Stage Square [2017.06.27] Kawai Fumito x Teranishi Takuto crosstalk のど自慢 河合郁人 X 寺西拓人

I claim no ownership over the original material but the translation is mine and to be used FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY. Do not copy. (Originally posted September 14, 2017)

Musical Comedy “Nodo Jiman” ~ ue wo muite arukou~

The musical comedy Nodo Jiman is about the laughter and tears of people struggling to overcome obstacles in order to appear on the popular television program “Nodo Jiman.” A.B.C-Z’s Kawai Fumito and Johnny’s Jr. Teranishi Takuto, sempai-kouhai from the same agency, have a musical showdown…!? We spoke to them at an At Home rehearsal space. (Original text by Mizuho Seo)

Kawai Fumito x Teranishi Takuto

Kawai: When we [the whole cast] met were you nervous?

Teranishi: I was super nervous…

Kawai: Me too. Now matter how many times I experience it, that particular “first day” feeling makes me nervous.

Teranishi: Really? Kawai-kun seemed so confident. I was at an “these are all people I’ve seen on TV” level of nervousness… (big laugh)

Kawai: I had to sit right next to Mori Masako-san so of course I was nervous! But I thought the veteran actors would be spoiling us.

Teranishi: Okay, please spoil me and Kawai-kun.

Kawai: Right. Obviously we can’t say that.

Teranishi: Of course not! (laugh) You could say we can rely on them, that’s normal...

Kawai: Tera (Teranishi) has already worked with A.B.C-Z a bunch of times, right.

Teranishi: Two years ago in 「ABC座 2015」 I even learned Kawai-kun’s backstage face.

Kawai: My backstage face! What’s that? (laugh)

Teranishi: Because I have a strong image of you as the host of  The Shonen Club I thought Kawai-kun had a talkative “good at quips” personality. But it’s not just working out quips, you’re the type of person who before a performance really prepares and works out the way things will go in advance…

Kawai: That’s because we write most of 「ABC座」. (With a serious face) I’m sure I’ve said this before but regarding drama, I have no advice to give. Ask Tottsu (Totsuka Shota).

Teranishi: Huh?! (laugh)

Kawai: (laugh) But haven’t you already gotten advice from different people?

Teranishi: Yes. Before this Maeda Gin-san [note: he’s legendary actor and played Mori Masako’s father in the play] told me, “I feel like I’ve helped raise you this past month.” I was super surprised. I was like, am I dreaming?!

Kawai: Tera, I’m surprised to hear you say that. Even though you’re still young, you’re incredible earnest, like “I’m so grateful to hear what semapi have to say.” You know, when I was Tera’s age, I was the rebellious type, like “I’m going to do things my own way!”

Teranishi: That’s also an unexpected side of Kawai-kun.

Kawai: Then, using my own strength of will, I searched for the answer. And because I couldn’t find anything, now when I work, I earnestly listen to everybody’s opinions. (laugh)

Teranishi: But it’s important to look for the answer within yourself too! From the beginning I’ve just been relying on everybody else…

Kawai: If we ever saw Tera searching for something, everybody would say, “Let’s help!”

Teranishi: Even the other day when the cast went out for dinner, everybody was giving me advice.

Kawai: Ah… I heard that when I wasn’t there everybody went out for dinner. Sounded like fun…

Teranishi: Please know it wasn’t something I planned…!

Kawai: I’m just joking! (laugh) So, did people talk about me? (laugh)

Teranishi: Everybody said, “Kawai-kun has done so many plays, he’s fine.”

Kawai: That’s so not true though?! Even now when I’m reading the script, I’m torn over what the best way to play (his role) Sutani is. Because I’ve got to handle a lot of boilerplate lines, how can I loosen them up, and so on.

Teranishi: I see! Even after memorizing the lines in the script, you still need to think about the different ways you can inject some personality into it. Kawai-kun, normally, how do you go about working on a character?

Kawai: If it’s something like this where the play has a lot of comedy and the role is pretty close to my own personality, maybe I don’t have to do too much. The one where I had to start completely from scratch was Kiku in (2016) Coin Locker Babies. Because Kiku didn’t have a single thing in common with me, in order for his way of speaking and movements not to appear awkward or confused, I had to construct him carefully.

Teranishi: I see! My character Junichi is a junior in college. I had thought I should play him simply but then I was thinking that maybe his feelings toward his mother, who raised him all alone, are complicated… Ogawa Natsumi-san, who is playing my mother, said, “We should try all sorts of different things,” so I’m going to try!

Kawai: Tera you even have a solo song, don’t you.

Teranishi: Yes. I get to sing “Daydream Believer”.

Kawai: Have you ever sang a solo song in a play before?

Teranishi: Actually, this is my first solo…

Kawai: Really. Well, you can relax because all of Tera’s fans in the audience, as well as me and Mori-san on stage, will be watching you with rapt attention.

