"Yukite Kaherenu" Director Negishi Kichitaro: What the years leading up to filming brought about [Director's Interview Vol.473]

What the years leading up to the shoot have brought

Q: This is a gathering of three fascinating people: Hirose Suzu, Kido Daisei, and Okada Masaki.

Negishi: I cast Hirose-kun about five years ago, when she was 21 years old. I thought it would be nice if I could bring out the talent and brilliance she hadn't shown yet in my film. That's what I thought at the time. There was a gap between then and filming, but it turned out well. This film depicts a span of more than ten years, so she needs to grow and struggle throughout the film. I think that the latter half in particular was possible only because of her current age.

Q: When were Kido and Okada chosen?

Negishi: Okada-kun had been decided on for quite some time, and Kido-kun was the last to be chosen. Every year, Okada-kun would ask me, "I'm getting older and older, is that okay?" (laughs).

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Q: Did you make any requests to the three leading actors?

Negishi: I didn't say anything in particular (laughs). The three of them had read the script in depth beforehand, and also read literature related to their roles. There was a period of time between when their roles were decided and when filming began, so all three of them studied a lot. Kido-kun had even visited the Nakahara Chuya Memorial Museum in Yuda Onsen, and he had absorbed Chuya's character through his own experience. I think he approached filming with that in mind. I did give them some reference books, but I didn't say anything like, "I want you to do it this way."

Another good thing about this was that we shot in order. We started with scene 1 on the first day, and finished the last scene on the last day. Because we were able to shoot in a proper flow, I think they were able to grasp the gradual changes in their roles in their own way. Many of the lines this time were written in beautiful, literary Japanese, and some of them could have stood out, but they made them their own. It was surprising how well they incorporated them.

The hard part is finding what you want to do