Actor Wakana Matsumoto stars in the TBS Sunday Theatre drama "The Royal Family" (Sundays at 9pm). She plays Nozaki Kanako, the ex-girlfriend of the main character Kurisu (Satoshi Tsumabuki), who runs a racehorse breeding farm. "It was one of my dreams to appear in a Sunday Theatre drama, so I was really happy when I heard about it," says Matsumoto, expressing her joy. We asked her about her feelings during filming.
◇ Learning about the world of horse racing through the original work "It was almost a shock"
The drama is based on the novel of the same name by Kazuma Hayami (published by Shincho Bunko). Set in the world of horse racing, it tells the story of a man and a racehorse over a 20-year period, who create miracles through the bonds of family and friends.
Having respected his father who ran a tax accounting firm, Kurisu chose to follow the same path as a tax accountant, but regretted disappointing his father when he asked him to work with him, and lost hope in the job. His life came to a sudden halt, but then his life began to take a major turn when he met Sanno Kozo (Koichi Sato), a dynamic and kind-hearted horse owner.
Matsumoto read the original work without knowing anything about the world of horse racing or how racehorses are born. "As I read, I learned about how people get involved and how racehorses grow. My image of horse racing completely changed. I learned the conditions for becoming a horse owner, and along with that, the story of inheritance, the connections between people, unfolded. For me, it was almost a shock," she recalled.
Matsumoto plays Kanako, who runs Nozaki Farm, a racehorse breeding farm in the Hidaka region of Hokkaido, together with her father, Takeshi (Kiba Katsumi). She pours all her love into the horses she has cared for since she was a child, treating them like family.
"I want to make the character even more human. That's the kind of character I'd like to portray."
◇First Sunday Theatre: "I often try to be myself" on set
This was his first time appearing in a Sunday Theatre production. "In terms of production, all the works are the same, so I don't think there's anything different about them. When I saw the first episode, I thought, 'Wow, Nichigeki (Sunday Theatre)!' And when my credits appeared, I got goosebumps," he said.
On the set, lead actor Tsukamoto-san takes the lead as the troupe leader. "Because he's the leader, everyone can be frank with each other. I think that's because of Tsukamoto-san's generous heart," he said.
The film will be directed by Tsukahara Ayuko, who has also directed the film "The Last Mile" (2024) and the TBS Sunday Theatre drama "Grand Maison Tokyo" (2019).
Director Tsukahara directed Matsumoto to "actually live (the character)," so Matsumoto is approaching filming without being too determined to "act in this way."
"Director Tsukahara said, 'It's okay for your acting to be different for each cut. I want you to react however you feel like at that moment.' As actors, we sometimes wonder if the connection (between the scenes) will be okay, but the director says, 'It's fine.' I take that as my cue and do my best on set. I often try to be as natural as possible on set."
In Hokkaido, I did a lot of shooting with horses, but I had a hard time because the horses didn't move the way I wanted them to.
"I think it's because Koichi has worked with horses a lot, but he always said, 'Don't let horses get the better of you.' He said that if a racehorse gets the better of you, it might try to throw off the jockey when he gets on. I'd heard that it's better to have that kind of attitude, rather than thinking that humans are superior, and that in order to stay fair, you shouldn't let others get the better of you, so I approached horses with that same mindset."
The second episode will air on October 19th. Matsumoto said, "The story will reveal the emotions of the horses, so please be sure to watch. I hope you will also see the big worries of the Hidaka region, and the reality that you cannot make a living on dreams and hopes alone."
