It has been revealed that Shingo Katori will star in "Continuous Drama W: Keigo Higashino's 'The Hollow Cross'," which will be broadcast and streamed on WOWOW starting September 6th. Based on Keigo Higashino's bestselling novel of the same name (Kobunsha Bunko), it is a powerful social suspense drama that directly tackles the universal social theme of the death penalty. This will be WOWOW's 10th live-action adaptation of a Higashino work. This will be Katori's first leading role in a WOWOW serial drama and his first leading role in a Higashino work.
It was also announced that actor Eiji Akaso will appear as a key character who confronts the protagonist. This will be Akaso's first appearance in a WOWOW drama series since his starring role in the 2022 original drama "Hill Season 1," and his first time co-starring with Katori. A Teaser trailer was also released.
Katori plays Michimasa Nakahara, who used to work at an advertising agency and now runs a pet funeral business that he inherited from his uncle. Eleven years ago, a life-changing incident led to his divorce from his wife, and he is still unable to come to terms with the grief of the past, spending his days in loneliness and emptiness.
One day, a detective who had handled the investigation in Nakahara's past case visits him and tells him that Nakahara's ex-wife has been murdered on the street. The culprit is quickly arrested, but there are many inexplicable points in his testimony. Nakahara retraces his ex-wife's steps since their separation in order to uncover the truth behind her death. This also means confronting the grief he had once turned away from. Eventually, another crime, far removed from the incident 11 years ago, begins to emerge...
Akaso plays Fumiya Nishina, a doctor who works in pediatrics at Keimei University Hospital. He is dedicated to his work and highly trusted by his patients. At home, he is a loving husband who cherishes his wife and son. One day, Fumiya receives news that his wife's father has killed a woman on the street for money. Now a member of the perpetrator's family, Fumiya, despite facing slander and abuse from those around him, defends his wife and offers to apologize to the victim's family, the Nakaharas, on behalf of the perpetrator's family. Despite being in a position to distance himself from the incident, why does Fumiya choose to stand at the forefront...?
The drama explores the question of how to comfort the grief of bereaved families and what true "atonement" really means, even if it means seeing their loved ones murdered and the perpetrators they hate executed. It asks: can one truly find peace if the perpetrators are still alive?
The director collaborating with Katori for the first time is Takahisa Zeze. He won the FIPRESCI Prize at the Berlin International Film Festival for the film "Heaven's Story" and the Japan Academy Prize for Best Director for the film "64". He has worked on a series of major productions such as "Tonbi" and "From the Gulag with Love", and has "SUKIYAKI Ue o Muite Arukou" coming out at the end of the year, and "All About Existence" scheduled for release in 2027.
"Continuous Drama W: Keigo Higashino's 'The Hollow Cross'" (4 episodes total) will begin airing and streaming on WOWOW from September 6th. The first episode will be broadcast and streamed for free.
◇ Shingo Katori's comment
--Please tell us your thoughts when you received the offer for this project.
I believe that my job exists because there are people who need me every day, so I'm happy that someone needed me this time too, that I was able to come across this role, and that I can work with people I've never worked with before. I think I have more of an image of "Shingo Katori, who is bright and always smiling," and I've mostly been involved in those kinds of projects, but I'm very happy that I was called to a place where I could feel a "heavy atmosphere" from the beginning, and that I was able to be a part of a team with Mr. Higashino and Mr. Seze.
--Please tell us your thoughts on playing the character of Michimasa Nakahara.
I've had experience playing characters who recover from suffering and strive for the light, but as an actor, I find the role of Nakahara appealing because he can't recover from the past when his family was murdered, and "cannot easily see the light." Whether he's trying to grasp the light that can't be easily grasped or not... he can't even see the switch that would trigger a change, and the fact that he "cannot change" feels very realistic and authentic. He lives his life while wavering, and he has to keep living even though he can't change. Meeting this role of Nakahara and this work, and learning about a world I didn't know before, has changed how I perceive the news I casually see between takes, and I feel like my sense of life is different than before.
--Regarding the themes of the work ("What would you want from the perpetrator when your beloved family was murdered?" and "Can a crime be atoned for?"), what were your impressions after reading the script?
When I first saw the news about the incident, I sometimes felt like I desperately wanted the perpetrator to receive the death penalty, but as filming for this project progressed and I actually delved a little deeper into the role of Nakahara, I started to think that Nakahara's emotions might be closer to mine. He's living because he has to, suppressing his own suffering and keeping it hidden inside. After reading the script, I realized that even though everyone has their own pain and hardships, we all have to keep living.
