Freelance announcer Yumiko Udo (57), who is appearing in the Tuesday drama "Toki Sude ni Osushi!?" (TBS, Tuesdays at 10 PM), is giving a great performance as Izumi Isoda, the best friend of the protagonist, Minato Machiyama (played by Nagasaku). This is Udo's first appearance in a continuous drama series, and she watched the first episode live, sitting properly. We asked Udo, who was worried that she would be criticized, about what she felt after taking on this challenge.
◇"I knew I would definitely get criticized."
The drama tells the story of Minato Machiyama, who, having finished raising her children, is bewildered by the "time to herself" that she finally has again at the age of 50, but begins her second life and jumps into a "sushi academy" where she can become a sushi chef in three months.
While Udo has experience appearing in video productions as a news Caster and narrator, this is her first time doing serious acting and appearing in a TV drama series. She recalls that her motivation was "not so much about whether I could do it well, but rather that I didn't want to hold back the world that the professionals were creating."
Filled with anxiety, she watched the first episode while sitting cross-legged on her Yogibo (cushion) at home. "I don't really know if (Udo's own acting) is good or bad, but I was able to enjoy watching the drama, so I guess that's good," she revealed.
At the beginning of the broadcast, I didn't do ego searches to check what the public thought of me.
"I was so sure I'd get slammed that I tried not to do any ego searches, but then friends who watched the drama sent me LINE messages saying, 'We were so worried, but it turned out okay.' After that, the producer told me, 'The reviews are good,' so I started doing a lot of ego searches (laughs). I didn't see many negative comments, so I was relieved."
Izumi is a free-spirited woman who tends to act impulsively on her wildest ideas. There's even a scene where she's seen enthusiastically singing Checkers' "Kanashikute Jealousy" at a karaoke bar.
"I thought that practicing the singing scenes would make them sound different, so I really did them on the fly. Some people say I sound 'skillfully bad,' but I think I sing well (laughs). I was a Checkers fan, so I remembered the choreography, and I naturally reverted to my younger self who loved Checkers."
◇What are your plans for acting in the future?
There was some internal conflict about this "challenge" of my first full-fledged acting role.
"Now that I'm in my 50s, I think I tend to avoid things I'm not sure I can do, using the excuse that 'I don't want to cause trouble for others.' I don't want to try something new and find out if I can't do it, and even if I did try, I think the damage would be too great if I failed. I used to think I was pretty free to do anything, but when I was offered this drama role, I thought, 'Hmm, I wonder how I should do it...'"
Looking back, I realize that without even noticing, I had been consistently only venturing into things I felt I could do.
"But it really seemed interesting, and I knew I wouldn't get the role of Nagasaku-san's best friend even if I were paid to, so I decided to cherish that feeling of 'I want to try it!' for the first time in a long time. I cautiously jumped into something I never expected, and then I thought, 'Oh, this is fun!' I'm glad I took the plunge."
When asked if she might try acting again in the future, Ms. Udo immediately denied it, burying her face in the table and saying, "No, no, no!"
"Right now, I feel like I'm somehow managing, but that's 'Yumiko Udo playing Yumiko Udo.' I'm just playing myself. What I'm doing is clearly different from actors who truly live their roles. I've come to a very clear understanding that I'm not capable of acting."
Then, with a smile, Ms. Udo said, "I'll make this a good memory." Her face was radiant after going through this new challenge.
