Additional interview content with Asumi Rio, published by anan on January 8, 2021. In this portion, Asumi talks about her experience of the difference between being an otokoyaku and an actress, and her time on the set of morning drama Ochoyan. The original feature, written by Mochizuki Risa [estimated reading] can be found here. (Archive link here.)

I was told “You’re too small for an otokoyaku”… – Asumi Rio speaks about her time in Takarazuka and post-retirement

Asumi Rio’s girlhood dreams of becoming a Takarasienne came true, and she spent around 6 years performing as Top Star of Flower Troupe. It’s now 1 year since she retired. She possesses charisma, talent, and popularity, and is finally returning to the stage.

I regained my self-possession when the rehearsals began.

anan: A year has passed since you retired from Takarazuka. In that time, the world has changed so much–what have you been thinking about during this time?

Asumi: Up until now I’ve done everything through Takarazuka. I love it, but despite that, or because of that, it was also painful… But the world I took for granted after leaving my family home over 10 years ago is gone, so I wondered what would become of me. But my daily life is surprisingly unchanged… For a time, I wondered if I had to change. But recently, I’ve felt that as long as I can take on my current work and express myself in the right way at the right time, it’s fine to be myself. It’s not as if I was forcing myself, but I think I might have been putting pressure on myself. Right now, the rehearsals have started, and I feel like I’ve regained my self-possession. Even though I’m busy, and it’s going on at the same time as my other work, the real thing is there, and I have something I can build up towards. That really helps me stay calm, and I feel like when I finally meet the audience it will help me go back to my usual self.

anan: So you feel like in the end the stage is your real home?

Asumi: Since I’m so used to it, I can tell clearly inside what is good or what isn’t, so that helps me feel comfortable.

anan: You are apparently in the middle of filming for the TV Serial Novel Ochoyan…

Asumi: Morning dramas are amazing, right? They’re broadcast for the whole family every day, so each and every script is wonderful, and the heroine and all the people around her are created with such individuality, and it makes you cry and laugh. On set, the whole cast and staff all get along and have a good time, but the moment the director calls ‘Action!’ they show the ultimate professionalism. It’s a passionate set and so much fun.

anan: Are you used to filming now?

Asumi: In filming, once they say “Action!” and the real thing starts, that scene has its opening and closing performance right there. It makes me wish I had the mental ability to sense everything about doing it the first time with people I’m acting with for the first time, and be able to put out the best possible thing right then… However, Ochoyan is a story about actors, so I think that was just perfect. I play a stage actress and there are play-within-a-play scenes, and when I’m on stage I know how to use the atmosphere and how to project my voice, and I’m used to wearing kimono and such as well. I’m glad I can use everything I’ve done.

I want to be someone who can accept what I’m dealing with right now.

anan: In a previous interview, you stated that you didn’t consider what you would do next until you had actually quit Takarazuka. Isn’t that a bit unusual since you have so much popularity and talent?

Asumi: I didn’t like anything except Takarazuka, that’s part of it, I think. Takarazuka was everything to me, so I didn’t know what I should do afterwards, so I even considered going back to my family home. But after retiring, I had exhausted everything and couldn’t move…is what I thought would happen, but I actually had a surprising amount of energy. There are a lot of reasons I chose an actress’ career path, but above all it’s because I love acting and singing and dancing. Also, a big factor was that I would miss my fans so much if I couldn’t see them any more.

anan: Can we ask one more thing… Ms. Asumi, even when you were still in Takarazuka, you gave the impression that rather than creating an ‘otokoyaku’, you put more emphasis on becoming the role you were performing when getting into character. I was wondering at what point you settled on that way of doing things…

Asumi: I think it was fairly early on. I wasn’t tall for an otokoyaku, and at the time when it was a question of whether or not I’d get the chance to have a junior lead, I kept getting female roles, you see. People kept telling me ‘you’re too small for an otokoyaku’, ‘you look so childish’, and it was really frustrating, so I thought instead of my outer appearance I would try expressing that generosity and other aspects like that internally.

anan: Has your method of approaching roles changed since you stopped being an otokoyaku?

Asumi: In terms of playing a role, nothing much has changed. It’s so fun that I’m actually thinking ‘how can it be changing so little’.

anan: Is there anything you envision as the type of actress you would like to become?

Asumi: I don’t want to limit the possibilities, so I’m not really creating much of an ideal for myself, and I want to be someone who can accept anything that I am dealing with. Though it might seem a little haphazard.