Ashizawa Jin is an illustrator/columnist who seems to have worked for GRAPH since the 1960s (yes, you read that right). His interview column generally gets a new title every year but has been fairly consistent format-wise in recent years. I’m giving him his own tag in the Staff category since he is one of the few interview conductors to be credited by name in the publications.

This interview with Nanami Hiroki was published in the April 2017 issue of GRAPH, but was recorded ahead of the opening of The Scarlet Pimpernel.

Time to soar! #3 – Ashizawa Jin interview with Nanami Hiroki

Perhaps I’m the only one who feels the stage light up when Nanami Hiroki enters. With Blazing Wind – Strategist Takenaka Hanbei, she achieved her first solo lead, exhibiting both gallant brilliance and subtle sweetness in a total display of her appeal. She is now soaring to new heights.

Hanbei is a military commander, and in this production, you were the leader – did you make any new realizations through the combination of these two things? Did you feel pressured?
I didn’t really feel ‘scared’ – I just had fun, mostly (laughs). If I was focusing and giving my best, everyone else would help and support me…I really felt that kind of atmosphere. Hanbei isn’t the type of protagonist to keep pushing ahead without relying on anyone. He had a deep sense of connection with everyone around him, and would always do his duty, and I was also able to feel safe and stand naturally in the middle of everyone. Whether in rehearsals or on stage, everyone looked out for me so much, and of course, Marin-san (Yuuma Rin), who played Hideyoshi, was a big support. Therefore I was able to perform without feeling too much of a burden.

Did you feel nervous on opening day?
I didn’t, actually. The most nervous I’ve ever felt up until now was my first day as Scarlett (Gone with the Wind, switch role with Asaka Manato). I always use that as a point of comparison, so I’ll think to myself ‘am I more nervous than back then?’ and then I’m like ‘I’m doing better than I was then’ (laughs). In Blazing Wind, every one of us constructed things clearly, and a main theme of the story is the value of life. Ever since the rehearsals started I’d felt certain that this would really resonate with the audience. Therefore, while I couldn’t say I was perfectly comfortable, I certainly felt I was able to get through the opening performance without being too shaken.

You looked so cool in the poster photoshoot. How did it feel to see yourself all over?
For the poster, Director Suzuki was very particiular, so during the photoshoot it was all settled, ‘do this there, now do that’ so I was just following directions. But he was really into it (laughs), so I understood the image he was going for more and more. The fans seemed to like it as well, which made me happy, and when I would see the posters up around town I’d be like ‘Hey, that’s me!’ (laughs) Basically I was just like ‘I’m so happy!’ and was really glad about it (laughs)

You said you were very nervous on opening day, but what was it like to play Scarlett?
Well, first off, it’s a female role (laughs), and over the years, so many different people have played her. Also, since it was a switch role, rehearsal time was limited, so I was like ‘is this gonna be okay?’ and had a lot of concerns about it. While I’d rehearsed alone, obviously it takes a whole cast to make a show, so I had a lot of strong worries – what if I cause trouble for everyone, or worse, what do I do if I cause a problem for Rika-san (Ouki Kaname), who played Rhett Butler.

What do you to do help when you’re struggling with a role? Do you try things like moving away from the character?
I never leave the character. It takes me some time to solidify the image I have for a role. Therefore, for example, if there’s someone with a similar feel to my character I’ll research them and try to move how I think they would move. There’s a limit to my own imagination, so I take things like that and mix them in with my own style. However, when all that’s said and done, I think what’s most important is to perform in a way that makes things easier for the rest of the cast. If I think about how to make the lead performer, or my partner, look better, that helps me bring my character to life. It’s not about performing for ‘me, me, me’ alone, buut if I think about how I can make my partner look better, it makes me look better as well. That’s the fun of acting, isn’t it?

