Charlotte Kate Fox plays Eliza Belsland, a fellow reporter at Lefkada Heaven ( Tommy Bastow ) in the NHK morning drama series " Bakebake " (General TV, Monday to Saturday, 8:00 AM and other times). She spoke about her thoughts on appearing in her third Asadora, her impression of Bastow, and filming at NHK Osaka Broadcasting Station (BK), which was her "starting point."
◇ This is her first play in five years, and she thinks she can make use of the changes she has experienced since becoming a mother.
"Bakebake" is based on the story of Koizumi Setsu, the daughter of a fallen samurai from Matsue, and her husband Yakumo (Lafcadio Hearn), and depicts the heroine, who loves ghost stories, going about her everyday life with her foreign husband. The script is written by Fujiki Mitsuhiko, who has worked on NHK's "Asagaya Sisters' Relaxed Life" and WOWOW's "Shooting Break Series."
Eliza, played by Fox, is a female journalist active in the United States and a colleague of Heaven. She is a "perfect woman" who is intelligent and has the drive to travel the world. Her role is to encourage Heaven to go to Japan.
This will be Fox's third time appearing in an Asadora, following "Asadora" in the latter half of 2014 and "Beppin-san" in the latter half of 2016. "I'm happy to be appearing in another Asadora after 'Massan' and 'Beppin-san,'" she said with joy.
"The role I'm playing this time, Eliza Belsland, is a role I haven't played much before, so I was really excited to be given the chance to play it. This will be my first acting role in five years. I've given birth and become a mother in that time, so I think I've changed in some ways. I think I'll be able to make use of that in my acting."
Regarding the character Eliza she plays, she explained, "My strongest impression is that she is someone who is very hard-working. She wasn't particularly blessed with a favorable environment, but rather someone who got her job and achieved her current position through her own efforts. I think she is a smart, intelligent, independent and strong woman."
"I'm looking forward to getting to know her better as I read the script, but I'm sure she's someone who loves challenges and adventures. Her relationship with Lefkada Haven, played by Tommy Bastow, is also wonderful. I hope everyone will look forward to seeing what happens between these two in the future."
◇ Tommy Bastow, who co-starred with him for the first time, is "a great actor"
Fox, with whom she is acting for the first time, said of her impression of Bastow, "He's a really wonderful actor."
"I had seen 'SHOGUN', so of course I had seen Tommy's acting, but being able to act with him this time made me realize once again what a wonderful actor he is."
It's been nine years since the filming at BK. Fox said, "Even just getting into the elevator at BK after such a long time brought back so many memories, including when I came to Japan to work on Massan."
"In particular, the year I spent filming 'Massan' was a year in which I was able to grow immensely as an actress, and as a person, I also feel that it was a period of preparation for becoming a mother later in life. Everyone at BK really supported me, and I still consider them to be my family in Japan."
◇What are the highlights of the drama?
"I hope that my role as Eliza will bring a smile to the faces of viewers," says Fox.
When asked about the highlights of the drama, she said, "This is something I've especially come to feel since giving birth to my child, but even if not all stories have dramatic developments, there are plenty of stories in our everyday lives about the lives of many different people, and there are parts of these that are soothing. ' Bakebake' is a work that expresses all of this, and I can really relate to it and think it's wonderful."
"It will be a pleasure to see how Eliza will make everyone smile in this story (laughs). And first of all, I would like to say 'I'm back!' to everyone in Japan. I am grateful to have been able to return to this place, which is also my starting point, and to be able to act here again."