--Please tell us about your impressions of Akaso-san and Director Zeze, and any anecdotes from the filming.
Akaso-san is tall and handsome, isn't he? He has a cool side, but the smiles he shows in between are really cute. We filmed a tense scene where the two of them face each other for the first time, but I felt that he was always facing his role with a straightforward attitude, and I thought he was a wonderful actor. I think there will be more and more scenes like that in the future, so I'm looking forward to filming. Seze-san really gives the impression of being a "director who is meticulous." I think he looks straight at every corner of this work, and he looks at everything, not just the emotions, but also whether it is beautiful or not as a visual.
--Please give a message to everyone who is looking forward to the work.
While it is certainly a heavy subject matter, as I read the script from the first episode and acted it out, there were many moments in the unfolding story that moved me deeply. I hope you will also enjoy it as an entertainment piece. I hope you will enjoy it as a drama, and that it will resonate with each of you in your own way.
◇Comment from Eiji Akaso
--Please tell us your thoughts when you received the offer for this project.
I read Mr. Higashino's works when I was a student, and I've seen many of his works that have been adapted into films and TV shows, and I've always wanted to appear in one of his works myself, so I was very happy to finally have this opportunity. I've also seen many of Ms. Seze's works, and I was excited to finally work with Mr. Katori, whom I've watched on TV since I was a child.
--Please tell us your thoughts on playing the character of Fumiya Nishina.
Fumiya carries a lot of burdens in his life, but he can't say anything yet. As a member of the perpetrator's family, Fumiya deliberately puts himself at the forefront, and I think he's a character that viewers will find very intriguing. That's why I want viewers to pay attention to what kind of past Fumiya lived, how he spent his time, who he met and how he got to where he is now. There are scenes where he confronts the victim's family, and it's truly heartbreaking to act out. Fumiya himself doesn't seek any kind of salvation, but he gives the impression of sinking deeper and deeper into despair, and as I act, I'm very curious to see "how deep he will sink."
--Regarding the themes of the work ("What would you want from the perpetrator when your beloved family was murdered?" and "Can a crime be atoned for?"), what were your impressions after reading the script?
This is a truly difficult theme. In this work, there are people like Fumiya, as well as people who accept the death penalty and do not properly confront the crimes they committed. If I were to lose my family, I might feel more strongly that the perpetrator should confront the crimes they committed than that they should suffer the same fate. I watched various news reports and read statements and interviews with the victims' families, but I really feel that this is not something that can be solved simply by imposing the death penalty. I think the characteristic of this work is that it makes you think about such unanswerable questions for a long time.
--Please tell us about your impressions of Mr. Katori and Director Zeze, and any anecdotes from the filming.
Today was the first time I filmed a scene with Mr. Katori, just the two of us, but actually, we didn't say a single word to each other other than our lines. I put aside my joy at being able to work with him and tried to maintain the mindset of being the family of the perpetrator and the family of the victim. But it wasn't uncomfortable. The scene with Nakahara in the latter half of the story is a kind of culmination for the character of Fumiya, so I want to create memories through the role and confront him after building up various things as Fumiya. Mr. Seze is a very polite person to the actors. I remember him saying, "Make this part a little more impressive!" I'm really looking forward to finding out what the director is feeling and what he wants to show the viewers, and I feel like he's the kind of person who makes you want to peek inside his head.
--Please give a message to everyone who is looking forward to the work.
The feelings towards perpetrators that stem from the grief of losing a loved one, as well as the issues of the death penalty and how to confront crime, are truly things for which there are no easy answers. So, rather than trying to find those answers, I would be happy if you could watch and ponder these questions together with me.
◇Comments from Director Takahisa Zeze
At a time when the abolition or retention of the death penalty is still being debated, Higashino's original work centers on the families of crime victims who wish for the death penalty for the perpetrator. No matter how much we pursue or think about the issue of "crime and punishment," it is difficult to reach the truth. I myself have tried to tackle this issue several times in film and television, and I honestly feel that way, but I have been given the opportunity to try again. I hope that we can reach the point of creating a drama based on the original work, which has a title given by Higashino, "The Hollow Cross," that seems to look beyond that. Filming has already begun, and I am always amazed by the lead actor, Shingo Katori's ability to grasp the situation with such sensitivity in an instant. On the other hand, Eiji Akaso's explosive emotional expressions, and the scenes in which the two of them clash, are full of suspense and are very exciting. Above all, I want to continue working with the staff and cast to deliver a fulfilling mystery drama that tackles the eternal mystery of "crime and punishment."
