Ken Watanabe Standing on the stage for over a year, May 26, 15:07

Ken Watanabe, an actor representing Japan.

We are currently performing the leading stage at a theater in Tokyo.

Actually, this stage was performed once in the spring of last year, but due to the spread of the new coronavirus, it had to be canceled early.

"Or" want to give hopes and dreams ", large it was that I do not think,"

"hard, either. And there are only beginning to end to live if the person in front of the now second"

lost its place of representation in the corona epidemic What do you think now that the actor has been on the stage for over a year?

(Tetsuro Kawai, Reporter, Faculty of Science and Culture)

"Origin" of actor life "Pisaro"

On the 15th of this month, the stage "Pisaro" celebrated its first day at the PARCO Theater in Shibuya, Tokyo.

While the inside of the theater, where you enter by disinfecting the soles of your shoes, disinfecting your hands, and measuring the temperature, you can feel the tension that you do not usually have, while the fans who are looking forward to the performance convey the expectation for the stage that is about to begin. Come on.

Ken Watanabe plays Pissarro, a Spanish general who invades the Inca Empire in South America.

The stage is the 16th century.

Spain, which believes in Christianity, and the Inca Empire, whose god is the sun.

Through the conflict of different values, people ask what they believe and how they live.

This work is a stage that has a special meaning for Mr. Watanabe.

36 years ago, in 1985, when he was 25 years old and was still "nearly unknown", "Pisaro" appeared.

At this time, the famous actor Tsutomu Yamazaki played the role of the main character, Pissarro, and Mr. Watanabe played the role of the young Inca king.

Mr. Watanabe says that this experience became the "origin" of his life as an actor.

"I used to work a bit, but I was sly without being prepared to become an actor.

At this time, I said," If you can't do this play, you can stop acting. I went to practice thinking "Is it okay?", But I had an experience that seemed to be "a tough but good job" rather than a kind of response. "

Thoughts that were cut off by the corona

Mr. Watanabe revisited the stage last spring when he was 60 years old.

Mr. Watanabe, who has been active internationally such as expanding into Hollywood and Broadway, said that he had a desire to reconsider his origin as an actor in the background of challenging this work again.

"When I was in a position to play Pissarro, I thought,'Why am I doing this now?' At

that time, I've been an actor until now, and of course the results have improved and the evaluation has been improved. I received it, but I felt that it was a good time to "return to the ground" again. I think it makes sense to do this play now. "

However, that thought will be cut off in the middle.

He faced the spread of the new coronavirus.

The scheduled first day was postponed for a week, and although the curtain started after that, all 45 performances were scheduled to be canceled after 10 performances.

At that time, there were no clear guidelines within the industry for theater infection control.

"Even if I couldn't see my facial expression through the mask, I felt that it wasn't the air that the audience came to see the play. It was a strange feeling of tension, like" We're here! "

It was really hard in a sense. I was doing 10 performances while feeling that it would be nice to come at that time, so stopping the performance is not "sorry" but "it can't be helped, this is useless" That's it. Spat, it's over in me. "

At this time, Mr. Watanabe posted a handwritten message in the dressing room.

<It was a tough Inca trip.

But I will never forget the irreplaceable days I spent with everyone!

!!

I am looking forward to the day when I can laugh and meet again.

Please protect yourself with your heart.

See you!

Ken>

"I couldn't say" Thank you for your hard work "to each other, and of course there was no launch. At the heart of my heart, I decided that I would do it again." This is not the end. "

The meaning of standing on the stage staring at the corona

During the following year, many stages were forced to be postponed or canceled.

Many works were canceled without being delivered to a single audience.

Mr. Watanabe was keenly aware of the "fragility" of his job as an actor in the face of losing the place of expression.

"We can't go out unless requested. The social situation at that time is that I don't want to say it now, but it feels like" unnecessary and urgent ", and I feel that our work is not necessary. Because there was "

At the same time, Mr. Watanabe is said to have been reminded of the meaning of being on the stage as an actor for the past year.

"Last year, when the first day was extended by a week, I shot the costumes and makeup as they were, with no audience for the purpose of recording. At that time, I really asked," How much energy did we get from our customers? " I was keenly aware.

now, by also including heart shield will be stretched. it is between the people and the people, servants it I is not alive to rely on (emotional connection) a. of the connection Performing and expressing while accepting various things inside. It was supposed to be our job, but the starting point was cut off.

All such shields were removed between people

.

In the past year, I really thought that I couldn't really express myself unless I had it. "

I still have something I want to deliver

The stage "Pisaro" has been decided to be re-performed over a year.

During this time, guidelines for infection control in the industry have been established, and it has become possible to perform even in the corona virus.

This time as well, we were hit by a state of emergency after the performance was decided, but all the cast staff carried out a PCR test once every three days, and even in the rehearsal hall, we put on a mask and took thorough measures to complete the performance.

At a press conference the day before the opening, Mr. Watanabe frankly expressed his feelings about opening the theater in this situation.

"In a sense, it's painful to have people go to the theater in a time when they can't go out, but even so, the whole company strongly feels that we have something we want to deliver. I'm

Pissarro, played by Mr. Watanabe on this stage, is an old general who is over 60 years old.

While conscious of his own death coming soon, while exchanging hearts with the Inca king who lives on a different culture, he asks himself what he believes in and how to live for a limited time, and the inside shakes. I will go.

"Pisaro: I'm about to die!

When I think of that darkness, everything fades away.

The joy of any life quickly rots.

The time since I was old is much longer and more painful than when I was young. ”(From the stage“ Pissarro ”)

Mr. Watanabe says that Pissarro's appearance has some overlap with himself.

"I'm 61 years old now, but I'm still a little overwhelmed by the end of my life.

(Pisaro in the play) inspires me,

but I also make a little soft noise, and I'm

about to I'm also worried about what will happen. There is something very sympathetic in that area. "

On the other hand, he says that this work has universality even in this era when he experienced a pandemic.

"At that time (the 1960s when the drama was written), the scars of the war remained, the Cold War was there, and the world was still rattling. Now, in an era when we have the illusion that such things have disappeared, the coronavirus I think we are in an era where "human death" and "social division" can be felt personally, not at the political or national level.

"Pisaro" is also a very grand story. It's a very minimal and personal story, but it's a work that appeals to life, pain, comfort, and compassion. "

How to live in an uncertain era

In Corona, many places of expression, including theater, have been in trouble.

And even now, a year later, it is still unclear when the day when peace will return to everyday life.

At

the end of the interview, Mr. Watanabe said,

"How do you live in this era?" It

is a simple idea to believe in what you can do now and act.

"Some people say,'I want to give you courage and hope,' in entertainment and sports. I think that's fine, but I don't think it's such a big deal at all. We've been there for a year. It's all about letting me deliver what I've built for a while, because there

's no such uncertain world, so the stage will open again at 2:00 pm today, that's all. I believe in this. It's an era when I don't know when and what will happen to me, so I'll be doing the stage normally today in places where there are no extremes of "preparation" or "division". How do you live with the person in front of you? In the end, you have to do it all the time, and I think it comes down to a very simple idea. "

Tetsuro Kawai, Reporter, Department of Science and Culture

Joined in 2010.

After working at the Maebashi and Chiba stations, he has been in charge of cultural coverage at the Faculty of Science and Culture since 2015.

Covers a wide range of topics, including literary and literary history, pop culture such as music and movies, and Go and Shogi.