Actor Yutaka Mizutani　

A life enriched by movies: From receiving to giving

Actor Yutaka Mizutani

■ Profile
Born July 14, 1952, in Hokkaido. In 1968, he made his debut as the lead in "Vampire" (Fuji TV), and has since appeared in numerous popular series, including the "Netsujou Jidai" series (Nippon TV), the "Muyoan Inkyo Shugyo" series (BS Asahi), and the "Aibou" series (TV Asahi). In addition to his acting career, he has also demonstrated his talents in a wide range of fields, including as a singer and film director.

Yutaka Mizutani has been active as a leading actor for over 50 years."Partner"The new season of "AIBOU" will begin airing in October. We spoke to Mizutani about the appeal of acting, why he has been able to continue for so long, the beginnings of the 25th anniversary series, the appeal of this season, and his heartfelt message to university students.

I've loved movies since I was a child, and grew up watching a variety of films. I was greatly influenced by movies in my teens and twenties, and there are many movies that I still remember vividly. I feel that watching movies has enriched my life immensely.
One of the amazing things about movies is that no matter how difficult the times, when you watch a movie, you can forget about them and become immersed in the film. I think the power of movies as entertainment to influence our lives is truly amazing. In the past, movies have given me so much in my life, but before I knew it, I was in the position of giving something back. It's truly mysterious, isn't it?

■ The appeal of being an actor is that he is "a presence that makes you forget your worries."

The appeal of being an actor is that I can make people forget their troubles. For example, I may not be able to cure an illness, but I think I can make people forget about it.
I'm also often asked about how to continue as an actor for a long time. Unfortunately, there isn't any (laughs). If there was, I'd like to tell someone, but I really don't know. I just kept working hard and ended up continuing as an actor for a long time.
I started working in this field when I was a child. However, I failed to get into university and my family environment meant I had to work part-time to earn money, so I left this world for a while. However, when I was 19, I was approached by a producer who didn't know that I had stopped acting. At the time, I thought, "If I'm going to do a part-time job anyway, I might as well pursue this field since I have experience in it," and so I accepted.
At first, I tried it as a part-time job, but it turned out to be well-received. Once it gained some popularity, I started getting requests for another "part-time job." And so, the "part-time jobs" continued...and before I knew it, it felt like I'd been doing this part-time job for over 50 years (laughs).
When I'm creating a work and thinking about what kind of character I should play, I almost get the feeling that the answer "comes down from the sky." When I think, "What should I do?", the answer comes down from the sky. It's been like that since I was young, and that feeling of "comes down from the sky" has continued until now.
Also, as with anything I do, I believe that I cannot achieve something through my own efforts alone. A good team is also important. I think I have been able to continue this way because I have a good team around me that understands me.

■ About the beginning of "AIBOU"

I wouldn't say that appearing in "Aibou" consciously changed my outlook on life. Of course, I may have been naturally influenced in some ways, but there were no changes that I was strongly conscious of.
This work was originally a two-hour drama. The script was so interesting that I was surprised, thinking, "I don't think there has ever been such an interesting police story before." In fact, it turned out to be such an interesting piece that the TV station asked me to make three episodes and turn it into a series.
It was so interesting that I once blurted out at a talk event, "If it becomes a series, I think it will run for five years." The producers and scriptwriters were all surprised, saying, "Wow! It's going to run that long?" And it started like that, and now it's been 25 years. No one expected it to continue this long.

■Broadcast from October"AIBOU season 24"　　

The first episode of every season of "Aibou" surprises us, the cast members. This time, the beginning is unprecedented and I think it's an extraordinary start. Special Investigation Unit member Sugishita Ukyo ends up becoming an apprentice to a Living National Treasure. This has never happened before. Ukyo is wearing a workman's uniform and a kimono.
I personally had a lot of fun filming. When I came to the set in my work clothes, the staff were delighted and surprised, saying "Wow!" However, by the third or fourth day, wearing work clothes had become completely normal. Apart from the work clothes, there will be some amazing outfits that have never been seen before. Please look forward to it.
This will be my first time acting with guest Tsurutaro Kataoka in 35 years. It was a fun time after such a long time. This time Tsurutaro played the role of a Living National Treasure storyteller, and as you would expect from a national treasure, he was quite arrogant when he got into character (laughs). The interaction between the two of us is one of the charms of the show. The world of storytelling is a really fascinating world once you get to know it, so I think everyone who watches will enjoy it.

■Message to students

When I think back to when I was young, I realize I wasn't very skillful. When you have worries, you have no choice but to immerse yourself in them. It's hard to get out of them, and you end up feeling pain and suffering. You may get hurt, and you may hurt others. I think this is a time when a lot of that pain will occur.
I myself had a lot of worries when I was young. There were a lot of things that didn't go the way I wanted them to. There were many times when I would think, "This has got to be a joke," "Why don't they understand me?" or "They're just saying what they want," and I would become deeply troubled.
Now that I'm past that period, I think, "Most things weren't worth worrying about." I hope you can remember this perspective as much as possible before you start worrying too much and feeling miserable. This will increase the amount of fun you can have. I think it's best to use your time as much as possible to do fun things. Since you're in college, I hope you'll use it to have fun, not to worry.

Student Newspaper Online September 9, 2025 Interview: Showa Women's University, 2nd year student, Abe Rurika

■ Impressions from the interview
Having been watching "Aibou" since I was in elementary school, it was a great honor for me to interview Mizutani Yutaka. He spoke of the appeal of acting as "the power to make the audience forget reality," and reflected on the secret to his longevity as "thanks to those around me." I felt his humility and deep conviction. Furthermore, his message that young people should spend their time enjoying things rather than worrying resonated deeply with me as I search for my future career path. His warm words and sincere attitude made me realize once again how much I admire him.
N High School 3rd year Masamasa Hattori

Aoi Watanabe, 1st year student at Hosei University / Rurika Abe, 2nd year student at Showa Women's University / Masamasa Hattori, 3rd year student at N High School / Yuuki Shiraishi, 1st year student at Information, Management and Innovation University