The film "5 Centimeters per Second" (directed by Okuyama Yoshiyuki), starring Matsumura Hokuto, was released on October 10th. It is a live-action adaptation of the 2007 animated film of the same name directed by Makoto Shinkai, and Noa Shirayama played the young version of the heroine Shinohara Akari. Shirayama was still in elementary school when filming began, and when director Okuyama first asked her to "act naturally," Shirayama reflected on the challenge, saying she wondered "what does natural acting mean?"
◇ They showed natural interactions and conversations, and even did some ad-libs.
The film depicts the protagonist Tono Takaki's 18-year life journey, from his youthful days as an elementary school student when he met a transfer student, Shinohara Akari, and developed a bond with her; his high school years on Tanegashima after he was separated from Akari upon graduation from elementary school; and his youth as he nears the age of 30, when he works as a systems engineer in Tokyo and feels a vague sense of stagnation and frustration.
Shirayama said that the young Akari she played (elementary school to junior high school age) left her with the impression that she was a "really honest girl."
"In front of Takaki, if she's having fun she'll laugh and be able to say 'I'm having fun', and if she's sad she'll cry a lot and be able to say 'I'm sad' - she's an honest girl. I think the way she laughs a lot is similar to me."
The play carefully depicts how the two, who met as elementary school students, gradually connect with each other as they gently reach out to each other in their loneliness.
"I could really empathize with the feeling that Akari had of 'fun' when she was with Takaki. There were scenes where she was worried or sad at times, but the feeling that I got most from the role was 'fun.' I also had a lot of fun acting those scenes."
In the scenes from her youthful days as an elementary school student, she displays such natural interactions and conversations that it makes you wonder, "Is this really acting?"
"There was a lot of improvisation in the scene where we press buttons at the same time on the vending machine and the scene where Takaki and I are playing together, and while filming, I was conscious of the fact that I was Akari, and I was able to act with the feeling of, 'I want to talk to Takaki about this now, so I'll try saying this.'"
◇There were two tearful scenes. What was difficult was...
"Natural acting" was one of the things that Shirayama and Director Okuyama aimed for.
"When Director Okuyama first told me he wanted me to act naturally, I honestly thought, 'What does natural acting mean?' He gave me some advice, saying, 'It's important to become Akari, but it's also important to show your own personality,' so I think that thanks to that I was able to act more naturally little by little."
With Director Okuyama's words in mind, Shirayama took on the challenge of filming. In the aforementioned scene where Akari is constantly smiling because she is with Takaki, Shirayama was able to act so naturally that she thought "my personality came out."
On the other hand, there were two scenes that made me cry this time. The scene that I found particularly difficult was when Akari told Takaki over the phone that she couldn't go to junior high school with him.
"I've never been good at crying, and I was nervous and anxious about whether I could do it. The scene in the phone booth where I tell Takaki, 'I'm sorry, I can't go to junior high with you,' was particularly difficult because I'd never experienced the sadness of moving and being separated from friends. But Director Okuyama kindly explained to me how Akari was feeling when she called Takaki, and I was able to get through the filming, and I'm incredibly grateful for that."
