hsjhoshi | Yamada Ryosuke - Cinema Square Volume 116 (English Translation) (Reply)

How did you perceive and perform the character of Ryoichi?
He is an incredibly straightforward boy. If you react to everything that happens before your eyes and concentrate on one thing, you forget what's important. I intend to perform while valuing that honesty. If your girlfriend loses her memories of you, of course, you will feel down. But Ryoichi has a personality that's like, "That sounds good, let's do it!" and he switches quick. That's something I say by myself (laughs), but I'm also honest when I make my mind up and the "lucky day" type, so we might be similar.

So what are the differences?
If it were me, I would look into the reason of my girlfriend's memory loss. If she thought she wanted to erase that memory, I would think from her point of view and maybe give up. Wait a minute, is it okay to work with your ego, Ryoichi isn't worried and doesn't give up, but I probably would give up.

Please tell us what you valued so you could perform as a true-to-life university student.
I really thought about how to get the feeling of being anywhere. Of course, the visuals like hair and costumes are important, and I made sure not to appear too mature. I've been doing this job for about 16 years, so my mental age is slightly higher compared to ordinary 26 year olds. So I had a part where I purposely made it child-like, and the scene where I talk to Maki (Yoshine Kyoko) in the Hiroshima dialect, I tried to speak naturally without it becoming too much like an acting scene. I feel it would've been like this if I had grown up as a soccer boy.

Through that process, your usual aura disappears through the camera.
I never thought I had an aura and it had disappeared (laughs). But I do have a clear on/off switch inside myself. If I stand in front of the camera, I wouldn't have been aware of it, and the Ryoichi switch was on.

It seems that the screenplay was changed while talking to Director Hirakawa Yuichiro.
From the first script reading, I told the director, "There's a lot I don't know, so I'll listen in great detail. Thank you!". The director also said, "Let's communicate on set!", so we talked together to improve the work. Of course, I know Director Hirakawa has completed it perfectly, but let's have a look inside the director's mind. Not just me, but Sasaki Kuranosuke-san also talked about my scenes, and what I should do to make it easier to convey from an audience's perspective. There were days where I shot two patterns, but by being careful with each work, I think that a work of warmth has been completed. The subject of losing memories is a heavy subject, but there are scenes where you can laugh and in the end, it is a movie that is deeply moving.

You enjoyed being buddies with Sasaki-san. How did you spend your time during filming?
We talked a lot about sake. The valuable sake that I had on the final day of shooting from Kuranosuke-san's parent's home was really delicious. I drunk it with a cold sake bottle and sake cup that I bought in Kyoto when I was shooting "Moeyo Ken", but it was so delicious that I ran out in a day and I thought "It's already finished!" (laughs). It was fun to go out with him for meals while shooting. He became an email friend of mine, and he said to me when I come to Kyoto, I can stop by his parents house and have a drink anytime (laughs). Kuranosuke-san speaks in the Kansai dialect so he usually feels more candid. He is a very kind person so I would be happy if I could join him in any role again.

As chairperson, what did you pay attention to?
There wasn't anything. Since I'm at the set as Ryoichi, I thought it would be better not give off the feeling of being chairperson. The number of younger staff members are also increasing, so to prevent shrinking, I try to stay as candid as possible. In the future, if it's the correct role or scene to shrink, I might think about a sense of distance. (T/N: This is impossible to put into English I'm sorry)

2019 was a year where acting work continued, and acting roles were very fulfilling.
This was really a turbulent year, and I wanted to praise myself by saying, "You worked really hard". I've never had continued work up until this point, so I thought it would be really good to be an actor who could easily carry two works. What I felt again was that I want to know more about myself who is, not long, heading towards my 30s. When I turn around 30, my appearance might change and the roles I play might become limited. Inevitably, I think more mature roles will increase, so by that time, I would like to expand that range.

You said before that you wanted to try a real love story.
"Kiokuya" is also a love story. Love is at the base, and Ryoichi is working in many ways to regain love. It was something I certainly could not forget when I was playing this role. After this, I might try other forms of love stories, but in this work, I will show you how to find and confirm love that only Ryoichi can do. I think it's a movie that can be enjoyed as a love story and a human drama.

Do you find it difficult when the timing of concerts and acting work overlap?
It's tiring to kill people and cry... about it in the incredibly glittering morning afterwards. To be honest, there are times where I lose track of who I am and sometimes I don't know what I'm doing. I think there will be some narrowing down to some extent. We've been doing the same kind of live performances for over 10 years, so we're sensitive to our changes. If we feel any difference, we have no choice but to build our bodies and overcome it. But I think that routines are important and that we can feel the change. I haven't remembered my lines so much, but now that I'm still moving my body and I'm healthy, I'm still okay (laughs).

Q&A

What are memories you don't want to lose?
It wouldn't be the beautiful things, it would be the memories as Hey! Say! JUMP. For me, it would be like forgetting the time you have with your family. I would hate to not recognise my family, and I don't want to lose memories with members who I've spent half my life with together,

Have you ever lost your memories?
Do you mean through alcohol? I have. But I'm Yamada who never fails, so when I think it's bad, I leave immediately and half way home, I lose my memory. When I notice, I'm at home, wearing my pyjamas and sleeping in bed, so it's perfect (laughs). I haven't lost my memory when people have been around me, but if I had to say something, I was tired at the "Semi Otoko" launch and I slept for about 30 minutes. I want to regain the memories of what everyone was doing during that time and if they were having fun. (laughs)

Tell us your memories of childhood friendship.
When I was little, I was making a secret base with a friend near my house. I made it without realising there was another house on the site that looked like a forest, and I made an old man angry. It was a rural area and where chocolate vine (akebi) was harvested, so I often played there.

What is the most memorable scenery in your private life?
Hawaii sunset. When I go abroad, I try to go outside as much as possible, but it's been the most beautiful sunset I've ever seen. What was different... it was a sunset where my heart was quickly drawn in and purified. I also like the sunsets in LA, but at Waikiki beach, the people there became shadows, making me feel like I was in that space. It was like being in the world of a painting while listening to music.

What urban legends do you believe in?
Kappa. I like ghosts (youkai) so Kappa and Tsuchinko are an affirmation. If they were here it would be good, if they are here... there are eyewitness accounts. I wonder if Tsuchinko or someone will catch me soon (lol).