TV Guide Dan Vol.48, July 2023 Issue
ft. Aoto Watanabe x Yuhei Chiwata, Masashi Ikeda
(full translation below)
Publication: July 31, 2023 (between episodes 22-23)
Aoto Watanabe x Yuhei Chiwata
"You two are currently appearing in "Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger." Would you please describe each other's role to us?"
Watanabe: Chiwata-san plays Shiokara, someone who is straightforward with his feelings. He's not an overly proud person, but when he like something, he expresses it with his whole body, as if saying "I love it!" But, he also has the strength to speak up when he thinks something is wrong, and is able to show his weaknesses. Compared to the character I play, Yanma (Gast), he has a different sense of direction. He's someone that everyone wants to follow.
Chiwata: You've really been paying attention. That makes me happy. Yanma, played by Aoto, is just super cool! However, he's not very strong. Well, he does have the kind of qualities most women would be attracted to. Of course, as president, he has the leadership skills to keep N'Kosopa in order, but he's also intelligent and technologically capable. Actually, when I first meet Aoto, I though he was real manly.
Watanabe: You serious?!
Chiwata: I thought he was an honest person who disliked corruption. I feel like I'm very close to Yanma in those aspects, so I can't imagine anyone other than Aoto playing him.
Watanabe: Thank you so much! But, in some ways, there are also similarities between Chiwata-san and Shiokara.
Chiwata: Eh?! There is?!
Watanabe: Chiwata-san has excellent communication skills. He has more of an ability to connect with people. Even when we're on set, Chiwata-san's surroundings are always lively.
"What's the relationship between Watanabe-kun and Chiwata-kun?"
Watanabe: Out of all the members in King-Ohger, Chiwata-san is the one I've meet the most in my private time.
Chiwata: Yeah. We go out together to the saunas, to have dinner, and even to have a few drinks after work. We'll also visit each others houses.
Watanabe: It makes me happy~.
Chiwata: I said to him, "We're going to be filming together for a year, so you don't have to worry about acting formal or being so self conscious."
Watanabe: In the beginning, I challenged myself to speak casually to him. But as expected, it just didn't feel right to me…
Chiwata: For awhile, you definitely talked to me as if we were already close friends. However, I got the feeling it was only because you were trying to be considerate, as I told you to not worry about formalities (laughs).
Watanabe: (laughs). I really tried my best, but not only is Chiwata-san older than me, he's had more stage experience than me, so I ended up going back to using honorifics. But, it's not a formal honorific. What's more, when I'm on set getting my pompadour (Yanma's hairstyle) ready, I become so absorbed in my role that I may start talking to him in a casual manner.
"By the way, what do you usually call each other?"
Watanabe: For me, I take the "Wa" from Chiwata and call him "Wassan." But, I can't remember, how did I come to call you that?
Chiwata: When I asked Aoto, "What do other people call you?," He said, "Aoto." I said, "Well then, I'll call you Aoto too." I then told him, "For me, I'm rarely called by my first name." Aoto said, "Okay then,
I'll call you by a nickname that no one else calls you, so let me think about it."
Watanabe: Did I really say that?!
Chiwata: Yeah, but it makes me happy when you call me by such an original name.
Watanabe: That's good then~ (laughs)
"Do you usually communicate through LINE?"
Watanabe: One time, I was so moved after reading the script, I sent a LINE, right? I wrote, "Did you read the script for episode 10 yet? I cried so much!"
Chiwata: In episode 10, there's a scene where Shiokara encourages Yanma. After that LlNE message, when we met on set, he said, "That scene, let's go shoot it for real."
Watanabe: That's right!
Chiwata: It's definitely a touching scene, so I thought it would be great if we could also make it a good scene together. However, on the day of shooting that scene, when I arrived on the set, Aoto gave off an aura that said, "Nobody come near me!," as he was concentrating on the scene by himself. I went to the set with my own plan in mind, but I thought it would be better not to tell Aoto, so I only told Director Kato (Hiroyuki) about my plan and continued on.
Watanabe: I'm so sorry (bitter smile). That scene, I was more invested in it than anyone else.
Chiwata: As a result, the scene turned out to be very good due to Aoto's strong feelings. I'm happy that the viewers responded so well to it.
"Based on the conversations so far, I can tell that the two of you are very close, so do you ever talk about love?"
