Susumu Terajima on His Acting Journey Inspired by Takeshi Kitano

The true face of a “kowamote actor

Terashima says, “It’s my first time on set with all the staff, but I’m having a lot of fun. When I say an old man’s gag, it gets a big reaction, so I get carried away and say the gag again (laughs).

(Laughs.)” A mischievous expression appeared on the face of Susumu Terashima (60), and the corners of his eyes wrinkled with laughter. The man who is known as a representative of the “coquettish actor” has a surprisingly soft face when he is not acting.

Terashima plays Bunpei Yuge, a detective who is not discouraged by the organization, in the drama “D&D: Doctors and Detectives” (TV Tokyo), which will start airing on October 18 (Fri.) at 9 pm. In this human mystery, Yuge and the main character, a doctor, buddy up to solve a case in a town where the local medical system is on the verge of bankruptcy.

Yumigami is a true “Showa-era” actor,” said the director, “but he is a Showa star in his own right, and I felt that I had to act in the way that Showa stars lived. I wanted to apply what I felt from the way of life of a Showa star to my acting, so I am currently reading an essay by Ken Takakura (83 years old) titled “Anata ni Kosoete Kiketo (I Wanted to be Admired by You).

On the first day of shooting, he approached Naoto Fujiki (52), who plays the lead role of a doctor, and young actor Kentaro Maeda (25), with whom he has many scenes together as a policeman (later a detective), and they went out for a drink. This was Terashima’s first collaboration with either of them.

Fujiki-kun said, ‘Maeda-kun seems to be nervous in front of Terashima-san,’ so I decided to communicate with him. Did we have a heated discussion about acting?　We didn’t. We didn’t (laughs). We just drank and talked about things that had nothing to do with work. But that kind of casual communication is important. Sharing both joy and pain is the basis of human relationships.

After saying this with a serious face, he then added with a playful smile, “Well, I only invited him out for a drink because I wanted to have a drink myself.

Raising father of two″.

It has been 40 years since his debut as an actor. His career began when he entered “Mifune Art Academy” after graduating from high school. Terashima studied swordsmanship at the acting school founded by Toshiro Mifune, and later, at the age of 20, he joined the “Kenyuukai” (swordsmith association). He played the role of a thug in a period drama or a hoodlum in a brawl scene, and also worked as a stuntman dubbing for stars. He made his debut on the silver screen in Yusaku Matsuda’s first film, “A Homance” (released in 1986), in which he won the role of a yakuza lackey.

When the cut was made, Yusaku ran up to me and tapped me on the shoulder and said, ‘That’s nice. That made me happy. Even though Yusaku was a big star, he took care of the whole scene and took good care of the younger actors.

Through his appearances in films, Terashima began to feel that the work of an actor had a different appeal from that of a cutthroat character. Later, after appearing in Takeshi Kitano’s (1977) first film, “Sono Otoko, Kyoukai ni Tsuki” (released in 1989), he quit the “Kenyuukai” and became a freelance actor.

He said, “Life was hard, but I turned down all jobs that involved action. “Life was hard, but I turned down all jobs that focused on action, because if I didn’t do that, the image of being a cutthroat wouldn’t disappear. I was freelance, so I had to go to production companies with my own profile and sell myself. I worked part-time to make ends meet, and it wasn’t until I was in my late 30s that I was able to make a living as an actor alone. I was anxious, but I never once wanted to quit.

There is a word that has been a source of emotional support for him. In his third film, “Ano Natsu, Ichiban Shizukana Umi” (“The Quietest Sea in Summer”), released in 1991, Kitano said, “I never thought of quitting. (released in 1991), Kitano’s third film. When Terashima was 27 years old at the time, Kitano said to him, “‘Anchan, actors are good.

He said, “An-chan, being an actor is good. Even if you are not successful now, you can be active until you die. Even if you are not successful now, if you are successful in 20 or 30 years and win the world at the time of your death, your life will be a victory. Hearing that, I realized that although I am not a successful actor yet, I can continue to be an actor.

Terashima’s motto is, “Whenever I have a problem, I just move on. That is Terashima’s motto.

He says, “I met many people, including Director Kitano, because I took the initiative. Without them, I wouldn’t be where I am today.

Sometimes, he would go after Director Kitano, who was in the U.S. on business, without making an appointment. He learned that if he took action, something would change.

The other day, I was reading the Asahi Shimbun’s “Tenseijingo” and came across an interesting article about a popular news program anchor. When the program’s ratings were slumping, he asked his staff to do two things. One was to watch their own back programs properly. The other was to walk the streets. I thought, “I see. If you walk the streets, you will notice many things. By moving with your own feet in this way, you will also change. If you just wait for someone to give you a chance, nothing will change.

Terashima has a wide range of activities. As he talked about “Tenseijingo,” he looked at the cover of Friday magazine, which the editorial staff had brought with them and said, “Oh, Yu-chami (23), I know her. I know her, even though we’ve never worked together. He then referred to the beating death that occurred at an apartment in Hiroo (Shibuya Ward) at the end of August, and said, “I heard that a fight broke out over the temperature setting of the air conditioner, and it turned into a murder case. I can’t believe it. Both young and old lack patience, don’t they! I muttered.

Learning in My 50s

Having turned 60 last year, he laughs, “I wake up early in the morning,” but he has no fear of growing older. He says, “I don’t dye my hair gray unless I have to for a role, and the wrinkles around my eyes are my own personal history. On the other hand, he is willing to put in the effort to continue his acting career.

In his late fifties,” he says, “I started going to the gym because I felt my physical strength was declining rapidly. To be honest, I thought that going to the gym wouldn’t make much difference, but I was wrong. After continuing aerobic exercise and muscle training under the guidance of the trainer, my body shape obviously changed, and I realized that the body can evolve even in one’s late fifties. I think that my own initiative and desire to make changes worked here, too.”

After a long period of celibacy, in 2009, at the age of 46, he married a woman 18 years younger than himself. He is now the father of a junior high school daughter and an elementary school son.

He is now the father of a junior high school daughter and an elementary school son. But recently, the situation has reversed. The other day, my daughter said to me, ‘Dad, you should say thank you. And when I was at home drinking beer and eating my snacks, she said to me, “Don’t eat with a clattering noise. Now I am on the receiving end of education (laughs).

Terashima has lived a variety of lives through his roles in his 40-year career. He revealed to us his goals for the future.

One of Ijuin Shizuka’s short stories in his collection “Ukezuki” is one that I would like to see made into a movie. I don’t have a concrete project in mind, but I’m imagining myself playing the father and Ryoma Takeuchi (31) playing the son (……). (Laughs.) To prevent blurring, I have to keep imagining what I want to do in my mind and keep training myself to do it.

His goal is to be an active actor for the rest of his life.

When I was able to make a living only as an actor, Director Kitano said to me, “Terashima is a tenacious man. As the director said, an actor has no retirement and can continue forever. That is why I will continue to persevere and continue to be an actor. That’s the way of life for me.”

Until the moment he reaches the top, Terashima will continue to live his life as an actor.

From the November 1 and 8, 2024 issue of FRIDAY