Kasumi Yamaya I'm looking forward to the scenery that awaits me at the end of my journey, so I'll do my best now

■ Profile

Born on December 26, 1996 in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture.
In 2007, she passed an audition held by Avex and made her debut the following year in the drama "CHANGE."
In the film "Code Blue: The Movie - Doctor Helicopter Emergency Lifesaving" (directed by Nishiura Masaki/2018), he played the role of a terminal cancer patient with a shaved head, attracting attention.
Her lead role in the film "Fake Plastic Planet" won the Best Actress Award in a Foreign Language Film at the 2019 Madrid International Film Festival.
She has appeared in films such as "No Longer Human: Dazai Osamu and the Three Women" and "Sakura," as well as in the Sainokuni Shakespeare Theatre Series productions such as "Henry VIII" and "All's Well That Ends Well."
She will appear as the heroine in the FOD original drama "My Right Big Brother," which will begin streaming on October 15th.

Yamatani, who hails from Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, won Avex's nationwide auditions and began her career as an actress. When she was a student, the Shinkansen was her switch to change her life for work. We take a look behind the scenes of her journey, which is guided by her motto of "never lying to yourself or to your acting," and find out what to look forward to in the drama "My Righteous Big Brother."

■Don't leave things you don't understand unanswered!

Ever since I was a child, I was the type of person who didn't hesitate to speak up in front of others, and I would always try to find answers to my questions rather than leaving them unanswered. For example, in a Japanese test, I once got a wrong answer to a question that asked me to "write my impressions after reading this story." I just couldn't accept that there were right and wrong answers to my impressions, so I spoke to the teacher directly and got a perfect score (laughs). I was the type of person who wasn't afraid to ask questions even to adults if I had any.
I've always loved television, and I would say in front of everyone at school, "I want to be on TV!" At the time, I thought all television was live, so it was really strange to me that the performers looked different in commercials. I thought that if I appeared on TV, I might be able to solve that mystery, so I became interested in appearing on TV. Then, my homeroom teacher, who remembered what I had said, told me about Avex's nationwide auditions, and I passed, which led me to enter the industry.

When I first started this job, I struggled to communicate well with the other child actors, and there were times when I cried and wished I'd never known the world of television, and wanted to go back to Sendai as soon as possible. However, after that, I left my parents' home for the first time to take part in a location shoot, and I thought maybe I could become friends with my co-stars. As they taught me things like greetings and how to read the script, I gradually began to find acting interesting. On the set of the movie "Confessions," I felt that for the first time, an adult treated me as an equal, not just as a child, and I was very happy. It was also brilliant to see that, regardless of age or position, we all share the same goal of creating something good, and it made me want to improve my acting skills and study harder.

■What I saw by continuing

"Code Blue: The Movie" was also a big project for me. When I was 21, my friends around me were getting married, having children, getting jobs, and other changes in their lives, and I started to wonder if I wanted to continue on the same path. I took on this project with the thought that if I failed this time, I would quit, but I passed the audition. Filming was tough, but it was so much fun, and I felt like I was able to start anew as an adult, fighting alongside the character. The story taught me that life has its limits, and it gave me the push I needed to try again.
Everything in this job is really connected. There are many things you won't understand unless you continue. I met someone at an audition 10 years ago who told me, "I had a great time back then," and because I continued, I was able to meet them again and hear them talk to me. I think this job is filled with many such happy moments. It's easy to quit. It's hard to continue, but there's hope that such small happy events may still occur.

■ In "My Righteous Brother," she played the heroine in a drama that she had always dreamed of.

I was once told, "You'll never be able to play the heroine" (laughs). That really made me sad, so I thought to myself, "I'll definitely play the heroine someday!" This competitive spirit is probably my biggest driving force.
I was very happy to have the opportunity to play the heroine role that I had always wanted to play.

The heroine I play, Riyo, is a truly straightforward, kind and brave girl. While acting, I felt like I was being purified. I thought a lot about how to portray Riyo, who fights loneliness and overcomes it even though she is hurt more than anyone else, in a pure and beautiful way. I also felt embarrassed when I actually acted out what I had read in the manga, and I also felt the difficulty of a love story.

"Sleep" is a keyword for this film, and there is a scene where I sleep next to the main actor, Furukawa Yudai. There is a scene where Riyo, who is sleeping and trying to get up, is pulled up by Kairi, played by Furukawa, who whispers in her ear, and it was really exciting (laughs). I told myself, "This is not me, this is the character saying this!" This is the scene that Furukawa and I discussed and decided was the most exciting scene in the film, so I hope you will all watch it.

It's not just a classic love story, but it also has elements of suspense and wonderful scenes that make everyday scenery seem natural, so I think it's a work that parents and children can enjoy together. I think it's a work that you can grow together with, such as learning about trust in relationships with your partner and the importance of family, so I would recommend it to university students as well.

■ Do your best with what you can do now

When acting, I always make it a priority to "not lie" in every production. The script is merely a textbook, and I try to think about why a certain line came out, why they acted that way, why they were crying, and so on. If I have any questions about the ending of a line, the line itself, or the use of words, I try to resolve them as soon as possible. I prepare various options, but when I stand in front of the camera, I forget all of them and express what I think in front of the other person. I want to cherish the back-and-forth with the other person, and the reality of what happens in the moment.

The other day, Yoshida Kotaro told me, "Work hard, take over the world, I'll do my best too." I think actors are often divided into those who appear in dramas, those who appear on stage, and those who appear in movies. It may be greedy, but I want to be an actress who is expected to do all things equally, and who is trusted to be entrusted with roles, without being limited to one field. That's why I want to study now and keep working hard.

■Message to university students

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently living in an age where we can't meet up with friends or go where we want to go, and the walls we can't overcome seem incredibly high. But if we persevere now, our dreams may come true, and we may even be able to move on to the next step. No one knows what the future holds, and thinking about it will only make us anxious. If we work hard now, the results will come naturally. I hope you enjoy the present without getting too worked up.

Student Newspaper Online September 7, 2021 Aki Kawanami, 4th year student at Tsuda University

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