Teranishi: Uh… If you say things like that, I’m going to be more nervous… (laugh)

Kawai: I also have a singing scene. I sing 「越冬つばめ」(Mori Masako’s famous “Ehttou Tsubame” or the hibernating sparrow) with Kozuki Wataru-san but it’s overwhelming how skilled she is as a singer and the pressure of having to sing this song right in front of Mori Masako-san herself, I might just collapse on stage… (laugh) But, one of the things about this work is that the songs are only in “Nodo Jiman” (the show within the play) so we have to showcase them properly.

Teranishi: It’s not a musical but you need to change your style of singing from what you usually do, right?

Kawai: When I was doing Coin Locker Babies the singing coach would always scold me about bending my notes at the end of a phrase and so on. “I hear an idol right now,” the coach would scold me. (huge laugh) But in Nodo Jiman there’s everything from J-Pop to enka, all sorts of songs appear in the show. And I think it’s nice that for each type of song, there is a different type of singer.

Teranishi: And when it comes to singing, I can ask you for advice.

Kawai: Please refer all questions on that to Hashimoto. (laugh) Ah, but you sang “Vanilla” when you were a guest on A.B.C-Z’s radio show [A.B.C-Z 今夜はJ's 倶楽部 2017.05.09], didn’t you?

Teranishi: I really love that song!

Kawai: I was singing next to Tera and we got a lot of messages from the listeners saying, “Kawai is too loud! I can’t hear Teranishi.” (laugh) But that was my strategy for getting them to come out to see Nodo Jiman! You can’t hear Tera’s beautiful voice that easily. (laugh) Hey, people who want to hear Tera, come to Nodo Jiman! (laugh)

Teranishi: (huge laugh)

Kawai: My role is Mori-san’s character Akagi Reiko’s manager Sutani. What Sutani and I have in common is that we’re both the type who get lonely easily. Those kinds of lines are in the play but Sutani also has a feeling of, “Helping other people is what keeps me going.” There’s simply meddling in other’s people’s business but I also think that you can want to be of some use to people, to not want to be alone… Like if you had good friends that were a couple and you helped them with some advice. That’s not too much to ask.

Teranishi: That is just meddling in other’s people’s business! (laugh)

Kawai: But what if they come to me? (laugh) My friends are really important to me though. And that goes for my kouhai too. I look out for them.

Teranishi: I hope that Kawai-kun… no, Kawai-kun will look out for me, too!

Kawai: You said the same thing to Yaracchi… [Earlier this year Teranishi appeared in the play Crossheart which starred Yara Tomoyuki.]

Teranishi: Yara-kun and Kawai-kun are completely different people.

Kawai: Should I deny it… (laugh) Well, for this play I get to encourage Tera. When I see you all confident at the rehearsal space, I think to myself, “Good job, kid.”

Teranishi: I think the reason that I--a Jr.--have been given a big chance like this is thanks to the hard work put in by each and every one of my sempai. And that is why I cannot afford to make a mistake now.

Kawai: Let’s forget the sempai-kouhai relationship for the moment and just focus on doing good work. Then when the play is over, maybe Tera and I will have become good friends.

Teranishi: Kawai-kun, you already promised to invite me over to your house.

Kawai: When you come over, I’m just going to make you watch A.B.C-Z’s DVDs.

Teranishi: How long will it take?

Kawai: Probably about 8 hours. And don’t forget to say thank you afterwards.

Teranishi: Ok, I’ll try my best. (laugh)

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Favorite Ride

Kawai: Do you go to like theme parks with the other Jrs.?

Teranishi: Yes. I like all the fast rides. But I’m scared of haunted houses. These days you can get a passport to go through the special lines and stuff, right? But I’m usually like, “I’m sorry. I don’t have money, so I’ll just wait.” (laugh)

Kawai: I won’t go on the fast rides or the haunted house. If there are no cameras around then you aren’t getting me near a theme park. (laugh)

Teranishi: See, that’s also unexpected… Have you always been scared of those?

Kawai: Yeah. Even if I went, all I’d ride were the go-karts. After that, I’d just hang around the theme park arcade. (laugh)

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What do they think of each other?

Teranishi: I was most surprised by how serious he was back stage. I heard somebody say, “In the dressing room, he doesn’t seem to talk about himself much with the other members. But on stage his conversation is so natural.” And that hit the nail on the head for me.

Kawai: All I can say is, “Even Tsukada is different in business meetings…” (laugh) My impression of Tera was always that he was a little punk. (laugh)

Teranishi: Actually, I’ve heard that a lot. (huge laugh) What about me is punk-like?

Kawai: I guess you could say that you have a unique charm. Even though you’re not particularly good looking, you’ve got a kind of devil-may-care handsomeness that people like, right? That makes you a punk.

Teranishi: Handsome… I like hearing that!

Kawai: Sorry, “Handsome” is pushing it a bit far. (laugh) But you do have charm, I think. Don’t the fans even say, “He’s killing us with his pheromones!”

Teranishi: A ha ha! Well, that’s not something I’m aware of so even if they said it, I’d mostly be confused.

Kawai: It’s a charm that oozes out from inside, though. I’m jealous. You should just pretend to be a “former punk”! (laugh)

Teranishi: No way! I’m declaring myself a “former soccer player”! (laugh)