Chiwata: Hmmm, We've never had such deep conversations before have we?
Watanabe: We haven't. But in my opinion, I think a younger woman would be a good match for Wassan. I think a relationship in which Wassan goes out with someone alittle out of his element would help balance it out.
Chiwata: Really? For me, I think that a man like Aoto, with his strong beliefs, could handle both older and younger people, Aoto will make older people want to, "Go for it!" and younger people want to say, "I'll follow him."
Watanabe: Is that right? (shining). Well then, let's "check our answers!"
Chiwata: Regardless of their gender, my motto is, "spoil the older ones as much as you want, and spoiler the younger ones as much as you can." I can get along with older people, even if we're 20-30 year apart, but when it comes to people around my own age, I don't know how to relate to them. I have very few friends my own age, with the exception of my hometown and high school friends.
Watanabe: I see. I think I prefer those older then me. Or rather, I'd like someone with a higher intelligence compaired to me. If anything, I think I'm the type of person who likes to spoil myself. Even if I'm spoiled by someone, I usually have a pretty firm grasp on things, so it's only then that I'm emotionally moved.
Chiwata: So, are you saying you're not good with women who purposely act all cute and clumsy?
Watanabe: I think they're fun as a friend, but when it comes to dating, it's abit…
Chiwata: I see. For example, what would you do if a girl you thought as just a friend confessed her feelings for you?
Watanabe: I can only imagine, but I would never go from friend to a girlfriend.
Chiwata: Eh! I can totally see it though (laughs). I don't have a strong obsession with ones appearance, so if I think someone's attractive, then that's OK too.
Watanabe: Huh! As expected, Wassan is dedicated and doesn't sweat the small things.
"As we move forward, King-Ohger continues to become more and more exciting. Are there any situations you'd like to play as the duo of Yanma and Shiokara?"
Chiwata: How about the two of us switching roles? I have the appearance of Yanma, but on the inside, I'm still Shiokara (laughs).
Watanabe: Oh, sounds interesting! Actually, aren't there always scenes where the Yanma is pulling Shiokara along? How about on other hand, there are scenes where Shiokara does things that Yanma isn't good at. For example, instead of Yanma, who's weak at fighting, Shiokara is an insanely strong fighter. I wish there were times where we could show those things in a cool way.
Chiwata: That sounds good too. Until now, there are times where I've though, like right now, "It would be interesting if there was a scene like this." I never mentioned it, but the screenwriter, Takamina-san (Takano Mizuto), he always writes the perfect scenes! So, I think there's a chance it might come true.
Watanabe: That's right! So, from now on, don't take your eyes off King-Ohger!!
＿
Masashi Ikeda
"Ikeda-kun is currently playing the role of Jeramie Brasieri in King-Ohger. What kind of character do you see in him?"
Ikeda: He's 2,000 years old and is the story teller of the story on the planet Chikyu, where the show takes place. Also, he's a man born between a human and a Bagnarak (unusual shaped creatures who live underground and are hostile to the King-Ohgers). When the role was first explained to me, my first question was, "What does it mean to be 2,000 years old?" (laugh). I carefully play the part of how he thinks and looks at the world, as he's lived a long time. Because it's an unusual situation, I had a hard time in the beginning, but he's a character that makes you think about a variety of things, so it's a role that's both challenging and exciting to play.
"The unusual nature of his role as the additional warrior, while also participating as a narrator since the first episode, has became a topic of discussion."
Ikeda: Actually, I still feel uncomfortable when I hear my own voice narrating on air, so I'm very happy to hear people say, 'Your voice is nice." As for my voice, I try to focus on making it resonate and be easy to listen to. At first, I couldn't do it well, but with practice, I gradually became able to do deep breathing as well. The voice of Jeramie as the storyteller, and the voice of Jeramie when he speaks his mind, are done in different ways.
"What was the response from the people around you?"
Ikeda: When my family members watched Episode 11 for the first time, they all commented, "You're so cool!" At the end of Episode 12, it becomes clear that his character is to make others read between the lines. On the show's cast blog I wrote, "I love Jeramie!" It was funny when my older brother read it and said, "Jeramie is a person who makes you read between the lines, but here, you're saying "I love you" so bluntly!" (laughs).
"Your family seems to be very supportive of you. What's the atmosphere on set like?"
