"Laughing Kaibutsu" by Amane Okayama For me, "manufacturing" is necessary to sustain life [Actor's Interview Vol.36]

You can't throw away relationships

Q: In the entertainment industry, there is an image that even people like you who are "not good at interpersonal relationships" can succeed if you have overwhelming talent and effort. I was surprised that things didn't go well for you.

Okayama: I wonder. I think it was because he was not good at interpersonal relationships that he was so devoted to comedy. I don't think you can have two at the same time. That's exactly what Takahiku Kuruma from Reiwa Roman commented, "The cruel thing about comedy is that even if you have overwhelming talent, it doesn't equal success." I think that's right. It's the same in other circles, and if you have overwhelming talent, you can ignore interpersonal relationships and still be forgiven. Unfortunately, that's not the case. I feel like people are being weeded out somewhere. Both comedy and acting are collaborative work, so I don't know about jobs that can be done with fewer people, but I don't think you can completely throw away interpersonal relationships.

Q: Nishidera of the Bacons, played by Nakano Taiga, tries to somehow save Tsuchiyama by saying, "This is the only place you can survive!"...

Okayama: That's right. I wish I could have done it a little better. It may not have worked in the sense of saving him, but I think it's a very hopeful story that someone like Nishidera appeared in Tsuchiyama's life. That scene is based on a true story, and I think life is interesting. No matter how desperate you are and how difficult it is to breathe, there will come a moment like that when you meet someone. I think that meeting was truly a salvation in life as a human being.

"Kaibutsu of Laughter" ©2023 "Kaibutsu of Laughter" Production Committee

Q: Your mother never abandons you and is always there for you. I feel that's the same.

Okayama: The ability to talk to each other from the heart, completely exposed, is something that only a parent-child relationship can do. It makes my heart ache. I'm also an only child in a single-parent household, just like Tsuchiya, so I know that kind of connection and the sadness I feel.

Q: The scenes with Masaki Suda (pink) and Taiga Nakano (Nishidera) were always tense and felt like a serious battle.

Okayama: While many people just pass by and call him a "monster," Pink and Nishidera have in common the fact that they stop and stare. The type of gaze they are looking at may be different, but they both look at Tsuchiya with an unusual gaze. The director also spoke in great detail about the nuances there.

Q: Did Tsuchiyama have any desire to get closer to those two?

Okayama: I definitely felt that way towards Nishidera. On the other hand, it's not that I want to get close to Pink, but she's clearly different from the rest. Well, I guess you could round it up and say we're friends. It's difficult to gauge the relationship between Pink and Tsuchiya.

"Manufacturing" is necessary for sustaining life