Kenta Kiritani, who plays a reporter for a weekly magazine and goes from “the one being photographed” to “the one being photographed”, talks about why he “doesn’t take measures against the paparazzi”.

A talented actor starring in TV TOKYO’s drama series “Qros no Onna

In response to the social situation, we are now in an age where we have no choice but to use information as a theme in our dramas,” he said. Information has become an inseparable part of daily life, so much so that we can say ‘food, clothing, shelter, and ″emotion″ instead of “food, clothing, and shelter.

In the October drama series “Qros no Onna: Scoop to dename no Kouzou” (TV TOKYO), Kenta Kiritani (44) plays Koji Kuriyama, a reporter in charge of entertainment for a weekly magazine.

As Kiritani says, he is getting more and more offers for roles in which “information” is his profession, such as playing an editor in “Serial Drama W: Akai Roof on the Hill” (WOWOW) this past March and an informant in “Informer” (Fuji TV) last year. However, this is her first role as a weekly journalist covering entertainment scoops. Speaking about her role, Kiritani says, “I imagine the role to the point where it is not written in the script, and develop an image of the role.

In my imagination, Kuriyama has been a reporter since he was in elementary school. He would snoop on his teacher’s private life, put it in the class newspaper, and post it in the hallway (laughs). The teachers would get angry with me, but I was like a hero among my classmates.

When I first started as a reporter, I must have been very excited, and I would have been excited to be there on the train when an article I had written became the topic of conversation among passengers. I thought about the appeal of this job as if I were Kuriyama.”

Kuriyama was traumatized by a mistake he made in his job and once tried to leave the world of weekly newspapers, but decided to continue. Kiritani has this to say about the protagonist’s state of mind: “I don’t know what to do about the trauma.

I think he wanted to somehow make sense of the trauma. The editor-in-chief said to him, ‘You don’t even deserve to quit. One of the reasons he continued to work as a reporter was because he was convinced that continuing was the way to atone for his crime, but in the end, I think Kuriyama couldn’t quit because he loved his job.

He might make the same mistake again and hurt people. He is so stressed out that he throws up in the toilet. Still, he continues to work as a reporter despite his mental and physical ailments because this is the only job in which he can find meaning in his existence. As I played the role, I realized that the weekly magazine scene was the only place where Kuriyama could find meaning in his work.

A certain “fateful relationship” with FRIDAY

Kiritani says that she considered how it would feel to be on the receiving end of scoops for her role, but she is usually on the “receiving end” of being photographed. There have been no major scandals, and FRIDAY has never reported anything ugly about Kiritani, but she did recall, with gestures and hand gestures, a certain history with FRIDAY.

I think it was about 14 or 15 years ago, when I was going home, there was a car in front of my house. It was a place with a fair amount of traffic, and it was not unusual to see a car parked on the street. But I immediately had a hunch that that car was suspicious. Then I saw a lens shining in the back seat.

I thought, “What is this?　I thought, and I knocked on the passenger window. At first he didn’t open the window at all, but I persisted and he lowered the window. But when I said to him, “There’s nothing more to do today, even if you wait here,” he didn’t even look at me.

I couldn’t have a conversation with him, but at the end I said, ‘Thank you very much. When I offered my hand, he gave me a firm handshake (laughs). (Laughs) I remember how happy I was when the photographer gave me a firm handshake. I looked at the business card he gave me at that time and saw that it was Friday.

Black and white exist at the same time.

Many celebrities are wary of the paparazzi and refrain from going out, but Kiritani laughs unconcernedly, saying, “I don’t take any precautions at all,” and continues, “I really don’t think about it.

I don’t really think about it. I like to be out, so there is not a day when I don’t go out. You can tell I have a fake mustache, can’t you? (Laughs). (Laughs.) I even wear sunglasses, which I like.

Is it possible that someone might have seen you or know where you live?　I think so. But I don’t go to the trouble of ego searching to find out. Well, it’s no use worrying about it, or rather, it’s more fun not to worry about it.

She is also not concerned about the ratings of the dramas and movies in which she has appeared.

In terms of how I perceive things, I believe that black and white exist at the same time, just like the yin-yang symbol. There is a white light in a black gradient and a black spot in a white one. Which one you choose is also up to you. When I have a bad day, do I feel black, or do I feel bad, or does that mean I want to be like this? I’d like to take it as a positive thing.

I can make the fact that Mr. Friday came to my house 14 or 15 years ago into a bad memory. But for me, that firm handshake remains as a positive memory. I would like to think that the fact that I am here now to do this interview was a result of that handshake.

The car left right after we shook hands, but I thought it would be fun if we could go out for a drink together. It would have been a chance to hear many stories. It is difficult to change the world, but you can change the way you perceive it.

Why he “dares to leave the choice of roles to the office

His positive attitude toward everything is also reflected in his work as an actor.

When it comes to work, I don’t dare to ask for a job myself, but rather leave it up to the agency. When I was just starting out in the industry, the president always said, ‘I want to give you more and more roles that you can barely reach by looking at an angle and stretching out your hand. If I choose roles by myself, I will only choose roles that I am good at, so I want the office to throw the ball to me and I want to make that ball a home run.

As was the case when I was offered the role in “The Woman in Qros,” I would like to continue to play roles that go beyond my imagination. I don’t care if the scale of the shoot is big or small, or whether I play a supporting or leading role. If it looks interesting, I want to try anything.

I started acting because it looked fun and exciting, and when I saw the adventure movie “The Goonies” when I was 5 years old, I saw kids my age playing happily and I wanted to be a part of that “square”. I wanted to be a part of that “square.” I think my acting career is an extension of the “Fatty” games I used to play when I was a kid.

I would have been happy if I had received recognition, but when I was a child, I was always absorbed in what I wanted to do, even if I didn’t get praised for it. It was not about what others thought or said, but how I felt. I want to keep playing with that feeling in my acting career.

The sparkle in his eyes has probably not changed since he was five years old.

I am sure that the sparkle in his eyes has not changed since he was five years old,
But you can change the way you see yourself.

From the November 1-8, 2024 issue of FRIDAY