Following his starring role in the film “Lost Care” (Tetsu Maeda / March 2023), actor Kenichi Matsuyama has appeared in the same director’s period entertainment film “Daimyo Bankruptcy” and seems to have become even more lighthearted as an actor in recent years.
He attributes this to a conscious change in the way he spends his time, including the dual life he started several years ago, living between Tokyo and the countryside.
We asked Matsuyama about his alternative acting path and his outlook on life, which he has been facing through a variety of activities outside of acting, including farming, which he has always wanted to do, and the upcycling project “momiji,” which he launched with his wife Koyuki at the beginning of last year.
INDEX
Daimyo Bankrupt” and “Lost Care,” two completely different films, have one thing in common: “making the most of people” and how to save people.
-With the memory of your role as a caregiver in the social suspense film “Lost Care” still fresh in your mind, the period entertainment film “Daimyo Bankruptcy,” also directed by Tetsu Maeda, is about to be released, and I was surprised by the haughtiness of Shinjiro, played by Matsuyama-san.
Matsuyama: That’s right. For this film, Director Maeda said to me, “We are shooting in September (2022), would you be interested in participating?” I was asked if I wanted to be in the film. At that time, he explained to me that it was a film like this, and I thought, “This is totally different from “Lost Care” …….”
was born on March 5, 1985 in Aomori Prefecture. Born in Aomori, Japan, he won the Grand Prix at “New style audition” in 2001 and started his career as a model. 2002 Acting debut. 2006 “Death Note” was his breakthrough role. He has since starred in films such as “Norwegian Wood”, “Sei no Seishun”, “BLUE”, “Kawapperi Mukoritta”, and “Lost Care”. He has received numerous awards, including the Japan Academy Prize and the Blue Ribbon Award.
-I think they are so different that I can say they are the exact opposite.
Matsuyama: But I thought that was fine. Lost Care” is a very heavy film in a sense. I wanted to wash away that feeling. We didn’t want to leave the role or the subject matter heavy in our minds.
-Shinjiro, the older brother of the main character Koshiro played by Ryunosuke Kamiki, is a role that leaves a strong impact whenever he appears in the film. …… You play the role with a lot of swing.
Matsuyama: Yes, he does. Shinjiro is called a “hussy” in the film, but I think he is a character with unique characteristics that those around him are just unaware of.
However, it takes a certain amount of time and conversation to know that. If you stop thinking about someone just because they are called a “hooligan” by those around them, you will never know anything about them.
Matsuyama: In this film, Shinjiro is called a “hooligan” by everyone and is left alone to some extent, but then Koshiro appears. As he communicates with Shinjiro, he realizes that Shinjiro likes this kind of thing, is capable of this kind of thing, and has this kind of kindness.
By facing him properly and discovering his good qualities, this will ultimately lead to a way to make the most of Shinjiro. I think the story is about how the bankruptcy of the clan was prevented by making good use of the power of various people, and in my opinion, this “making use of people” may be a different way of “saving” people than in “Lost Care”.
-I see. Although the two works have completely opposite tastes, I think they have a common theme.
Matsuyama: That is Maeda’s theme: I think that is Maeda’s theme.
INDEX
He has been “giving 150% with all his energy,” and his films have a lightness that is different from his previous works. A changed approach to acting and how he uses his time
-You have played a wide range of roles in the past, but recently you seem to have become more lighthearted. Has your approach to work changed in any way over the past few years?
Matsuyama: I am not that conscious about it: I am not that conscious of it, but the way I spend my time has changed a lot in the past few years. It is strange, but I feel that spending less time on my acting activities has led to better results. …… It is not always the case that if you give 100% of your all, you will give 100% of your performance.
I think my time allocation has changed since I started doing various activities other than acting. In doing so, I have come to really enjoy my work as an actor. If you only work as an actor for a long time, you are quite worried about your work. I still worry about creating roles, but I think I have come to enjoy and worry more about it on the set.
-I had the impression that you are a stoic actor when it comes to creating roles.
Matsuyama: It used to be that I would give it my all, give 150%, and then fall apart. Now, as I get older, I realize that I can no longer keep giving 150%, both physically and mentally.
So now, I try to completely switch off my mind when I go home. If I think about my role even at home, I cannot face what is in front of me. I can’t think much about my children, my wife, or my hobbies. I think that is a waste of time.
-When did you start to switch the way you use your time?
Matsuyama: Around the age of 30: Around the age of 30. My child was 3 or 4 years old at the time, and he started to express his opinions, but I felt that I was becoming a father who could not listen to him and did not have enough time to spare.
I felt that I had become a father who could not afford to listen to his opinions. Therefore, I need to grow with my child, learn from him, and empathize with him. It would be a waste if I could not do that because of my work.
I started to see different aspects of people and things. Until then, I had been too narrow-minded to notice the interesting world in front of me, or to catch something that was telling me something, but I was not able to catch it.
-How long has it been since you started this lifestyle?
Matsuyama: About four years.
-What was it like for you as an actor to choose to live in two locations?
Matsuyama: My life is more important than my work. I didn’t want to make the same mistake. Work is only a part of your life. I think it is the same for any job.
Like I said before, I felt I had to leave Tokyo in order to spend time with various people. In my case, I was not able to switch on and off so well in Tokyo. It was also easier for me to work in the fields and do the things I wanted to do in the countryside.
-How do you feel now that you are living in two locations?
Matsuyama: Basically, I am having a great time. The terrain and temperatures differ from place to place, and the cultures are different. So the way of thinking of people is also different in each area where they were born and raised. It is very interesting to realize that these days.
-I think you are living in the countryside, but it is not like living in a hermitage.
Matsuyama: Yes, that’s right. I am much busier in the countryside. When I am alone in Tokyo, it is like a vacation (laughs). (Laughs) When I am in the countryside, I have many things to do, including work in the fields.
The area around where I live is full of farmers, and I enjoy talking to them while working in the fields. The crops I grow and the fish I catch are delicious. I simply enjoy eating them. When I pay to eat them, I sometimes get dissatisfied, but when I grow them myself, I eat them with pleasure, no matter whether they are eaten by worms or not.
