上村 祐翔

We asked Yuto Uemura, who continues to dedicate himself to his work, about his recent work, what he thinks is important in expressing the main character who cries out in the middle of the world.

The movie “Bungou Stray Dogs Dead Apple” is being screened. What kind of work did you end up with? Uemura: I think it’s a movie that can be delivered with depth because it’s been a while after the TV series has aired. Takuya Igarashi-san (director), Yoji Enokido-san (screenwriter), and Kafka Asagiri-san (original author) have created a luxurious original story unique to movies. As a story, the focus is directly on the different abilities themselves. The person’s individuality becomes a prominent ability, and they are forced to face the different abilities of the phenomenon. Atsushi also had a big wall to overcome, and all the staff members encouraged me by saying, “It’s tough, but this time it’s up to Uemura-kun,” and I managed to record it.

How did the dubbing go? Uemura: The recording this time will be divided into several days. I often recorded with Kensho Ono-san, who played Ryunosuke Akutagawa, and Sumiri Morohoshi, who played Kyoka Izumi. It was different from the TV series that everyone recorded together, and there was an atmosphere unique to the three of us.

Atsushi, Akutagawa, and Kyoka are the three younger members with supernatural powers. Uemura: Although they belong to different affiliations, they are the younger generation who will be responsible for Yokohama in the future. But even among them, Atsushi was too lame this time (laughs). Kyouka-chan keeps following me, and Akutagawa, who should have been my rival and can’t show carelessness, ended up pulling him. But even in that exchange, there was an interesting balance between the three of us, and it was a fun recording.

Name a particularly memorable scene? Uemura: The lines that Atsushi speaks to Dazai at the end are wonderful. Atsushi, who can say that line naturally, gives me a deep sense of meaning, and I’m deeply touched. As an actor, it’s important to say it smoothly without adding nuances because it’s an important line. There are many parts that I don’t talk much about and leave to the viewers. That’s why it’s important to express the small fluctuations of emotions.

From the end of last year to February, there was also a performance of “Bungou Stray Dogs,” and I heard that you saw it. Uemura: Coincidentally, Kensho Ono-san was also there on the same day, and by chance Atsushi and Akutagawa were together, and the we thought it was really interesting. I was overwhelmed by the spirit and my heart throbbed. As expected, I was glued to Yuki Torigoe-san who played Atsushi. Previously, when I greeted Torigoe-san, I told him that I wanted to see “As an actor, it was very encouraging.”

Uemura-san, you also experienced acting on stage when you were a child actor. Uemura: I am very interested. However, even if I was asked to play a role like Atsushi, I don’t have that kind of physical ability… (laughs). Miyano-san (Mamoru) has also appeared on the stage, and this movie was recorded during the performance. I would like to challenge various expressions.

On the other hand, this is also the starring work “Darling in the Franxx” and broadcasting continues. What is the response after the number of episodes broadcasted? Uemura: Atsushi Nishikori-san has been saying from the beginning that the team spirit of the “children” is important, and I feel that this is becoming more and more important. There are people from a wide range of careers, from newcomers to veterans, and each one of them faces the challenge by exposing their inner self. It’s a work that can’t be played.

The dialogue as an ensemble drama and the movement of emotions are also delicately depicted. Uemura: When I practise alone, there are many things that are difficult, but in the scenes with Zero Two (Haruka Tomatsu) and other scenes, I cherish the breath that comes out of the dialogue, and I’m willing to do so. As time went on, I began to feel that I could meet Zero Two as soon as possible, I would be able to respond. Also, this time, I’m happy to be able to be able to play the role of best friends with Yuichirou Umehara-san.

On the other hand, the monologue is also impressive. Uemura: Monologue is difficult, but I’m conscious of a neutral voice. Don’t put too much emotion in it, don’t leave it out too much. Unlike the narration, I think it’s something that shows a lot of emotion, so at first I had to consult with the directors a lot to make adjustments.

Also, the radio program “Our Music Park” with Shoya Chiba, Yuya Hozumi, Shun Horie, and Takuto Yoshinaga is distributed twice a month. Uemura: I’m sorry for always being so busy and noisy (laughs). Our unit’s name is a combination of Sparkle Park, Quinted, and Crew. I read all of the unit proposals sent by everyone, and thought about them seriously, so it’s a great fit. Just today, before this interview, I was working with SparQlew, but it was the first gathering since the unit’s name was announced, so we shared the joy. “Hello, I’m SparQlew.”

In the program, there is also a corner that looks back on the great trajectory of Kiramune seniors. Uemura: The passion of each member of SparQlew for this activity is growing as well as realizing the greatness of the seniors. I don’t know what will happen in the future, but I hope we can discover our uniqueness one by one.

In addition, serialization has been decided on “KIKI” from April, what kind of content will it be? Uemura: Every day, I think about various things and write them down in my notebook, so I would like it to be in my notebook, so I would like it to be an extension of that. I have always liked reading books and writing, so I would like to write down my feelings as faithfully as possible. Depending on how the letters are spelled, I think it’s possible to make them feel the warmth. I’ve also consulted with Yoshiki-san (Nakajima) and Souma Saitou-san, who are seniors in the serialization at “KIKI”, and I hope to make it fun while making use of those connections.

Uemura-san, who is active in many fields, how do you refresh your daily life? Uemura: I try to make time to go to a café and drink coffee before work. Read a book or write a sentence there. I try to take it easy for at least an hour early in the morning to clear myself before I go to work. I would like to keep progressing by layering the input and output firmly.

Column: New myself

I want to start exercising this spring. Lately, I’ve been mostly watching the games, but my mother is good at tennis, so I’d like to try tennis, hoping that I’ll be able to do it too (laughs).