Yosuke Kubozuka’s Exclusive Confession Falling from the Apartment Marked the Start of His True Life

“When I fell from the apartment building, my true life began. Literally, I plunged into my own life.”

With an unwavering gaze, actor Yosuke Kubozuka (45) began to speak calmly.

 

“I was incredibly pure and defenseless. That’s why I was bewildered and hurt when the words I spoke in interviews were edited and broadcast in a way that suited others’ interpretations. I didn’t want to be used by those people, so I became defensive and started rejecting everything.”

During this period, in June 2004, Kubozuka fell from the 9th floor of his apartment building. Although he was just 25 years old at the time, he miraculously survived the fall, though he sustained serious injuries, including an open skull fracture, which cast doubt on his future as an actor. He himself couldn’t explain why he fell, but the public labeled him as a “crazy guy.”

“Now, I can say it was a big leap into a new life, but at that time, I hit rock bottom. When I came to, my whole body was in unbearable pain, and everyone in the industry just vanished. It was the very definition of a complete turnaround, and I even found myself laughing at the irony of it all.”

What supported Kubozuka during his restart, which he describes as being not just from zero but from a negative point, was the presence of his friends. Moving from his hometown of Yokosuka to Tokyo in his late teens, Kubozuka says he was greatly inspired by the friends he met through clubbing and his passion for fashion. “Even as the world around me changed completely, they were the only ones who treated me the same,” he reflected. Shortly after his return, he began his music career as the reggae DJ “Manji LINE,” and it was these friends who introduced him to reggae.

“When I was 19, I went to Jamaica for the first time with my friends. In Jamaica, reggae is a part of everyday life. It also carries criticism of state power and a spirit of rebellion against society’s systems. That scene resonated deeply with who I was at the time, and I quickly became absorbed in it.”

 

Choosing Only the Work I Want to Do

For a while after starting his career as a reggae DJ, Kubozuka laughs as he says, “Acting became my side job.”

However, it wasn’t that he lacked offers. In fact, he was approached to star in a primetime drama soon after his comeback, but he declined without hesitation. Later, he made headlines by boldly declaring, “I won’t appear in commercial TV dramas.”

“On the set of a certain TV drama, I saw the director reading a sports newspaper in front of the monitor while the actors were performing. I felt a surge of anger, thinking, ‘What are you doing!?’ Of course, I don’t think everyone is like that, but with limited budgets and time, there isn’t even the opportunity to properly work on the script, which drains the passion out of the process. I immediately felt, ‘This isn’t the place for me,’ and decided to focus on films instead.”

This is why his appearance in the special edition of the hit drama GTO Revival (Fuji TV), which returned in April this year after 26 years, caused such a huge sensation—marking his first appearance in a commercial TV drama in 23 years.

“I received a personal call from Takashi Sorimachi, the lead actor. When I heard that the main members from back then would be reuniting, I thought, ‘In that case…’ and decided to join in, treating it like a festival.”

That said, he remains firm in his stance of not appearing in commercial TV dramas moving forward.

“Recently, I’ve been appearing in streaming dramas, so it’s not that I dislike dramas. What matters most to me is how interesting the script is. Up until now, I’ve only taken on roles that genuinely excited me when I read the script. I’ve never accepted a job just to make a living, and if it came to that, I’d rather take on another part-time job somewhere else.”

By choosing only the work he truly wanted to do and fully committing to it, Kubozuka naturally found himself getting closer to his ideal self. This is why, when he landed an important role through an audition for Martin Scorsese’s Silence (released in 2017), he felt, “This might be a work that has been waiting for me.” Set in Nagasaki during the early Edo period under the persecution of Christians, Kubozuka played the role of Kichijiro, a Japanese betrayer. Director Scorsese praised him, saying, “He acted with genuine honesty.”

“I still vividly remember the day I attended the Japan premiere of Silence that year. On my way there by Shinkansen, as I passed through the Sekigahara area, the view suddenly opened up to a vast, pure white snowy landscape. Seeing that, I realized that because of that accident, I am where I am today, and I felt that a new stage of my life was beginning from that day.”

Shortly after this, Kubozuka established his own agency. Now, he has expanded his activities beyond specific genres, participating in projects like the production of organic junmai sake with a 400-year-old brewery and producing the golf apparel brand 8G SHOOT. Particularly, he is deeply invested in “gut health,” to the extent that he even refers to himself as “Kubozuka ‘Gut’ Yosuke.” He focuses on selecting food ingredients that are free from additives and pesticides, and he avoids eating anything three hours before bed. He believes this approach keeps both his mind and body healthy.

“That doesn’t mean I’ll quit drinking or smoking. The worst thing is to hold back on the things you love and accumulate stress. It’s all about finding the right balance.”

Kubozuka’s unique way of living and his unapologetic statements often inspire admiration, but they also sometimes lead to misunderstandings. In the past, he even reported on social media that his home was searched by narcotics officers from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

“Ever since those kinds of reports started, people would suspect, ‘He’s involved too,’ and no matter how much I denied it, they wouldn’t believe me. So, when they finally raided my place, I thought it was my chance to prove my innocence. But since the media doesn’t report when you’re cleared, I decided to share it myself.”

Once, his purity led to being hurt, but he doesn’t deny his past because of it.

“The impact of this year’s GTO Revival and last year’s Netflix release of Ikebukuro West Gate Park was far greater than I imagined. It made me realize how much my work in my early twenties influenced society. I’m glad I gave it my all back then because it’s now a source of support for me. I often describe myself as a ‘KODONA.’ I’m no longer a naive child, but I also don’t want to become an adult who conforms to society and loses their dreams. I hope to continue embracing the heart of a ‘KODONA’ and enjoy life flexibly, like a willow tree.”

With clear eyes and a matured spirit, this distinguished actor will undoubtedly continue to surprise the world.

“I will maintain my stance of not appearing in network TV dramas in the future.”

From theAugust23 and 30, 2024 issue of“ FRIDAY