I first noticed you in Valentino (Theatre Drama City, Nippon Seinenkan Hall), where you played Rudolf Valentino’s wife, Natasha. I wonder why that could have been, even though you are an otokoyaku…
I still don’t really get why it was me, but I think since it was so abrupt, everyone must have been like ‘who the heck is that!?’ At the time, it wasn’t as if I had any objection to female roles, but since I was 173cm, I never dreamed of being cast as Oozora Yuuhi-san’s wife, so I was really shocked. At first I didn’t have any idea how to do a female role. I’ve never been girly in the first place, and I wore jeans all through highschool, so it was a bit embarrassing to come into the rehearsal room wearing a leotard and skirt (laughs). Director Koike watched me act and gave me a variety of one-on-one advice, so I’m really grateful for that.

A lot of your roles that left an impression on me are female roles. Even though I thought more otokoyaku roles should be coming to mind…
Well, I think that doing female roles back then let me think a lot more about what it is to be an otokoyaku. Sometimes, after I’d put together a really subtle dramatic performance, I would be told that if I didn’t make it a little bigger, it wouldn’t come across to the audience… I thought that even though this was what I liked, going along with just what I liked was no good – but I thought ‘since there are fans who like this way of doing things then that’s alright’. The power of the fans is really strong to me. Of course I’ll follow the directors’ instructions and desires, but that sometimes means performing while thinking that wasn’t really what I wanted to do, so I’d like to be able to combine these things more.

You have a stubborn side, don’t you.
I’m reeeally stubborn, I think (laughs). I feel like if I don’t think ‘Gosh, I’m so cool!’ then the audience won’t think that either. Therefore I’m always trying to emphasize my coolness, and when I think ‘yeah, this is it!’ and the audience also likes it that makes me really happy.

You transferred from Cosmos Troupe to Star Troupe in April of 2015, and it seemed that the otokoyaku ‘Nanami Hiroki’ became much more intense then.
The atmosphere of Cosmos Troupe was really different to Star Troupe. When my transfer was decided, I was full of anxiety about it – will I be any benefit to Star Troupe? I’m not the most clever type, so will this go okay? But once I came in, it was such a different world, and a lot of different people had an impact on me. When I aced with Kurenai-san for the first time in Catch Me If You Can (Akasaka ACT Theatre, Theatre Drama City), I really realized how different the acting styles were between different troupes. I do feel that rather than being somewhere I feel totally comfortable, it’s better to encounter challenges. I was also blessed by who I had around me: my classmate Ichijo, Kurenai-san from a year above, and also Toki (Irisu)-san and Hokushou (Kairi)-san, so it was an environment where I could feel safe and grow. Therefore, while it’s been about 2 years now, I feel like it’s really helped me come into my own. Everyone’s been really good to me, and the junior actresses are looking up to me, so I’m really grateful for that.

What do you find most difficult about expressing a man’s feelings?
Hmmm… Obviously, in Takarazuka, we’re not men but otokoyaku, so that incorporates a lot of things that real men wouldn’t do. For example, actual men would hardly ever bring you flowers on your birthday. Especially Japanese men. Maybe foreign men are different (laughs). So an otokoyaku creates the image of a woman’s ideal. I think it’s because we’re not like real men, but the sort of characters from the world of shojo manga or TV dramas who’d never exist in reality, that Takarazuka is so good. If you want to see actual men you can go to any other theatre, but you can’t see otokoyaku anywhere but Takarazuka. I think Takarazuka is a theatre where you go to fall in love. It’s a totally unique theatre where you can encounter a dream world and fall in love (laughs). Therefore, I think that being realistic is totally the wrong way to go. I feel like it’s since they come to fall in love with men who would never exist in the real world that people will see the shows over and over. Since I want to make the audience happy, I’m also always thinking about how I can be more wonderful as an otokoyaku.

It seems that you will be able to use your experiences playing Hanbei in your role of Robespierre in The Scarlet Pimpernel.
I’ve also been thinking that. While I picture him as presiding over the Reign of Terror, and he’s certainly a villain, he’s also someone who was true to his own convictions. It’s a question of how far to take it, as if I take that too far he won’t seem like a villain any more… Since he was a real person, I think it’s really vital that I use my limited appearances onstage to really get across to the audience what the situation was in France at that time, as well as Robespierre’s emotions. I really want to keep growing as an otokoyaku, so I’ve been getting a lot of instruction from Director Koike, and I want to enjoy myself while still working hard to become a more splendid stage performer.