Yuka Fururi: Rising Star of the Shogun

Yuka Kouri was filming a commercial when her agent informed her that she had landed the role in Kiku. generalThe 10-episode drama is adapted from James Clavell’s 1975 classic novel of the same name, vividly recreating Japan’s violent feudal history. Her reaction to the news was disbelief. She sent her audition tape to radio silence three months ago and didn’t think she had any chance of landing the role.

“It was a two-minute tape that I shot for about 14 hours over two days,” she laughs. “I had to do it in old-fashioned Japanese, but I just couldn’t do it right. After the first day, I told the manager we had to do it again. By the end, I wasn’t satisfied, but we were running out of time. So, When I was told I got it, I was more surprised than ecstatic, I thought, Why did they choose me? I figured something must have gone wrong. ”

No. Justin Marks, who co-created the show with his wife, Rachel Kondo, later told Gourry that he was convinced she was playing a mysterious and manipulative character when he saw her in the footage The best candidate for Xiaoju (Izu’s most famous and seductive prostitute). While other actors were asked to audition a second time, she didn’t: the decision had already been made. In October 2021, Guri flew to Vancouver to start filming.

sense of responsibility

“Sitting on the plane, I definitely felt stressed,” recalls the Tokyo-born actress. “As an actor, there is always a sense of responsibility to get things done, but I feel it even more strongly this time.”

Guri worked in the entertainment industry for more than a decade; before becoming an actress, she worked as a model for a year, but the work wasn’t as regular or exciting as she’d hoped. She was frustrated that she couldn’t move around much during the photo shoot. She felt that acting would give her more opportunities to express herself, so she decided to give it a try.

After appearing in a commercial for an online game, she made her television debut in a miniseries Family Town (camouflage family). “I was so embarrassed by my performance that it was almost impossible to watch,” Curry said. “I did improve since then, but I was never happy with my performances. In my previous company, I didn’t get a lot of big roles and my mindset was that it was my management’s fault. From there Over time, I came to realize that it’s about what I do, not my company. There are no excuses. During the epidemic, I watched a lot of movies and really started to think seriously about what kind of actor I wanted to be.”

The tide began to turn for Kouri in November 2020, when she appeared in a heartfelt online ad for Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), playing a woman who unnecessarily doubts her fiancé’s commitment while planning a wedding. Although it was less than four minutes long, it had a huge impact, with over 7 million views. Directors and producers came into contact, eventually leading to them taking bigger roles in films, such as romantic dramas Ainanoni (Love nonetheless) and Tsukino Fukudamura (September 1923), a film about the Fukuda Village Incident, in which nine Japanese were killed in the Kanto Massacre on suspicion of being Koreans. but general It will be the largest project she has ever worked on.

Master ancient crafts

The second television adaptation of Clavell’s novel, general Depicts the days leading up to one of the most seminal conflicts in Japanese history: the Battle of Sekigahara. The play follows the journey of 17th-century Japanese navigator John Blackthorne. Immersed in a foreign culture, he navigates intense political intrigue and complex samurai traditions, eventually forming an alliance with the ambitious daimyo Lord Toranaga, played by internationally renowned actor Hiroyuki Sanada.

Preparing for the role of Kiku – who plies her trade in the Izu region, a territory under the influence of Lord Toranaga – required a lot of preparation and training. “While Kiku is a fictional character, she is based on the highest-ranking prostitutes of the period, who spent decades mastering their craft,” Kouri explains. “I had a short period of time to learn some of the required skills, like how to play the shamisen. Even things like walking with bent knees and standing up straight from a kneeling position were tricky.”

After arriving on the set, Guri’s sense of pressure became even more intense. “I’ve never experienced anything this big before,” she said. “I was surprised by the number of people and how many big names there were.” She soon discovered she had no reason to be nervous. During the shoot, she said, “it felt like everyone was equal. Sometimes, in Japanese productions, you almost have to bow every time the lead character walks by. general It’s not like that at all. There is a great camaraderie among the cast and crew. I think that’s one of the reasons the show is so successful. “

“A true masterpiece”

After premiering two episodes in February on FX and Hulu in the U.S. and Disney+ internationally, the show became the most played show on all platforms, with more than 9 million views. It also won rave reviews from critics time Magazine’s Judy Berman described it as “a true masterpiece” The Guardian‘s Rebecca Nicholson called it “good-looking, confident and often mesmerizing television”.

The show was also widely praised for putting Japanese characters front and center rather than relegating them to supporting roles – much like the original 1980 miniseries, which centered primarily on Jack Blackthorne’s perspective. Marks and Kondo wanted to avoid “white savior” tropes and asked Sanada to double as producer to ensure the show maintained appropriate authenticity.

One of the things Sanada did as a producer was insist that all Japanese characters be played by Japanese actors. “Sanada has been helping Japanese actors open doors overseas for many years,” Guri explains. “He was a very inspiring figure and was passionate about the project. We all were. Every actor except Sanada auditioned for the role, so everyone was chosen based on merit, not like in Japan That way I thought the quality of the performances was high.

“Then you also have this amazing script, amazing visuals and a great director. It all felt like it came together perfectly.”

record breaking night

At the Emmy Awards in September, general Won 18 awards, setting a single-season record for a TV series. It was also the first mostly non-English language show to be rated as outstanding drama. Frederick Toye won the Outstanding Director award, while Sanada and Anna Sawai (who plays Mariko, an aristocratic woman who serves as translator and Blackthorne’s ally) received the Outstanding Actor and Actor award. Curry said she was in tears throughout the night, especially when her cast and director’s names were announced.

“It feels like a dream,” she said, smiling. “I thought we were going to be named Outstanding Drama, but I wasn’t ready when we were nominated. The whole night was just amazing.” Another best moment, she said, was meeting Saoirse Ronan. “She told me she loved generalI was shocked that she knew who I was. I’m a huge fan of hers, especially movies like this lady bird and little women. I never thought that when I first entered the entertainment industry, I would be in the same room with these big overseas stars. “

This is unlikely to be the last time this happens. When asked about her future, Curry was somewhat evasive by saying she had some “interesting projects” coming up. One TV series she could mention is called heart attackIt tells the story of a group of super-powered humans called “mutants.”

“My ultimate goal, though, is to be in a Hollywood superhero movie,” she said. “To be in something like this and win myself an Emmy — that would be the ultimate goal.”

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