Tommy Bastow plays Lefkada Haven, the husband of the heroine Toki (played by Akari Takaishi ) in the NHK morning drama series " Bakebake " (General TV, Monday to Saturday, 8:00 AM and other times). He spoke about his thoughts when he was chosen to appear in the role and how he prepared for the role.
" 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."
After an audition, Bastow was selected from among 1,767 applicants to play Heaven. She recalls, "I was really happy to have the opportunity to audition for a Asadora. And the moment I accepted the role, I prepared myself for the many challenges and great responsibilities that would come with it."
"Asadora is a long-running program loved by many people in Japan. Being a foreigner in the main cast made me feel a sense of responsibility, like I was representing the West. I want to do everything I can to be a bridge between Japan and the rest of the world through this production. Just as there were high expectations for Heaven when it came to Matsue, I too will do my best, feeling the pressure of 'It must be amazing that an actor from the West is appearing in an Asadora!' (laughs)"
Heaven, the character I play, comes to Japan as an English teacher. He lives his life in Matsue with the support of his fellow English teacher, Yuichi Nishikori (Ryo Yoshizawa). By chance, he meets Toki and the two begin to interact...
Bastow says, "Haven's model, Lafcadio Hearn (Yakumo Koizumi), was estranged from his parents as a child and was always searching for a place to belong, carrying the pain. He is compassionate and wants to protect animals and those in weaker positions, but he also has unique sides to him, such as hating hypocrisy and being very assertive. His sensitivity and adventurous nature are things I have in common with myself."
Bastow says he has been preparing for the role for about a year since last September, reading mountains of biographies and letters from Yakumo Koizumi. "I thought a lot about how he talks, how he thinks, and what he thinks about that person," he says. "I imitated his posture and gaze, hunching my back and looking up at people."
"I even grew my own beard to create the moustache. Before filming, I would walk the corridors of the NHK Osaka Broadcasting Station like him, or smoke a kiseru in the smoking room. The more I moved like Mr. Hearn, the more confident I became in the foundation of the role, and the more freely I was able to act. Things sometimes changed during filming, but there are great benefits to preparing seriously before filming. I think character development is very important. The more I developed a character, the more I grew to like Mr. Hearn and Heaven."
Since Yakumo Koizumi was blind in his left eye, Bastow wore cloudy contact lenses during the shoot.
"I was told I didn't need to wear the lenses because they would make it harder to see, but what was important for the film wasn't whether I could see easily with the lenses on. It was how my co-stars reacted to Heaven wearing the lenses. I think wearing those lenses helped me to get into character even better."
