YUTA HiGH&LOW THE WORST X Movie Pamphlet Interview

YUTA HiGH&LOW THE WORST X Movie Pamphlet Interview
Released on
Translated by @cloudNYT

Yuta Nakamoto as Ryo Suzaki

First of all, please tell us your impressions of being on set.
YUTA: It was really fun! The staff and the cast members were all easy to communicate with on set. We were able to create the work together while communicating well. It was my first time acting, and there are a lot of things to reflect on, where I think, "I should have done it more like this." …… but at that time, at least I gave it everything I could. I decided to leave the rest to our trusted Director (Norihisa) Hiranuma and the staff and wrapped up filming cheerfully.

What made you decide to appear in this film?
YUTA: I've been talking to the company for some time now about wanting to be in Japanese productions. So when I heard that HIRO-san had asked me to be in the film, I was delighted. At first, I was moved, "Oh, you know me!" (laughs). Moreover, HiGH&LOW is a series with a long history. To be chosen as an important character in this latest work is an honor in itself. I immediately replied, "Please let me do it!"

So you knew about the HiGH&LOW series.
YUTA: Of course! I've watched all of them. Boys like that kind of simple worldview. Not only are the action scenes amazing, but each work has a solid axis. The importance of friendship and the way they stick to their beliefs and aesthetics, and so on. It has high entertainment value, and each character has the power of making the viewer think, "Why do they behave the way they do?" That is what attracts me. By the way, I love Yosuke Todoroki. This time, when I met Gouki (Maeda) for the first time on set, I appealed to him with all my heart and said, "I'm a fan of Todoroki." (laughs).

What did you feel when you read the script?
YUTA: At first, I read it while focusing on the character I play, Ryo Suzaki. I found that a lot of the scenes in which he appears in have "……" with no dialogue. But the camera was definitely showing Suzaki. So what kind of expression should I have there? What kind of feelings does he have in the first place? So many questions were coming to my mind. In my opinion, Suzaki's actions are rooted in the promise that he made with Amagai when he was a child. When I read it again with that in mind, I could see that there were actually various emotions flowing through the "……" parts. After reading the script, my first impression was that I wanted to convey [Suzaki's feelings] as thoroughly as possible.

What kind of preparations did you make so that you could express Suzaki's emotions without dialogue?
YUTA: Because I don't have much acting experience, I think it was important to first understand the character. So I carefully read the script again, imagining the emotions flowing beneath the "……". I wrote down everything that I noticed and gradually solidified the image of my character. When creating the actual role, in order to get a real sense of Suzaki's feelings, I even thought about my dearest friends and imagined what I would do if I were him. This was image training. Underneath it all, Suzaki is by no means a simple character. He is pulled by Amagai's ambitions but is always conflicted. When we were filming, I was always conscious not to forget those conflicting emotions.

How was Director Norihisa Hiranuma's directing?
YUTA: I was able to act freely and comfortably. Director Hiranuma rarely gave instructions like, "Please deliver this scene this way." His directing style is more like, "Please feel the role as if it were yourself. If you do so, you will get the proper appropriate expression." It was very easy playing the role. Of course, I vastly lacked experience in acting, so there were times when I felt uncertain in some scenes. During those times, the director would be with me in rehearsals. There must have been no time to sleep, but he would come to the set early or stay late. He'd spend a long time in rehearsals. I am very grateful.

This is also your first time doing action scenes. Towards the end, Suzaki and Oya High's Fujio Hanaoka engage in a fierce battle. What was your impression of Kazuma Kawamura who plays Fujio?
YUTA: His ability to attract people is amazing. He's like Goku from Dragon Ball (laughs). I challenged various action scenes this time, but for me, the action scenes with Kazuma were the most intense. I also told him this, but I am really glad that Fujio is played by Kazuma. I think because we actually collided physically to create this work, the cast members quickly became close with one another on set. In that sense, because of the strong relationship of trust that we had, I felt at ease going into filming.

You communicated closely with the action department on set.
YUTA: Yes. In particular, Kohei Matsuoka, who was in charge of Suzaki's stunt work, taught me a lot of things in great detail. He answered all the questions I had clearly. Matsu-san is just so cool and I love him (laughs). It's like we were together as one through Suzaki. I feel that the two of us created this character together. Appearing in HiGH&LOW THE WORST X made me realize how big the scale of it all was. I strongly felt that it's a work of art created by various talents who experiment and put in the time and effort.

✽ ✽ ✽


HiGH&LOW THE WORST X is now available on DVD and Blu-ray with ENGLISH SUBTITLES. Buy your copy now here:

HiGH&LOW THE WORST X is now available on Netflix in over 60 different countries. Watch it now here.

Comments

Post a Comment