Rohan's Beliefs Pushed Me Forward
――Takahashi-san, you were already a fan of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure's Rohan Kishibe from the start. Weren't you surprised as well as happy when you received this offer?
I was really overjoyed. I never thought I would get to play a character I've loved since I was a teenager. Actually, it was a secret between me and my manager that I hoped to play Rohan Kishibe one day (laughs). Furthermore, I never imagined that I would be offered the role by director Kazutaka Watanabe, who I worked with on the previous historical drama Naotora: The Lady Warlord, so I was thrilled that something like this was possible.
――Rohan is the type of person who is curious and pursues reality. What do you think is the appeal of Rohan, Takahashi-san?
Rohan is a particularly strong example of the kind of human beliefs that are portrayed in JoJo. Unlike the other characters, Rohan is a manga artist, just like Hirohiko Araki, the author of the manga. Characters with that kind of occupation are rare in JoJo, so in a way, I think he embodies what it means to be a manga artist in a very concrete way. When I first read JoJo as a teenager, he was the character who encouraged me to be so particular about my work, and to be so biased. That's the most appealing part.
――How did you create your own image of Rohan, the quirky manga artist, and the balance with your partner, the editor Kyoka Izumi?
Regarding the energy and expression in my performance, I didn't consciously create them myself. I started by giving it my all, pushing it to my limits, and then adjusting afterward to find the right balance between going too far or not. I considered the on-set staff as the first viewers providing immediate feedback. Based on their reactions, I developed the dynamic interactions with my on-screen partner, Izumi, who has a buddy-like vibe.
――I think it's difficult to adapt the world of JoJo into live action, not just Rohan. During your role preparation, did you have any discussions with director Watanabe on how to faithfully reflect Araki-sensei's worldview or emphasize original elements from JoJo?
Actually, I generally don't discuss acting with any director. No matter how much we say "I will act like this" using words, it would all be for nothing if we start acting and are told "No, that's wrong." Reality is merely an accumulation of individual perspectives, and sharing a worldview through words is difficult. So, first and foremost, I believe actors should present their physicality. This time, I had absolute trust in director Watanabe, and I thought that if something wasn't working, he would tell me. So, I was able to approach it with an absolute sense of security.
Also, I thought it was important for me to create a character that both those who know Rohan and those who don't would be satisfied with. As an actor, I focused on my lines and movements, asking myself, "How persuasive can I be? How much would make sense?"
Don't show any signs of "hard work"
――Personally, I’m really looking forward to seeing how the corn scene in the “Millionaire Village” will be visualized.
As you mentioned, the corn scene in the manga is very dramatic, exciting, and active. Moreover, Ikkyu, the guide of the Millionaire Village, is an otherworldly existence serving the Gods of the Mountain. However, in the drama, Fuga Shibazaki, who plays Ikkyu, is so cute that it looks like an adult is cornering and making a child cry (laughs). But I think that the delightful severity of it well demonstrates that Rohan doesn't see children as children and treats all people as equals, as subjects for his manga.
The confrontation between people based on their abilities approaches with a certain rawness and deformation. Through the live action adaptations of "Millionaire Village," "Kushagara," and "D.N.A," I think that the characters' restrained, internal emotional turmoil is dynamically expressed.
――I love the exchange of "We'll poach them" and "That's why I'm interested" in the original work Poaching Seashore. Araki-sensei even said that he drew the story because he wanted to include that part. In his comment, he said, "Rohan might cross the boundaries of the rules of modern society for the sake of something more important, but he never forgets to pay respect to tradition and history." Do you have any rules or aesthetics in your acting, Takahashi-san?
I make it a point not to show any signs of my "hard work." I'm not good at being asked, "Where did you work hard?" Working hard is a given, and as a professional doing this job, I feel it's somehow off to reinforce it with words like "I tried hard." Nowadays, we're in an era where everything is about sharing, but I always have this discomfort, as if revealing the secret behind a magic trick. In the end, I think it's all about how much people feel from just watching the performance, and that's what matters most.
――There may be many people who are introduced to the world of JoJo for the first time through you, Takahashi-san. Can you share how both hardcore JoJo fans and beginners can enjoy this show?
If I mention specific highlights, people may just focus on those, so I'll keep it a secret (laughs). However, for those who have read the manga, I think they'll be able to recognize moments like "Ah, they brought out that pose from this volume, this story, and this scene!" So I'd like them to look for those moments. The original work's expressive language is also interesting, so I hope viewers can immerse themselves in the story by focusing on the vividness of the words spoken by actual people.
By the way, the word "Stand," which is familiar to JoJo fans, is not used at all in the drama. We've instead used words like "ability," "gift," and "something received," so I think it's easier for first-time viewers to understand.
