Rurouni Kenshin has been a mega hit
Sato Takeru’s next challenge
By Nikkei Entertainment! 6:30, 2015/2/16
In the ‘Rurouni Kenshin’ (directed by Otomo Keishi), which had been said to be impossible to be made into a live action movie, Sato Takeru played the lead as Himura Kenshin perfectly to the end. The two parter, ‘~ Kyoto Inferno’, and ‘~ The Legend Ends’, made more than 95 billion yen in the theaters. It’s a mega hit, making the combined earnings with the first film 12.5 billion yen. Sato is highly appreciated for mastering flesh-and-blood action using his inherent physical ability, and outstanding among the actors of his generation. What is he going to aim at from now on?
Sato: For me, ‘Rurouni Kenshin Kyoto Inferno / The Legend Ends’ seem to be quite distant. Actually, the shooting finished as many as two years ago. Though I didn’t aim at it, a result of our enthusiasm to make it a special, meaningful one in Japanese Cinema, if I do it at all, showed up in figures, and it made me very happy.
But if asked if my ‘RuroKen’ experience made me different, I don’t think there is not so much difference. Of course, I have more confidence in me now than a year ago and I’m able to perform better, I suppose. But I’m just doing my best moment to moment and repeating it. Meanwhile, Team Otomo offered me a blissful environment. It was an unusual shooting site where all the staff go in the same direction and are allowed to go all out. That made my valuation higher, I feel. So I’m not so sure if my next work will turn out such a great one.
—He talks modestly, but after 2015 in reversal, he has a succession of works that require his acting ability. One of them is the film adaptation of a popular comic, ‘Baku-man’. It is announced to be a drama of youthful life that depicts the struggle of a pair of high-school manga artists, for which Kawamura Genki, the producer, and Ohne Hitoshi, the director, work together, who produced a blockbuster ‘Moteki’ (2012).
Sato: After I did a lot of stoic things in ‘RuroKen’, I felt like doing something light, so I thought it would be just the right thing. But its shooting required a different delicacy from that of ‘RuroKen’ and was extraordinarily stoic. (lol)
I met Dir Ohne for the first time to start ‘Baku-man.’ At that time he told me about the roles; ‘Sato is Mashiro Moritaka and Kamiki Ryunosuke would be good for Takagi Akito.’ I thought, ‘Are you for real?’ Dir Ohne wrote the script based on his impression of us after he met us, and I was surprised at the completed scenario. A URL was written in it. He wrote ‘This scene is like this. Refer to the URL’ and it showed a video on YouTube.
They use CG to show the process of drawing manga and you can get the idea at a glance that they want to show it like that. I had a good impression with Dir Ohne’s thought that he wants to make something interesting and new by thinking outside the box.
His shooting style was another surprise. He takes terribly many cuts, and shoots many takes. For example, if he shoots my hands in close up, he takes both my right and left hands in close up and after all doesn’t use any of them, as if. (lol) But I believed that Dir Ohne was sure to make a good film.
—He has another work in succession with Kawamura Genki, the producer of ‘Baku-man’. In the film adaptation of the best-seller novel ‘Sekai-kara Neko-ga Kieta-nara’, which Mr. Kawamura himself wrote, he plays a double role.
Sato: From the beginning, I had read the original novel attracted by the title and found it interesting, but I never dreamed of acting it myself, so I was really surprised to know I would do it
There are all sorts of films. You can’t say ‘it’s interesting because it is a film’. Whether it is a film or a drama, what is exciting is exciting and what is boring is boring. So I decide if it is good or not for each work. So far, fortunately, I’ve encountered good works and I’ve enjoyed every shooting.
■ Break new ground in ‘internal acting’
—Not intoxicated by success or popularity, he reflects upon his works objectively and works on his task. He plays the lead in the TBS Sunday Drama ‘Tenno-no Ryori-ban (The Emperor’s Chef)’ that starts in April, 2015. It is a drama that depicts a life of a real character, Mr. Akiyama Tokuzo, who supported Emperors in Taisho and Showa Era by cooking. It’s a masterpiece which was once made into a series drama on the same broadcaster starring Sakai Masaaki. Sato had his hair cut short and tries to play the character from the age of fourteen to eighty. Its producer is Mr. Ishimaru Akihiko, who produced ‘ROOKIES’, which catapult Sato into the limelight, and a major hit period drama ‘JIN –仁–‘.
Sato: It is a drama celebrating 60th anniversary of TBS’s establishment. The producer Ishimaru thought, ‘NHK describes the whole life of a person both in Taiga drama and morning television serial. I’d like to make something like that.’ He’ll take half a year to film this drama and he’s showing spirit very much.
I’m feeling pressure. Tokuzo is a real-life character and lived a tremendous life. He is a very attractive person but I’ve never played this type of role. I’m feeling it’s really a challenge, required to play a very human character I’ve never done.
—2015 seems to be a year when he will face a real test of strength as a talented actor to show if he can gain popularity with TV viewers. He is twenty-five years old now. Which direction is he going as an actor?
Sato: There are loads of things I want to do. I want to do action, human dramas, fantasy, too. I don’t get stuck with playing the lead. For example, even if Kenshin had not been the lead role, I would have played Kenshin. That’s what I mean. Kenshin happened to be the lead character, I think.
Every actor has the potential, I think, but few are given a playground for it. I happened to be given the situation where I was able to fulfill my potential. Or I should say, Dir Otomo’s method exposes the actors in a good sense, so if you fit well in it, it will lead to a high valuation, I suppose
I’m interested in the acting of the actors of my age. The one I’m paying attention to is Sometani (Shota)-kun. I costarred with him in ‘REAL’ and ‘Baku-man’. ‘Kisei-ju (Parasite)’ was really exciting. My favorite actors are Yamada Takayuki-san and Kagawa Teruyuki-san. If you see these actors on the screen, you can’t help anticipating something must happen. They make you want to watch it. I’d like to be such an actor that makes you say, ‘If Sato Takeru is on the screen, he must do something special’ in anticipation.
*I may edit this if I find misspellings :p
