Lily Franky on Solo Living at 60 and Drawing Boundaries from Society
Special interview with ″The Year of the Bachelor″ appeared in six films last year, and her latest starring film will be released this March "I can't stay awake at night anymore (laughs)," she blurts out Turning 60, she is undergoing changes in everything from her work theory to her outlook on life.
“Nobody really likes things like FRIDAY or Bunshun, right? (laughs) I used to drink with the editor-in-chief of FRIDAY back in the day, and I’ve captured his wild appearance on my camera. I have it ready to put up on a big billboard anytime (laughs).”
This is how Lily Franky (60) reminisced about his memories with FRIDAY. Last year, he had a successful career in acting with six movies released and one streaming series. In the movie “Cottontail,” set to be released in March, he portrays an elderly man who heads to the UK to fulfill the wishes left behind by his deceased wife, whom he hasn’t fully accepted her passing. Although the character seems to be the opposite of the image of the so-called “Ikeoji” (cool old man) associated with him, it seems that’s not entirely the case.
“The protagonist, despite not achieving much in his career, tries to justify neglecting his family by saying, ‘I was busy.’ I think this is a feeling that many middle-aged men around the world have. So, I could relate to him. The only difference is that he was connected to society through his wife, while I, as a typical solitary elderly person without a wife or children, don’t leave my house at all if I don’t have anything to do.”
Lily turned sixty last November. While it may seem like she has been enjoying a brilliant life in the limelight for over 30 years, she says her outlook on life has been changing in recent years.
“Similar to the protagonist in the movie, I’ve gradually stopped feeling the need to connect with society. For example, lately, even just watching the media makes me feel a unique sense of suffocation. Don’t you feel like each media outlet is imposing its own set of social norms and rules? When I was younger, I used to rebel against such things, but as expected, as I’ve gotten older, it’s become less feasible. So, I’ve started to draw a bit of a line with society. I think this is something many older men and women in the world are grappling with. When times get tough, it’s okay to cut ties.”
