In Kiiroi Namida, Ninomiya Kazunari plays the role of the writer Nagashima Shinichi’s alter ego, the manga writer Muraoka Eisuke. Since his debut, he has received good accolades about his acting skills. He exudes a presence of being a mixture of strength and fragility, and one of his powers of persuasion is this expression that he has which can set your heart melting; coupled with his natural and exquisite voice, … this unique blend of expressiveness has a charm which increases year on year. We again get the feeling that his depth of talent is unlimited. He has acted in Clint Eastwood’s movie “Letter from Iwojima” and has taken on his first voice over role in Matsumoto Taiyo’s Hollywood animation Tekkon Kinkreet where he was specially selected for this role. And as an actor, he continues with his acting work and launched into this project immediately when he returned from LA.  Despite his foray into Hollywood, his stance towards acting has not changed at all.

Interviewer:  When you read the script, what did you think about this piece of work?

Nino:  Isn’t it a good piece of work?  But… so that you will not misunderstand, I would like to say this upfront first - for the script, I only read the part what was written for my character. I didn’t take into consideration the other parts of the story.

For my role, I am not in the position to see that. If you can see the flow of the whole piece of work, then it is 100% better, as you can grasp the wholeness of the role.  The flow of the entire script, wouldn’t it be better if I leave it to the director and producer to look at it in its entirety? I say this because I do my work based on trust on the ability of the director and producer.

Interviewer: So you are saying its better to entrust things in the hands of the director and producer.

Nino: Yes.  In an ideal world, its better to understand the whole body of the script, but I don’t do things that way.  Cos it’s a waste, isn’t it?  When someone asks me “Why is it that you want to appear in a movie?” Well, because I want to see myself in it.  Waiting for the opening day, picking up the articles about the movie in the magazines to read, and thinking “Ah this is enjoyable…” and watching the finished movie for the first time – after all this, I want to think  “ah its good that I appeared in that movie..” 

Interviewer: Apart from being one of the actors, what do you see is important in a piece of work if you view it in its totality?

Nino: Well, it is the audience.

Interviewer: Concerning “Acting” – what is the most important thing which you enjoy from doing it?

Nino:  When you talk about acting, one person cannot do it by himself right?  So the enjoyment in acting is that it depends on everyone. There is some contradiction here, but the enjoyment is in the contradiction. Therefore, even if the director says “Please do it this way, or please do it that way”, there are times where it just cannot be done.

Interviewer: Is it because you are just like what the director says about you – you don’t portray your feelings?

Nino: Well, because the other party (director) does not do things like that too – that is to say, I am not performing with the director. But if I am acting, I will do my best to act with the person who is playing opposite me. For example, when I am talking to my manager and when I am talking to my other members, I am also different in each instance, right. But because there are times when the reverse is demanded from me, I don’t attend to that instruction or direction from them. Sometimes, this happens too.

Interviewer: So in that situation, the important point is how the opposite party approaches this right?

Nino: Yes. Therefore, when I am at home, I do not read the script, neither do I think about the role that I am to play. Somehow, it is wasteful. I feel it really crushes away the different possibilities a role can have. More than just thinking by myself, I feel it will become more enjoyable when everyone puts their heads together.

Interviewer:  Like when you build up a character in your mind too much, you are restricted during the film shoot from changing it?

Nino:  You are probably right. Of course, there are people who are able to change a character even thought they have already spent a lot of effort to build the character up in their minds, but for me, it’s different. Moreover, it’s a strange why of saying this, but for me, I tend to understand others more than I understand myself. Esp with “us”.(I assume he is referring to Arashi.)

Interviewer: It is especially because your type of work is often under scrutiny by others?

Nino: Yes.  So more than thinking by myself, it is better that other people do the thinking for me right? What kind of person is Eisuke? (his character) If I have a role that is rather fixed, I cannot work further to develop it. Well, then everyone from Arashi – they are all talented! Those guys, how they look at me, I think its best that they tell me straight, as it is. If I want people to say that they see me in a particular way, then it’s my ego that is talking. Normally, when you are by yourself, you don’t do this right?  Whether its with everyone and with just me, I am just Ninomiya Kazunari.

Interviewer:  Because there exists other parties too, so it means that Ninomiya-san also exists? 

Nino: Yes yes, because other parties exist and therefore I can also be recognised.

Interviewer: By the way, in the movie, everyone is trying to rush for their dreams, can you also feel and sympathise for them?

Nino:  I don’t really sympathise with the roles I play and I cannot say much about it, but its not that I don’t understand the character. During that period in time, the concept of what a dream was – it was not something that could be fulfilled but it was something that one could tell others about. The dreams were centred around the concept that their tomorrows will definitely become better than their todays. ( The future is always brighter)  So if you can tell that story, then it’s the reality of that strange period in time, I think.  But, also, of course it must come with the sacrifice too, right?  These four people in the story, they do not have regular jobs, and based on an understanding of that, I acted out the role. Its seems childlike in a way, I think. You only believe in what you like; and what you don’t like, of course you don’t chase after it.

Interviewer: So , what should we look forward to in this movie?

Nino:  Well, in the story, Ri-da is younger than me by a year. And also the fact that MatsuJun’s character is 20 years old (laughs).

Interviewer: Hahahaha….

Nino:   Also… what else….  I want to see the response to the chemistry between the director and Arashi. It’s a bit like the enthusiasm of the Arashi fans.  Through the script, we can see the starting of the relationship, the story is set in a period of advanced growth in the Japanese economy, and things are rapidly improving but for my character, he wants to chase his dreams, and gets left behind with the times. But he also grapples with himself whether he should just throw away his dreams and get moving with the times like everyone else.  The story is like that…  This story is not aimed at entertaining the audience, neither is it meant to be grandiose or flamboyant.  If would be scary if that was the aim of the story.

Interviewer: (laughs).. So it is rather a slow movie with a lot of weight?

Nino: Yes.  For me, I think I prefer to watch films which are acclaimed for their content rather than films which are just for aimed at pure entertainment.  There might be many parts of the movie which I do not understand, but it is interesting isn’t it?  Cos it will make you think about the storyline. So even if you have finished watching the movie, it doesn’t end there – cos you will still be thinking about it.