"Minna no Uta" Directed by Takashi Shimizu Scary rather than Surprise [Director's Interview Vol.341]

Meeting at an audition

Q: How was Tomoko Houshi, who plays Sana, chosen?

Shimizu: Many of the people who came to the audition were around 20 years old, but I chose Houshi because she looked like a middle school student and because of her appearance and atmosphere. In the end, when I had a few candidates left and couldn't decide, I asked, ``Please just look at me and walk straight towards me without thinking about anything,'' and when Houshi-san walked towards me, she said, The producer and I all felt so eerie that we couldn't help but cringe. "Ah! This is the only one left. I found it!" I thought. The aura she wore and the atmosphere she created were exquisite, and I was convinced that I couldn't have done it without her, which was completely different from other people.

Kana Matsumoto, who is now a film director, actually appeared in my horror movie when she was a child actress, and she had the same aura back then. I remembered that when I saw Homura-san. There's a shadow of something. Kana Matsumoto was in sixth grade at that time, and she felt the same thing. It's just a compliment, though.

Q: You meet a lot of people at auditions.

Shimizu: Sometimes I think, "Oh! This person will definitely sell!" Sometimes it feels like the person was brought in because he or she wasn't motivated, but as soon as he or she comes in, I think, ``Oh! This kid is different.'' Recently, that's exactly what happened with Nao-chan. When I first met her at an audition before she came to Tokyo, I felt that she had something that many people could accept.

“Minna no Uta” ©2023 “Minna no Uta” Production Committee

Q: Marika Yamakawa, who plays the mother, was also very scary.

Shimizu: At first, I was writing with the image of a mother who could be found anywhere, but as I was writing the script, I started thinking about her background... Since Sana is the main character, I wanted to write about her mother's background and feelings. I don't think it will be possible to fully depict this in the movie, but I wonder if there are any mothers out there who can shake off the fear. Among the candidates for the role of the mother was Marika Yamakawa, who had previously appeared in the movie `` Homunculus '' (21). At the time, he only appeared in one scene, but I thought, ``This person might be able to bring out more fear than I thought,'' so I immediately decided to hire Mr. Yamakawa.

The person at the scene was in a good mood, and Ms. Yamakawa was thinking about the mother's background and feelings in her own way, and even discussed the reason why her mother became a ghost, saying, ``Isn't this what this mother is like?'' He gave it to me. The setting was similar to what I had envisioned, the discussion about mothers turned into a good session, and we were able to capture more than I expected on set. It's all thanks to Mr. Yamakawa.

Q: The scene in which the mother approaches Mr. Nakatsukasa was really scary.

Shimizu: Everyone says it's scary there (lol). I also begged him, ``Please come as soon as we bump into each other!'' Mr. Yamakawa was also very enthusiastic and showed no mercy. Although you can't see it, Mr. Nakatsukasa, who was with me by the camera, said, ``It's really scary,'' and the cameraman was so scared that he took his eyes off the viewfinder and threw his head back (lol).

More scary than surprise