Oshiro Maeda: Being an actor tests your humanity. That's why I want to keep improving myself.

■ Profile

Born in 2000 in Osaka Prefecture. Since 2007, he has been active as a comedy duo "Maeda Maeda" with his brother, Koki Maeda. In 2021, he attracted attention by appearing in the morning drama "Ochoyan" (20/NHK). Upcoming films include "The God of Cinema" (released August 6, 2021/directed by Yoji Yamada), "The Girl on the Sea" (released August 20, 2021/directed by Atsushi Ueda), and "What She Likes" (released fall 2021/directed by Shogo Kusano).

Maeda Oshiro has appeared on many TV shows since he was an elementary school student as part of the comedy brother duo Maeda Maeda, and has even made it to the semi-finals of the M-1 Grand Prix. Maeda, who is currently active as an actor, spoke animatedly about his childhood memories as a comedian, the appeal of being an actor, and his future prospects.

■His childhood activities as Maeda Maeda

　I was a cheerful kid, always playing around with my friends and messing around. At the age of three, I enrolled in a training school, not even knowing what I was doing. It was entirely influenced by my older brother. It was typical of a younger brother, "I want to do what my older brother does!" (laughs). To me, it felt more like a hobby than a job. One day, I had a manzai class, and my brother, the teacher, and I worked together to create a skit. As I continued my work, I felt like "if I'm going to do it, I might as well perform it," so I entered the M-1 Grand Prix. After advancing to the semifinals, I had more opportunities to appear on TV. There were days when I was too busy to go to school, but when I could, I attended regularly and enjoyed playing with my friends. I always enjoyed both work and school back then. However, I still didn't think about pursuing this career as an adult.

■When he entered high school, he decided to pursue a career as an actor.

　In fact, it was when I was about to enter high school that I decided to work hard in the entertainment industry. Up until then, I had a strong feeling that I was simply enjoying the work I was given. However, when it came time to enter high school, I was faced with the question of whether to go to high school in Osaka or Tokyo. If I wanted to continue acting properly, I should go to school in Tokyo, but I also wanted to enjoy school life at school in Osaka with my old friends. I realized that if I was going to go to Tokyo and work, my previous approach wouldn't work, and I had to make up my mind. It was then that I first faced my future and decided to "work hard as an actor," and went to school in Tokyo.

■ I went to university to expand my options

　After that, I went on to university, but that was because I thought it would be a waste to only know the job of acting. Of course, I could have dedicated myself to acting. But in the path of acting, you only interact with people on the production side, such as performers, directors, and technicians. Even so, I had some wonderful encounters, but I wanted to be exposed to as many different things as possible and broaden my horizons. That's why I went to university.
　Right now, I want to continue acting, but I don't know if I'll continue this job for the rest of my life. Acting was just the first job I encountered, and I might end up wanting to do something else. That's why I thought that getting to know many different people and professions and still wanting to be an actor, and choosing from the options available, might make a difference.
　In my faculty, there are so many people who are working hard in all sorts of different fields, and many people support my entertainment career as one of those activities. I'm also happy to be able to live like a university student surrounded by inspiring people I respect, and I'm glad I chose this environment.

■ If you can act like you're just there, that's the best

　Two years ago, I appeared on stage for the first time in a production called "The Poorest Frontline." When filming a drama or movie, the shooting order is random, so I had to think about how to act to make the scene work, but on stage, you act from start to finish without any breaks in front of the audience. For that reason, it was necessary to consistently think about what kind of person each character was and how they lived in the story, and act accordingly. I think it was a great experience to naturally become aware of that feeling through performing on stage.
　The job of an actor is one that brings out a person's individuality and humanity. Of course, effort and experience are necessary, but I think it's more about the "human qualities" of a person than the experience as an actor. That's why I think the best thing to do is to believe in the 20 years I've lived, hone my senses from the knowledge and experience I've gained through my work on set, and express myself.
　On the other hand, I don't try to express myself too strongly when I'm acting. What's important is how well I can fit into the scene, and whether I can exist in it. How much I can be aware of it outside of my conscious mind. I think it would be the best if I could act by "simply being there." I want to be an actor who can deliver prescribed lines naturally as if they were a person present in the scene. To achieve this, I often walk around the set. For example, I'm currently playing a lot of student roles, and it's very difficult to "just be there" if I don't have a solid understanding of the classrooms and school. So I take a walk around the school beforehand, look at the contents of the classrooms, and use my body to visualize and imagine, making an effort to become accustomed to the setting.

■Aiming for a higher level so you can still enjoy acting 10 years from now

　Right now, I don't have a clear goal of what I want to be in the future. Right now, I really enjoy acting. I feel most alive when I'm acting, and being able to be in that state makes me really happy. So, I have a vague idea that it would be nice if I could continue in this state until I die. However, I don't think that I'll be able to enjoy my work as much in 10 years' time if I maintain my current level of skill. That's why I want to make an effort to enjoy acting, and I want to take my job as an actor more seriously and aim for a higher level.

■ Make an effort to gain experience yourself during your university years

　This is something I try to keep in mind myself, but I want students to gain as much experience and go through trial and error as possible while they are in university. If you don't enthusiastically pursue something, your university life will be over in the blink of an eye. Also, there are many adults who will lend you their support just because you are a university student, and if you have youth and passion, there are many people who will support you. Therefore, I think there are many things you can only do now. I want students to use their feet as much as possible during their university life, have the desire to seek out experience on their own, and have the courage to go and grab that experience for themselves.

Interviewed by Student Newspaper Online on April 11, 2021 by Aki Kawanami, 4th year student at Tsuda University 

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