This drama doesn't have action-packed scenes or dynamic physical entertainment. I believe it's a work that explores "How dramatic and exciting can the internal events be?" and "How much can we bring the inner aspects to life?" Nowadays, I feel that there are many stories that are easy to follow and characters whose emotions are easy to understand. That's not a bad thing, but I think our approach is different. Instead of rejecting something foreign, it's good to have the flexibility to enjoy it. I'd be happy if people can enjoy the strangeness, discomfort, and bizarre feelings in this work.
――You've appeared in many works based on manga before. Is there anything you keep in mind while acting?
When adapting a manga into a film or drama, the premise is that many people have seen the character before. However, the way each person perceives the same character can vary subtly due to their individual perspectives. Of course, I want to get as close as possible to the character's movements, visuals, and descriptions, and I'll put in the effort to do so, but when it comes to actually acting, I don't feel any pressure or make a conscious effort to keep something in mind.
I don't really trust forms that start with emotions. I think that the emotions that come from the form are actually more realistic. So, I believe that more than half of a character is created by their form. We had numerous meetings with director Watanabe and character design supervisor, Isao Tsuge, to finalize Rohan's visuals. At that point, I felt that the foundation had solidified.
How to "protect" the mold.
――I think JoJo fans and Takahashi-san fans will be interested, but what characters do you want to play outside of Rohan in the future? Also, this time it's a spin-off of Part 4, what part do you prefer, Takahashi-san?
There is no character I want to be other than Rohan (laughs). After all, I like Part 4 "Diamond is Unbreakable", but I think the philosophy of Part 7 "Steel Ball Run" is also amazing. I also enjoy the boyish side of JoJo. But... Part 2 "Battle Tendency" is also hard to throw away.
――It's hard to choose (laughs). Jojo is also sprinkled with musical, such as 'Red Hot Chili Pepper' and 'The Hand'. Mr Takahashi himself has sung the theme songs for dramas such as "Quartet" and "Tokyo Bachelor Boys". How does music influence your acting?
Basically, I'm the type of person who can't do without music in my life, so it's like the Tower Records slogan (NO MUSIC, NO LIFE.) (laughs). Recently I've been re-listening to some of my old favourites, like XTC.
――You love New Wave!
When I was in primary school, I saw XTC's "Dear God" music video on MTV and thought it was really cool. I was in the US for work at the time, so I dashed off to Tower Records in New York to buy it. In the music video, frontman Andy Partridge is dressed as a pastor, and in the "Impressive" music video, Andy is wearing sunglasses with round glasses, so I still wear sunglasses with round glasses too (laughs).
――Do you feel like you're listening to music while you're reading a script?
When I'm putting dialogue in, I try not to have a musical bias. However, I do put music on at the moment when I'm like, "It's done!"(laughs).
――It has been a quarter of a century since the role of Seiji Amezawa in the Ghibli movie "Whisper of the Heart", and 2020 has become a ridiculous world. Even so, when I saw Takahashi-san’s latest work “Wife of a Spy” on the big screen of the theater, I was really moved by the wonderful film. I think living in the world of acting is a difficult thing if you don't keep yourself strong. I would like to ask you if there are any important things you have learnt in life from JoJo and Rohan.
Thank you very much. I felt really happy about “Wife of a Spy” when I saw so many people in the audience from the podium at the stage greeting.
Like Rohan, I, too, think it is very important to know the norms, rules and patterns first. After understanding them, how do you "protect, break and separate"? Even more so because ours is an intangible form of expression that does not require a licence or qualification, we need to learn a certain form before we can break it down or rearrange it. I don't think I'm old enough to imitate anymore, but I still think that human beings start from imitation. I think we all start by imitating, and then we put it into our own gut. I think it is important to think about what is really necessary for you when you have made it your own.
One way to do this might be to force yourself to think and approach things in a way that is opposite to your own. So, in the future, I'm going to write an article that says, "this is the place where I worked hard in a play!" If I said so, I think I was taking the exact opposite approach (laughs). There must be something that will not come out unless you look at it from the opposite point of view, so I may be constantly experimenting with that.
――We look forward to witnessing the amateurish Mr Takahashi (laughs). Lastly, the "Good Life with Books" site is a book website, so what are your all-time best and most recent recommendations other than JoJo?
I love the stories that Takehiro Ueda writes. I can really empathise with the way he pursues one thing. "The Sun/Planet" to the latest work "Que", the themes are the same, even if the works differ or take different forms. The film stubbornly depicts war as the limit of humanity, and what kind of place humanity will ultimately end up in. I can't get over the fact that he keeps trying to pierce it from a single point all the way through.
I also like Yoko Tawada's "The Last Children of Tokyo", a novel published in 2014, which seems to embody what would happen if we went further from our current situation. It's about a Japan that has closed itself off to the outside world in the near future, and what happens to people from there. It's interesting, so please give it a go.
[Translated by LocacacaFarmer and Vish]