Sisonne's Jiro will be appearing in Otona Keikaku's first stage production. Where does his over-the-top acting come from?

This time I was involved from the planning stage, and I was asked what kind of role I wanted to play.

Normally I just play the role that is given to me, so this was a new experience for me.

So that's how it was.

I was grateful to have the opportunity to reconsider what I like. From there, we all talked more than ever before about the setting and the guests we wanted to invite, and we ended up having Jiro appear!

I was happy to be invited to perform in Otona Keikaku's play. The script was also very interesting, and the comedy structure was neatly put together from the setup to the punchline. I was curious about the order in which Miyato-san wrote the lines.

I was surprised to hear that it went surprisingly smoothly (laughs). The story is about an old family in the Tsugaru region of Aomori Prefecture, and we play the roles of brides. Jiro plays a total of seven roles, including four brothers!

It was incredibly funny even at the script reading stage! I was surprised at how well the scenes where the brothers talk back and forth were already acted out.

The age difference between the brothers is a bit tricky, being only two years apart, so I'm not sure how to express it (laughs). It's difficult, but it's rewarding. This year marks the 20th anniversary of my career, so it's fitting for this milestone... although it's a bit strange to say this at an outside performance.

I love Sisonne so much that I go to their live shows, so I said in the meeting that I wanted to see Jiro-san play both female and male roles. Then Ike-chan gave me a mature opinion, saying, "Jiro-san has been invited to an outside performance, so won't he end up doing the same thing as always?" and I thought he was right.

Did I say that?

However, when I saw the finished script, I realized that Miyato-san had listened to all of my wishes... I'm sorry, Jiro-san!

No, no (laughs). I'm particular about the character, so I was worried about it being unnatural for me to be there, but Miyato's script didn't cause me any stress at all. It seems he's watched a lot of my videos.

That's good. You don't want to do anything that the character you're playing wouldn't do. When I'm asked to act in a drama or something, I think about what that person would do, but I don't want to go beyond the role and act like "Ikezu is doing it."

When I'm called to work on a drama, I try to stay true to myself as much as possible and avoid doing anything unnecessary. However, if I'm told to "make it interesting," I'll do it.

I love laughter, so I always find myself thinking about how to make things more funny. So when I'm asked to act in a serious role, I worry about whether I'll be able to do it.

Jiro-san is able to play a variety of characters, from children to women, with great vividness. I had imagined that this was because he wasn't particularly interested in himself and had a longing to transform into other people. But after working with him this time, I realized that this wasn't the case, and that he is a person who has been loved very much.

Hahaha.

Because they have been loved since they were children, they are not twisted. They can shake off their fears because they have the security of knowing that they will be forgiven no matter what they do.

I'm sure that's true! He's a beloved child!

The people who appear in Sisonne's material are all charming and not unpleasant at all. I thought they must really like people.

It all made sense to me.

(laughs) I think I've been blessed with good people around me since I was a child. Times are getting pretty rough these days, but I still trust people and create material.

This play uses a lot of Tsugaru dialect, which sounds like a foreign language to me, as someone from Tokyo, and I admire it. Both Jiro and director Kino Hana are from Aomori. I'd love to perform in Aomori.

If it were in Hirosaki, the theater might be full. I'm sure everyone would want to see it.

Really?! Even if it's a few years from now, I'll remember the lines until then, so please do!