The “You have the face of a part-timer” and it inspired him… Junki Totsuka, the popular actor of “Tora ni Tsubasa,” talks about his “frustrating days

When I was in my twenties, I was doing things with hesitation, but now I can honestly say that I am happy with the way I am doing them.

Many of you may know him from his role as attorney Taichi Todoroki in the NHK TV series “Tora ni Tsubasa” (“Wings to the Tiger”).

What do you know about me?

Totsuka’s outstanding acting ability has allowed him to play a wide variety of roles, from serious roles to the more comical, and he has added color to many of the films he has appeared in. Today, he has appeared in films by such top-runners as Yuichi Fukuda (56), a screenwriter, and Koki Mitani (63), but his path to this point was not a smooth one.

In 2010, he won the “Ideal Lover Award” at the 23rd Junon Super Boy Contest and entered the entertainment industry. Within a year of moving to Tokyo, he was cast in the semi-leading role in “Masked Rider Wizard” (TV Asahi), but after that he was out of work, and at one point he lived in such extreme poverty that he could not even afford to eat a bowl of beef from Yoshinoya.

What was the reason he continued to work as an actor?

I wasn’t interested in the entertainment industry at all, but my mother encouraged me to get into it. So I came to Tokyo from my hometown in Iwate, but things didn’t work out. …… I worked part-time at a gas station and helped with production behind the scenes. I was really frustrated when I was behind the scenes, and I wanted to be active in the front as soon as possible. I was working part-time to make a living, but when I went to auditions for productions, I was told, “You look like a part-time worker. I thought, “What do they know about me?

The way he speaks quietly is sincere and gives the impression of being quite humble. Totsuka has established himself so firmly that he is now said to be one of the best comical actors in the world. He says he fell in love with comedies after seeing “that masterpiece.

I saw the movie “The Mask” when I was little and loved it. I didn’t know much about actors, but I thought Jim Carrey was comical and funny. After I became an actor, I had the opportunity to play mainly comedic roles, and I was lucky that other actors of my generation did not take this comedic path, so I went straight into it. On the other hand, I don’t have much luck in playing the role of a comedian, and I am often told by others that I am not sexy enough. Comedies are fun to play, but at the same time, the more I play them, the more difficult they become, so I have a lot to learn.

How did you get to know “#OurTsunokoro”?

As mentioned above, he is currently playing the role of Taichi Todoroki in the NHK television series “Tora ni Tsubasa. His straightforward and passionate character has become so popular that the hashtag “#Our Todoroki” has been created on SNS.

I don’t look at SNS very often, so I honestly didn’t know what the reaction would be. I honestly didn’t know about the response. Then Sairi Ito told me that Todoroki was becoming very popular. It was a strange feeling playing a character from school age to adulthood for a year, but it was a great experience for me.”

The film “Let’s Talk about Suomi,” written and directed by Koki Mitani for the first time in five years, is currently in theaters. Totsuka plays Naotora Okkotsu, the caretaker of the selfish artist Samukawa, played by Yajuro Bando. Mitani commented on the casting of Totsuka,

I went to see a re-enactment of ‘The Vamp Show,’ a play I wrote nearly 30 years ago, and I saw Totsuka play the role that was played by Arata Furuta at the time, and he was wonderful. I thought, “How interesting! and I immediately asked him to play the role.

(Excerpt from “Eiga Natalie,” July 9, 2012).

His first work with Mr. Mitani, whom he admires.

This is Totsuka’s first Mitani film,

I thought the way Mr. Mitani makes his films is very unusual. First of all, I was surprised that there was a rehearsal period, and also that he shot the film in a theatrical way with long takes. Then, he would change what he had done in rehearsal at the last minute. But that is because Mr. Mitani values freshness, and the result is better than before.

I also created the roles in advance, made suggestions, and had him direct them. I was really happy to be working with Mr. Mitani, whom I admire. The worldview of “Let’s Talk about Suomi” is unique to Mitani’s works, and it is a work that makes you think you have never seen Masami Nagasawa like this before. There is a shocking monologue by Suomi, played by Ms. Nagasawa, that I hope you will pay attention to.

Her eyes lit up. We asked Totsuka, who continues to shine as a one-of-a-kind presence, about his goals. He answered, searching for each word one by one.

In my 20s, I didn’t have much time to spare, so I just played the roles I was given. But when I turned 30, I had a little more room in my heart, and I was able to look back on the past. I am not the type of actor who has made a dramatic step up as an actor. I have met many people I respect, such as Yuichi Fukuda and Mitani, and have learned a lot from them. So I would like to continue to meet many different people and continue to play many different roles.

Totsuka will continue to demonstrate his comedic sense without regret, and is sure to captivate the audience.