``AWAKE'' If we were to make movies only for movie lovers, Japanese movies would end. Tatsuya Wakaba's thoughts on entertainment during the coronavirus pandemic [Actor's Interview Vol.10]

Ryuya Wakaba lacks passion, in a good way.

Coming from a family of popular theater performers, he has always viewed acting as a "job" and approached it without any unnecessary passion. His stance that "I chose acting with a feeling similar to failure" is rare and unorthodox.

However, that is precisely why Wakaba's acting is so unwavering. The second son who falls apart in " Katsuragi Incident " (2016), the kind junior in " What is Love? " (2019), and the frivolous boyfriend in " Typhoon Family " (2019). His latest work, in which he has played unstable characters with a sense of stability, is "AWAKE" (released December 25th), which is based on AI shogi.

Eiichi Kiyota (Ryuto Yoshizawa) has been aiming to become a professional shogi player since he was a child and joined the Shogi Association. He lost to the genius of the same generation, Riku Asakawa (Ryuya Wakaba), in an important game that determined his entry into the professional ranks, and gave up on his dream of becoming a professional shogi player. However, after that, Eiichi became absorbed in the world of computer shogi and challenged Riku to a "revenge match" as a developer.

Although Riku reigns as a strong man, the way he is portrayed with precision even in his "weaknesses" and "faults" is impressive. However, this is due to Wakaba's unique "character modeling theory."

First, let's talk about his views on acting, and then his calm yet passionate love of film, before we move on to the content of the film. I hope you will enjoy his words, which are as clever as his characters.

Index

• Acting is a job. I chose it with a feeling of resignation.
• Along with Taiga Nakano, he was influenced by films from the 2000s.
• I asked my friend, a shogi player, for help.
• He suggested that he wanted to act as a "human being" rather than a character.
• The confrontation scene with Ryo Yoshizawa, which I felt was a comfortable tension
• The need for entertainment during the COVID-19 pandemic

Acting is a job. I chose it with a feeling of resignation.

Q: Reading your past interviews, I get the impression that you have a very bird's-eye view of the work. How did you develop that perspective?

Wakaba: I'm very realistic and see acting as a "job." I don't feel like I became an actor because I really wanted to act. I come from a popular theater background, and I'm someone who has come this far while wanting to do something "other" than acting.

Around my mid-twenties, various age restrictions started appearing, and all my friends were getting jobs, so I started to feel like my possibilities were being cut off. At that time, I thought that acting was the only job that would allow me to earn money and make a living, and that it offered the best chance.

So it wasn't like I resolved to become an actor, but rather I had to give up, or rather, I had a feeling similar to failure, and had no choice but to choose this.

Q: I see. Reading your past interviews, it seems that your attitude changed a little when you met director Ryuichi Hiroki (the drama " 4TEEN " (2004) and the movie " Raiou " (2010), etc.).

Wakaba: Rather than acting, I felt like my perspective on movies had changed. So it didn't have to be acting, it didn't matter what. I did feel like I wanted to do something related to movies.

But I was young at the time, so I didn't do anything concrete. But I remember participating in Hiroki's work and being deeply moved by the idea that "there is such a complicated world out there," and "the world is so ambiguous."

Q: In "AWAKE," Riku and Eiichi are depicted as rivals, but I have the impression that the pool of male actors in their 20s and early 30s in Japan today is very large. Is the fact that you view acting as a job a big part of the reason you've been able to stick to your stance?

Wakaba: I've never had a sense of rivalry. I don't have any desire to sell more, so I'm not really interested in what anyone else is doing... I'm happy as long as I can live quietly (laughs).

Maybe it's because I'm that type of person that I've been able to get this far. I also have a tendency to look down on my profession as an actor.

Along with Taiga Nakano, he was influenced by films from the 2000s.