"Harumu Hitobito" Director Nakajima Shunsuke × Starring / Planning and Producer: Souma Yukimi Respected the opinions of a mother [Director's Interview Vol.503]

Reason for requesting a retake

Q: Ako, played by Soma, is a mother overwhelmed by child-rearing, and her character has a wide range of emotions. How did you act and direct her?

Soma: Recently, there are many actors who are both producing and acting, and they all say the same thing: "I couldn't concentrate on acting." Hearing that made me a little worried. In fact, I was negotiating with the filming location and visiting the area to say hello right up until the very last minute, but once filming began, Nakajima and the staff created an environment where I could concentrate on acting.

Preparations were so busy that I wasn't able to coordinate with Nakajima-san about the role, but we had the same vision from the initial planning stage, so I think I was able to do what I wanted on set. Nakajima-san is basically the type to praise others, and I'm the type who grows when praised, so we got along well in that respect (laughs).

Nakajima: I've always loved Soma's acting, and just before this film I had the opportunity to work with him on an advert, where he was also very good, so I wasn't worried. When I saw Soma's performance on the first day of filming, I was convinced, "This is it!" He had brought a completely crafted performance to the film.

"Harumu Hitobito" ©Harumu Hitobito Partners

Q: Were there few retakes on set?

Soma: There weren't many retakes. But it was a very important scene, and I was under a lot of pressure for my role, but Nakajima-san, who had usually been OK with one take up until then, suddenly demanded a retake, saying, "Get past the difficult part!" I was surprised because it was a completely different feeling from the Nakajima-san I'd seen up until then. It was a scene in the hospital, and I just couldn't make eye contact with my mother-in-law. But Nakajima-san said, "I absolutely want you to make eye contact here."

Nakajima: It's true that in that situation, Ako is a character who can't make eye contact. I understand that feeling, but by making eye contact, light shines into her eyes. I wanted to make it feel like Ako's dying flame suddenly flares up again, so I stuck to that.

Soma: In other scenes, I was constantly praised with "OK!" (laughs), but I got the impression that he was very enthusiastic about that scene.

The opinion of his mother, Soma-san, was respected