Ikeda: The 6 main cast members as well as the staff are always in a good mood, and we have great communication, so we're always having fun. We go on and off, talking about the show itself and various others things. We have a competition to see who can get the new script first, and the first person to do so would upload a selfie with a funny face along with the script to our 6 member group LlNE (laughs). I think it was (Watanabe) Aoto-kun who started it. Aoto-kun, I always call him "Nabe-chan," we get along well, often telling jokes, and I always think they're so funny. When shooting ends for the day, we sometimes go out to eat together.
"You seem to get along well with everyone."
Ikeda: The staff are all very nice, they'll often make sure to ask me, "Are you ready?," or even talk to me in a way that mimics Jeramie's way of speaking! I guess Jeramie's lines are easy to say (laughs). It makes me happy knowing that Jeramie's character is loved so much.
"Are there any surprising aspects of your co-stars that you have discovered during your time together, such as during filming?"
Ikeda: As mentioned earlier, Nabe-chan (Aoto) is completely different on and off the job. I also feel that there's a gap between (Yuzuki) Hirakawa-san, and her role of Rita Kaniska. Rita's character is cool, but Hirakawa-san talks so much that you could say she is the complete opposite of them.
"What's the most difficult part about filming?"
Ikeda: Throughout the year, I've been struggling every day to pursue the value of being able to play one role, and the depth of the story that accompanies it. I'm always thinking of ways in which to make Jeramie look more appealing. But, there is no right answer, so it continues to be a daily battle. One more thing…I'm also fighting with my back! In Jeramie's transformation scene, there's an action where I bend backwards, but I have a very stiff back. I'm really bending over as far as I can, but the director says, "Yes, keep bending!" (laughs). In the movie "Adventure Heaven," which is currently in theaters, there's a transformation scene, so I massaged my lower back in the bath and did some muscle training before the shoot, and I got the "OK" with just one take.
"Ikeda-kun, Please tell us about yourself. How did you decide to enter the entertainment industry?"
Ikeda: I moved to Tokyo when I entered university, and I originally had a strong interest in the entertainment industry. In my third year, when I was struggling with all the influences of Tokyo, I was approached by my current agency and decided to become an actor. I'm a country boy from Tokushima, and I always felt like the movies and TV shows I had watched since I was a child were "sparkling." When I came to Tokyo, I thought, "This is the place where I can challenge myself."
"Objectively speaking, what kind of personality do you think you have?"
Ikeda: I think I have an optimistic personality. Sometimes I can be negative, but I try my best not to be. Also, when I was a student, I was often told that I, "Don't seem to talk much" or "Seemed cool" when first meeting people, but in reality, I'm the type of person you can't get to stop talking once I've started!
"So you're an extrovert. What was your life like when you were a student?"
Ikeda: I played soccer from elementary school all the way through my 3rd year of high school, and was performing in a band at the same time. I started playing the drums when I was in my 6th year of elementary school. In addition, I also worked hard in my studies, aiming to excel in everything. I don't currently play soccer, but I'd prefer to play it myself rather than watch the games on TV. I do continue to play the drums though. I try to play an instrument when I need to refresh myself, as it helps me to vent my stress.
"What kind of life do you live when you have days off from filming?"
Ikeda: I like watching movies and dramas and playing games. As a result, I'm basically an indoor person on my days off. As long as I can enjoy eating it, I'll also cook for myself. I've been practicing making pasta since I was a student, and even now still make it occasionally. I also like to make grilled onigiri!
"If Ikeda-san has a type of woman he likes, what type would that be?"
Ikeda: I want someone who is a kind person, and who will also listen to me. It would be ideal if we could go out together to various places. I'm not good at returning messages through LINE. That's why I'm much better at talking over the phone or in person. If it's someone I like, I might try to get the conversation going, and then make a detour into asking them out (laughs).
"Please tell us about your future plans as an actor. Is there a genre of work that you'd like to appear in?"
Ikeda: I want to be an actor with an appealing worldview and personality. My goal is to be the kind of person who makes people wonder in excitement, "What would happen if Masashi Ikeda played this role?" In terms of genre, I'd like to work in a dialog heavy drama…like "Quartet," which is a mix of suspense and everyday life. I'm still fighting every day, due to many challenges I want to take on. I want to thank everyone for their support, and to please continue to look out for me!
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