Iwamoto, a third-generation member, and Tomisato, a fifth-generation member. Iwamoto said, "The way you interact with someone in the same generation as you is different from the way you interact with a junior. I'm not the type of person who would say to a junior, 'Let's go out to eat,' so I felt the pressure to take the lead," but added, "But she's Nao! Nao is good at relying on her seniors. I think we've become closer (through filming), and I think that will have a positive impact when we return to work as a group."
Continuing, when asked about one side of her that she discovered through working together on this film, she said, "Nao is airheaded, but I also love the fact that she's nervous and often thinks, 'What should I do, what should I do?' She's a very capable junior! I can't leave her alone (laughs)," appearing to have become enthralled with her.
On the other hand, Tomisato said about Iwamoto, "He cares about me a lot, and even before the drama started, he invited me to go out to eat with him, and he listened to my worries at the time with great empathy. I love him!" When asked about behind the scenes of filming, she revealed with a smile, "Even when I make a strange joke or tease him, he always responds properly. He just laughs and says, 'What's the big deal?', so I think he's really kind."
