MEGUMI joins BABEL LABEL as a producer. Sense of crisis and solutions for the domestic video industry [Director's Interview Vol. 286]

Being rejected by those around you is proof that you are taking on an unprecedented challenge.

Q: I feel like there is still a strong tendency in Japan to judge people based on their titles, but while MEGUMI has been involved in a wide range of activities, including producing, was there ever a moment when you felt like you faced a wall?

MEGUMI: I get criticized every time. To begin with, I personally have a multi-talented personality; I'm the type of person who does variety shows, does gravure, and writes books, but in Japan, there is a virtue in being a craftsman who masters one thing.

For a long time, I've always been opposed and denied by friends, family, and strangers, asking, ``Are you going to do something like that again?'' When it came to producing a drama series, at first, I was like, ``Why are you doing this?'' There was only a negative question. There was a moment when I was able to make people think, ``This is what I'm doing,'' for the first time after it was aired. I think it is a characteristic of the Japanese people to be wary and afraid of things they don't understand.

But Mr. Fujii is also doing everything. When I interact with such people, I think, ``Wow, they're doing a great job,'' but when I look at them from the sidelines, I end up saying, ``You're doing a lot of different things.'' However, when Ichiro heard that he was rejected by those around him when he tried to challenge overseas, he said, ``If even Ichiro was said that, it can't be helped. Being rejected means that no one else has done it.'' I'm trying to move forward.

Q: Personally, I feel that the “consciousness” of viewers is something that needs to change in the future. In order to work together to prevent the decline of entertainment.

MEGUMI: I want people to think, ``It's okay to have people like this.'' There is a word called diversity, but I feel that our feelings have not yet caught up. I think it might take a little more time because people's perceptions change after they've been active for about three years, but now that they've realized it, they have no choice but to do it.

Q: Are you also talking about this with Mr. Fujii?

MEGUMI: Yes. Mr. Fujii may not remember because he was drunk (lol), but I think it's because he has a sense of crisis that he not only directs, but also produces and trains, and that's why he invited me. . Mr. Fujii has a very clear vision for the future, and his business perspective resonates with me from the bottom of my heart.

Q: Since you started producing videos, have there been any changes in the way you work as an actor?

MEGUMI: Now I don't think, "What am I waiting for?" (laughs) Up until now, there were times when I was waiting in the dressing room without knowing what was going on on set, but now I understand that there are many things going on. There are times when we have to reconsider the schedule suddenly because someone suddenly comes down with a cold or because of money issues, so there are a lot of changes to the schedule. I felt that I shouldn't corner people who were doing their best, and I was determined not to ask them, ``What are you waiting for?''

Also, ``books are slow''... There are so many things that go into the script before it can be handed over to the actors.

Q: As mutual understanding between departments progresses, the overall atmosphere at the workplace improves, doesn't it?

MEGUMI: You can now follow your co-stars when they are in a state of "What are you waiting for?" ``Since there's so much to do, why don't we just have some sweets?'' (laughs)

Think of the work as a set with the platform