Side Story 1: Kenji Nakamura's Astonishment and Apology
**TL Notes: So as not to confuse you all, I made a list of the characters that get mentioned in this chapter that you may have forgotten before. Sumire Matsuda: MC Yoko Ando (Yoko-san): Sumire's manager. Azusa Oshima: Sumire's mentor. Kenji Nakamura: Actor from director Kanzaki's film Director Kanzaki: Egoist film director. |
Kenji Nakamura's POV
(This is amazing, it's understandable that the director is trying to corner her even before her debut.)
On the first day of filming, the attention of the main cast and staff is focused on a girl who is wearing only a T-shirt. The T-shirt she is wearing appears to be new but has been washed a few times to give it a worn look, with the neckline slightly stretched.
Since it's an adult men's size L T-shirt, it's naturally too big for the girl. Somehow, it clings to her shoulders, a situation that might be quite alluring to those with such tastes. From the wide-open collar, it seems like one could catch a glimpse of what's inside, and the female staff members are visibly anxious every time the girl moves. Apparently, she's wearing padding on her chest and groin as per her request, so even if something were to show, it doesn't seem to be a problem.
Usually, in the filming of a regular movie, scenes are shot out of sequence, disregarding the script, considering the schedules of the actors and shooting locations. However, Director Kanzaki is a perfectionist, so he tries to film scenes in the order of the script as much as possible. Such an inefficient approach is allowed because his method has produced many outstanding works over the years.
So, first, they filmed the everyday scenes until I transformed, and then, the much-discussed newcomer was about to act. As a result, many onlookers gathered at the filming studio. When I was filming, only the staff was present, so this was a big difference. Perhaps part of the reason is that the other person is a cute girl, but she's exceptionally good at getting close to people. When I saw the legendary actor, Tadashi Onda, who is known as "Onda," interact with her in such a gentle and grandfatherly manner, I was surprised. He is known for being tough on promising young actors and not giving a second glance to those he doesn't see potential in. It's quite interesting in a way to see that the "demon" Onda is acting so affectionate.
In addition, top-level actors from various generations, regardless of gender, are participating, and it seemed that they were favorable towards Sumire Matsuda from the very first meeting. I found it curious and asked a senior actress who was friendly with her. It turns out that Sumire went around and greeted all the lead actors in their dressing rooms. Come to think of it, she came to my room as well, and I vaguely remember treating her casually since we had met once before.
However, just introducing herself and saying "Nice to meet you" wouldn't be enough to make such a positive impression, so she must have done something different from the others. Unfortunately, I couldn't get anyone to tell me what it was. Well, the advantage of being a child and a beautiful girl might be a factor, but the entertainment industry is full of beautiful girls and children, so there must be something unique about her.
That aside, until just a while ago, I thought that the only reason Sumire Matsuda was able to appear in this movie was due to Azusa Oshima's strong push. She has only a few drama appearances to her name, and her activities seem to be limited to child roles in commercials and modeling for children's clothing. She might be somewhat more attractive than other children, but that's about it. Director Kanzaki had boasted about discovering Sumire Matsuda when he received the offer for this movie, but I didn't believe it at all. I never thought that the renowned genius director Kanzaki would take an interest in a child actor.
However, all those preconceptions were completely erased with just one scene of her acting. What an incredible performance it was. She certainly has talent, but talent alone isn't enough. Everyone could see that behind that talent, there were many traces of hard work.
That's because her dialogue delivery was undeniably mine, and her mannerisms were clearly those of a man. Even in the scene where she collapses onto the bed, she sat cross-legged firmly, and her head-scratching movement had just the right amount of roughness. If she could achieve this level of performance in such a short period, I should have made time to meet her.
The clapperboard clapped, and the director's resolute "OK" echoed. At that moment, the girl who had been sitting cross-legged swiftly raised her hips and changed her posture to sit like a little girl, as if she had snapped out of it. As if that were the signal, the masculine atmosphere that had been clearly present around her just moments ago disappeared, and a feminine softness filled the surroundings. In response to this sudden and dramatic transformation, an involuntary sigh of admiration escaped.
"That's a natural talent. And the fact that she can put in the effort on top of that means she'll probably become a great actress in the future."
Suddenly, I was addressed from behind, and my heart raced with surprise, causing a slight pang of pain. I turned around in a hurry, and there stood the veteran actor, Onda, with a mischievous expression on his face, just like a mischievous boy.
"Don't startle me like that, Onda-san. Anyway, in your opinion, is that girl something special?"
"She might have a touch of the 'itako' style. Once in a while, you find people who perform like they've embodied something within themselves, like that. In ancient times, girls like her might have played roles like shrine maidens who heard the voice of the gods."
I tilted my head as Onda began to share his mysterious trivia, and in response to my gesture, he chuckled and lightly patted my back.
"Furthermore, she manages to express emotions in her lines quite skillfully, and her small movements and gestures are likely imitating you, aren't they? As I mentioned earlier, it takes effort to grasp such distinctive features and express them naturally as spontaneous actions. Those who can make effort like it's second nature from a young age are strong, especially those who know how to make productive efforts."
In response to Onda's words, I nodded slightly. Pop songs popular among young people often have lyrics like "If you work hard, your dreams will surely come true," but there is both futile and fruitful effort. It depends on how you set your goals and challenges, your perspective on things, your thinking process, and your interactions with others. I consider all of these aspects as part of the effort.
Well, hearing such high praise from a senior actor like Onda, I couldn't help but reassess the situation. Sumire Matsuda was definitely not a child actor pushed into the role through connections, she had seized this role through her own abilities.
Upon further reflection, I realized that my attitude toward her had been rather harsh. It's a complex situation when an adult man bows to a grade school girl, but there might be future interactions, and I wanted to resolve any potential tension.
Since I didn't have any scenes to shoot for a while, I thought it would be better to apologize today during the break. I gathered my courage and visited Sumire Matsuda's dressing room, where I sincerely lowered my head. No matter how skilled an actor is at playing a part, she is still a child, and I couldn't predict her reaction. I had resolved to keep bowing even if she got angry or cried, but she showed unexpected generosity beyond her years, smiled without hesitation, and forgave me.
Furthermore, Sumire Matsuda displayed an eagerness to improve by saying, "I'm still a long way from getting Nakamura-san's mannerisms and speech right, so please give me advice if you notice anything." When a young talent you've acknowledged demonstrates such a positive attitude, it's hard not to feel pleased. I'm still in my twenties, so while I should be worried about the emergence of talented newcomers, my current feeling of joy took precedence.
Having successfully reconciled with Sumire Matsuda in this manner, I hadn't noticed the presence of the female manager who had been glaring at me from behind the entire time we were talking. I would soon be troubled by the intense gaze I would feel every time I participated in filming after that, but that's a story for another time.
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