Noro Kayo stars in the TBS Friday drama "Fake Kummie" (Fridays at 10pm), co-starring actors Haru and Rina Kawaei. She plays Kujo Reika, the chairperson of the "Ryuwa-kai" parent-teacher association at the prestigious private Ryuwa Gakuen Elementary School. With the backing of her husband, the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Reika reigns at the top of the hierarchy at Ryuwa Gakuen, and Noro describes her character as the complete opposite of herself. We spoke to Noro about her role and behind-the-scenes experience filming.
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The drama is a serial adaptation of the winning work by Sonomura Mitsuru, who won the grand prize at the first TBS NEXT WRITERS CHALLENGE screenplay competition. Hanamura Kaoru (Haru), who is struggling to find a new job, interviews with the venture company RAINBOWLAB, where she meets Hidaka Mamie (Kawaei), the company's president and single mother. Mamie asks Hanamura to act as a substitute for her daughter Iroha (Ikemura Aoi), who is applying to a prestigious private elementary school.
-What was your impression when you first read the script for this film?
I've always loved the drama "Sweet Home" (1994) about school entrance exams, and even now I watch it all the way through at least once a year. The story revolves around children taking entrance exams, and features a variety of mothers and children, and I love the worldview of this drama. "Fake Kummie" is set after the entrance exams are over, but there are some similarities to this drama, so I was very excited when I read the script. I thought to myself, "I'll just do my best!"
--Noro-san's character, Kujo Reika, is the president of the parent organization "Ryuwa-kai." How did you personally interpret Reika?
He's the complete opposite of me (laughs). I'm usually the type of person who lives a laid back life, so I felt like I needed to learn a lot about dignity and other things. But precisely because he's such a complete opposite, I thought it would be really fun to play him.
-Did you actually do any preparation to play a character who is the complete opposite of yourself?
First of all, I had no idea what entrance exams for children were like, so I interviewed friends who had gone through them, and I've always been good friends with Hiroaki Ogi from the comedy duo "Ogiyahagi," and his wife knows a lot of things, so I went to talk to her. I also watched YouTube videos of smart people in jobs and videos of influencers talking about child-rearing. I took what I learned in this way and added my own original touch to create the character of Kujo Reika.
--One of Reika's characteristics is that she has a strong personality.
I like playing characters with strong personalities. However, the strength of the personality required varies depending on the worldview of the work, so I asked about it before filming began. I was told that the personality of this character is not extremely strong, so I'm trying to keep a good balance between being strong when making the character interesting and not being too noticeable when making the character normal.
--If you were to join the Yanagi-kai, what kind of position do you think you would hold?
No, I don't want to join (laughs). If I had to say, it would be "livening up." Episode 4 takes place at the school's huge parent-sponsored event, "Family Day," and there's a scene where Kaoru tries to help and support Sayuri (Motohashi), played by Minami Tanaka. I think I could do it if I was in that position. I don't know if I have as strong a sense of justice as Kaoru, but I'm the type of person who wants to help people and be involved in some way.
-What was the atmosphere like on set?
It's very fun. I'm often with Manami Hashimoto, who plays Sonoda Miu, one of the "three ravens" of the "Yanagiwakai," and Nakata Kurumi, who plays Shirakawa Shiori, so the three of us are always chatting. Of course, we also discuss filming. When Haru-chan and Rina Kawaei chan, who I've decided to call "Ritchan" from this time on, are around, I sometimes wonder if they're too noisy and annoying, but we're having so much fun.
--You've worked with Haru on several occasions and are apparently close friends, but this time, Reika, played by Noro, is in conflict with Kaoru, played by Haru. How was it working with her? Did you discuss your roles in this film?
Haru-chan and I always play games, so even after filming started we connected through the game's voice chat and talked about various things. The other day we had to film a scene where we had to exchange opinions with each other, and I got really nervous. Before filming started we looked each other in the eye and said "it's okay," but once rehearsals started I suddenly got really nervous.
I believe that the reason I'm now able to appear in so many dramas is because of the drama "Night Doctor" (Fuji TV, 2021) in which I co-starred with Haru-chan. So, I was thinking about that too. It was a new discovery to me that this is how I felt when I acted in a scene where I was confronted with Haru-chan. I was nervous, but the filming itself was a lot of fun.
--What do you think about appearing in the same work as Kawaei, who is also from AKB48?
Even among the graduates, Ritchan has done an amazing job, and although I haven't said it to her, I often talk about it with the other members that there are many things I respect about her. We weren't in the same group for long, so the number of times we've worked together can be counted on one hand. Working with her this time, I found her to be very cheerful and lively, and her ability to lighten the mood was amazing. As an actress, I've always looked up to her as if she were an older sister or a fan, but being together on set once again made me think, "This girl is amazing, after all."
--Like Haru, do you ever get nervous in scenes with Kawaei?
But I wasn't nervous around Ricchan (laughs). It was fun, maybe because we shot scenes that were a little funny rather than confrontational. It was a strange sense of security, and perhaps because we come from the same place, it calmed my heart. So I think I was able to act with a really good sense of security.
-What are you looking forward to in future shoots?
So far, I haven't had a chance to meet Mukai (Koji) (who plays Kuroki Ryuma) during filming. I've appeared on Snow Man's show before, but at the time I felt like I was just one of many guests, so I didn't get to talk to him properly. Mukai has appeared on a variety of variety shows, so I'd be happy if there was an opportunity for us to talk. I'd be happy if we could become closer through this co-starring opportunity.
--In episode 4, a family day will be held at Ryuwa Gakuen, with parents taking the lead. Please tell us what the highlights are.
In episode 4, various characters come together for the first time, and the story is set to become even more turbulent from here on out. What will happen to the relationship between the three crows and Kaoru and the others? I hope you will pay attention to that.
