Hidetoshi Nishijima talks about his darkest role yet in new drama

Few actors can express inner turmoil as gracefully as Hidetoshi Nishijima. Best known for starring in the Oscar-winning film starring Ryusuke Hamaguchi drive my carThe Tokyo native is one of Japan’s most beloved leading men, known for bringing quiet intensity and emotional precision to every role. He often plays morally complex characters, and his latest role is no exception. In fact, this may be his most layered performance to date.

Nishijima stars as Professor Shiro Sakaki in upcoming Prime Video series Filial piety in the world (human specimen), a suspense drama adapted from the novel of the same name by best-selling author Hong Kong Kanae. The story begins with butterfly researcher Sakaki telling a police officer that he is the man responsible for turning six teenage boys (including his own son) into “human specimens” – which is as horrific as it sounds. However, as the story unfolds, we learn that not everything is as it seems.

“A deep and intense story”

In Japan, Minato is known as “Queen iya-misu,” which roughly translates to “eww suspense novels”—a genre of suspense novels that are horrifying, intentionally shocking, and deal with the most sinister aspects of human nature. The 52-year-old author has written about many disturbing topics during her career, but human specimen stand out. She called it “a really unpleasant story” and said the subject of parricide was the “hardest” for her to imagine.

This level of darkness piqued Nishijima’s interest. “As soon as I heard about the show I wanted to be a part of it because it’s a deep and intense story and Sakaki is a complex character,” he said. “He has a sinister image at the beginning, but as the script unfolds, you see him change. It establishes a fact that no one expected at the beginning. After watching the show, I hope that the audience will go back to the beginning and rewatch it to know why he did what he did.”

From a psychological perspective, playing the role of killing his own son was difficult for Nishijima. Although he knew Sakaki’s motivations from the beginning after reading the script, he said the character had many obstacles to overcome. It required a lot of effort on his part, and also on the actor who played his son Itaru: Kabuki star Somegoro Ichikawa. The 20-year-old prodigy – whose poise and looks earned him the nickname “Kabuki Prince” – had never acted in a modern drama before, but Nishijima had complete faith in him.

“I think he handled the situation well,” Nishijima said. “There’s something special about him that I haven’t seen in other actors. He established his character with a different methodology than other young actors. We had some crazy scenes to shoot and I think it might have been hard to focus, but he stayed calm throughout.” He noted that both men instinctively accepted their roles without overthinking: “We didn’t have to have any deep conversations about our relationship because he just got it.”

brilliant career

Nishijima plays the emotionally fragile Yusuke Wafuku in the film, with delicate acting skills. drive my car earned him a place new york times“Best Actor 2021” list, introduced him to many international audiences. In Japan, however, Nishijima has been a regular in film and television for more than three decades. He made his breakthrough in 1993 with a coming-of-age drama Tomorrow Baishuin which he played the openly gay Junichiro Matsuoka—a character immediately known for his fearlessness and depth. Since then, Nishijima has embarked on a career characterized by versatility and precision, moving between film, television and the stage, and continually bringing layered humanity to his characters.

But his main ambition was always to work in films. “Movies were a big part of my childhood, so I always aspired to work in films,” he said. “I remember as a child my father playing tapes of classic films by people like Charlie Chaplin, Alfred Hitchcock and Buster Keaton. As I became an actor, I was influenced by directors like John Cassavetes and Robert Bresson.”

In his 20s, Nishijima had the opportunity to make films with emerging directors such as Kurosawa Kiyoshi. Five senses in the world (residence permit). Since then, he has collaborated with some of Japan’s most famous filmmakers, including Takeshi Kitano (baby, Not good) and Hayao Miyazaki (The wind blows). Looking to expand her international horizons, Nishijima made her first English-language role last year in the dark comedy Apple TV+ series sunny working alongside Rashida Jones – an experience that sparked his interest in pursuing more global projects in the future.

“Working with overseas filmmakers can give me new insights,” he says. “By working abroad and bringing back my personal experiences, I believe I can help move Japan’s film system in a better direction. There are many excellent directors and screenwriters in this country with compelling stories, so I hope this will lead to greater international recognition of the excellence of Japanese films. human specimen is a great example and I just hope it appeals to people all over the world. “

More information

human specimen It will be available to stream on Prime Video starting December 18th.

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