Wadaan: Bringing hope to those suffering from the COVID-19 pandemic

■ Profile

Born in 2005, from Tokyo.
He started his entertainment career at the age of 8 and made his acting debut in the film "Mix."
She has attracted attention by appearing on Fuji TV's "The Greener the Neighbors Are" and HBO Asia's "Folklore: TATAMI."
He then studied abroad in Canada to improve his language skills and interpersonal abilities, and returned to Japan in the summer of 2020.
His hobby is skateboarding, and he is constantly improving his skateboarding skills alongside his acting career.

15-year-old Iori Wada is garnering attention as a promising actor of the next generation. After studying abroad in Canada, he was selected to play the main role in the film "Burning Madder," directed by Yuya Ishii and starring Machiko Ono, for his first job in about a year and a half. We spoke to him about his childhood, his approach to work, and his thoughts on the job of acting.

■ He loved animals so much that as a child he brought home shrimp for udon sukiyaki and raised them.

　When I was little, I just loved living things. There was an udon restaurant in Shinjuku, and I would often go there to eat udon with my family. Then, when I was in elementary school, one of the ingredients in the udon was live tiger shrimp. When I saw it, I thought, "I want to keep one at home!" So I secretly took the shrimp from the plate, put it in my pocket, and brought it home, where I carefully raised it in an aquarium. Two months later, my parents found out I was raising tiger shrimp, and they did everything they could to stop me from saying, "I want to eat it!" (laughs) That tiger shrimp lived in the aquarium in my house for the next six months.
　He also loved watching TV. He would watch shows like "Piramekino" and "Tensai Terebikun" where kids his age were active, and would often say, "I want to be on TV too." Seeing this, his parents applied for him to audition at a training institute when he was seven years old. From then on, as he auditioned more and more, I think he gradually began to become aware of the job of an actor.

■After appearing in "Burning Madder," I decided to pursue this path

I decided to pursue a career as an actor after appearing in director Ishii Yuya's "Burning Madder." In fact, even before appearing in this film, I had been involved in acting, but I felt that my sense of "acting" was somewhat vague, and that I wasn't consciously playing the role in the film. So, I decided to take a fresh look at myself and went to Canada to study abroad.
　My appearance in "Burning Scarlet" was my first work in about a year and a half since I last worked in Canada while studying abroad. Even though it had been a while since I last worked on a film, I felt a lot of pressure when I was selected for the main role. The first week of filming was quite tough mentally. But because of that, I was able to take the role more seriously than ever before.
This work was stimulating for me in many ways, and the people around me often pointed out things I hadn't noticed, making it a very educational experience. What was particularly impressive was the way the staff approached the work. For example, Director Ishii was a friendly and kind older brother in the dressing room. Ono Machiko, who played my mother, was a bright and kind person who led the atmosphere on set. However, the moment the cameras started rolling, both of them became completely different people and focused on the work. Seeing how they were on set made me realize just how inexperienced I was.
As I worked on this film with the director, cast, hair and makeup artists, costume designers and filming staff, I strongly felt that "Ah, I really do love this job." And, by facing the role in this film more than ever before and feeling that it was rewarding, I strongly felt that "I want to make a living on this path."

■Their roles are polar opposites, but they share a common trait: their competitive nature.

The character I played in Akaneiro ni Yakeru, Junpei Tanaka, was very different from me in terms of both personality and background. Junpei likes to read at home. I like skateboarding. We are complete opposites, one an indoor person and the other an outdoor person.
That's why, taking into account his circumstances and experiences, I thought carefully alone about what kind of boy Junpei was, right up until the moment I went to the set, as I approached the role. Whenever there was something I couldn't understand, I would ask the director directly. There's a scene where Junpei says at the dinner table, "Mom, I just don't understand." In this scene, where a child vents his frustrations to his mother, I thought, "Junpei is angry." However, when I actually performed the role, complex emotions welled up inside me, including not only anger but also sadness, wondering, "Why don't they understand me?" At that moment, I felt a connection between myself and Junpei. Also, in the scene where Junpei is bullied, I was so immersed in the role that I wondered, "Why do I feel this way, even though I'm just acting?"
However, we did have some things in common. For example, we both have similar competitive personalities. If I lose at a sports day, I'll cry in frustration because I hate to lose. But I'll also cry if I win. Because I'm happy (laughs).

■ What I want to try next is action

　In the future, I would like to try action as an actor. I've always loved moving my body. In the film I recently starred in, Burning Scarlet, there was a scene where I had to move my body a lot, which was fun. Also, I'm currently hooked on skateboarding, which I started while studying abroad in Canada. I enjoy skateboarding so much that I currently train four days a week.

■We want to bring hope to people suffering from the COVID-19 pandemic

　In Burning Scarlet, a mother and child are hit with various injustices and misfortunes during the COVID-19 pandemic. The story is never painted in a rosy tone, but rather depicts the realities of life. I'm sure there are students out there who are finding life difficult amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Entrance ceremonies are not being held, classes are being held remotely instead of going to school, job hunting is difficult... I'm sure there are many things that aren't going as planned. I would be happy if this film inspires those people to try even just a little harder.

Interview with Student Newspaper Online on April 9, 2021 by Hayae Isozaki, 3rd year student at Takushoku University

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