Hidetoshi Hasegawa’s Secret Revelations of Drinking Habits and Truths Spilled in Private

The first episode of the TBS Sunday drama series “Antihero,” starring actor Hidetoshi Hasegawa (47), was broadcast on December 14.

In Japan’s criminal trials, where the conviction rate is said to be 99.9%, an original work featuring a protagonist lawyer who manages to obtain a verdict of innocence even when all evidence points to guilt. Before the broadcast began, neither the story nor the character profiles were revealed, and the first episode started off with an average household viewership rating of 11.5% (according to Video Research, Kanto region, same below).

On the morning information program “THE TIME,” aired on the 11th on the same network, it was planned for co-stars in the drama, Shoma Kitamura (26) and Mayu Horita (26), to appear together. However, when the scheduled time arrived, Hasegawa was nowhere to be seen. Kitamura humorously explained, “Hasegawa is running late.” 

Ten minutes later, Hasegawa finally made his entrance. The host of the program, Shinichiro Azumi (50), tried to cover for him, saying, “Probably because filming went on late,” “Because he’s busy,” and so on. When asked about his schedule the day before, Hasegawa humbly replied, “Filming ended at 4:30 p.m. yesterday.” Azumi calmly followed up with, “Spring makes you sleepy,” and continued to provide reassurance.

“It wasn’t revealed on the program, but at the fastest preview screening for episode 2 on the 15th, Hasegawa himself mentioned that he couldn’t sleep due to nerves from the live broadcast, which was the reason for his tardiness. However, there’s also a possibility that he went out for drinks after finishing filming early and accidentally overslept. In fact, there have been instances where other prominent celebrities have exposed Hasegawa’s drinking mishaps,” according to a TBS insider.

On the 7th of this month, Hasegawa appeared on the network’s talk variety show, “Nichiyoubi no Hatsugimigaku,” for promotional purposes. In the program, Haruka Ayase (39), the lead actress from NHK’s historical drama “Yae no Sakura” (’13), appeared in a video message, claiming, “(When drinking together) I receive a regretful message the next day,” exposing more than just that.

“On June 3, 2022, Hasegawa appeared on the same network’s talk variety show ‘A-Studio+.’ During the show, he was exposed by Lily Franky (60), a close friend who the program had interviewed, for a major blunder at Fukuyama Masaharu’s (55) birthday party held at the home of lyricist Yasushi Akimoto (65), where he fell asleep just 10 minutes before Fukuyama’s midnight birthday.

Hasegawa chuckled, saying, ‘Somehow, I ended up having a drink.’ Later, when asked about this incident on a radio program where he served as the host, Fukuyama joked, ‘Hiro-chan is cute. Not in a stiff way. He’s like a giraffe, but from ‘Kirin ga Kuru’ (the starring historical drama).’ This revealed Hasegawa to be quite an endearing character,” according to an entertainment journalist.

Hasegawa is known to enjoy alcohol, even admitting to frequenting bars alone. In ’15, before starting filming for the leading role in the movie ‘Shin Godzilla,’ released the following year, he was seen at a hidden bar in the city center frequented by celebrities, where he was also known to be a regular.

“When I saw him, Hasegawa seemed quite drunk already. At that time, one of the regular customers asked Hasegawa about his relationship with Suzuki Kyoka. Hasegawa pondered for a while and earnestly replied, ‘She’s someone important to me.’ with a serious gaze.

At that time, there were rumors of a breakup with Suzuki, so perhaps his true feelings leaked out. However, perhaps due to intoxication, he ended up leaving the important script for ‘Shin Godzilla’ at the bar before going home,” according to a customer who was present at the bar.

As his words at that time suggested, Hasegawa continues to lead a life that is reported by the media as a ‘common-law marriage’ with Suzuki, despite not being officially married. Last year, when Suzuki had to withdraw from a starring drama due to illness, he was reported to visit her apartment almost every day. It seems he is still an important person to her.”

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