“I Was Always Prepared to Quit Acting”—A Special Interview With Actor Yutaka Mizutani

Once quit acting

“Ah, it has finally begun.”

“When I watched the completed film for the first time, that’s exactly what I felt. I realized that my nearly 60-year career in entertainment had been one long period of preparation, and that only now had my own world truly begun.”

With a calm gaze, actor Yutaka Mizutani (73) reflected on his life. The film he referred to is “Piccola felicità – Small Happiness,” which is currently opening in theaters across Japan. It is his fourth film as a director and his most ambitious project yet, with Mizutani taking on five roles himself: planner, director, screenwriter, producer, and lead actor.

Mizutani first attracted widespread attention in the 1974 drama “Kizudarake no Tenshi (The Scarred Angels),” followed by the hugely popular “Necchū Jidai (The Passionate Era)” series, which began in 1978 and achieved television ratings exceeding 40 percent. More recently, he has starred in the long-running hit series “Aibō (Partners),” which celebrated its 26th anniversary this year. Given such a remarkable career, why would he describe it all as merely a preparation period?

“I’ve been fascinated by the world of film ever since I was a child. My earliest memory is from when I was about three or four years old. I saw ‘Kurama Tengu’ at an outdoor traveling movie theater. Adults and children sat together on straw mats spread across the ground. When Kurama Tengu defeated the villains, everyone burst into applause. I remember how thrilling it was.”

Later, after watching American television dramas, he thought, “I want to be part of that world,” and joined the Himawari Theatre Group. At 14, he made his acting debut in the television drama “Magma Taishi (Ambassador Magma).” However, by his final year of high school, he had decided to quit acting and planned to study abroad in California.

“I wanted to study overseas because I wanted to see a new world. But then my father’s company went bankrupt, and I had to give up on that dream. I also failed my university entrance exams in Japan, became completely discouraged, and ran away from home. I ended up at a rest house near Lake Yamanaka, where I worked as a live-in employee for about two months.”

At the time, Mizutani had no intention of returning to show business. However, people around him wouldn’t leave him alone and began offering him television roles. He returned to acting thinking it would simply be a temporary part-time job.

“Even though I considered it just a job to earn money, I never approached it halfheartedly. I gave every project everything I had. Doing the very best I possibly can is something I’ve always believed in. But somehow, when each project ended, I never felt like I had truly accomplished anything. No matter how well a performance was received, I felt strangely unfulfilled. I always believed there had to be another world better suited to me, and if I ever found it, I was fully prepared to quit acting immediately.”

A promise to Yusaku Matsuda

A turning point in that mindset came when his daughter, Shuri (35), was born, when he was 38.

“When I saw my daughter’s name entered into the family register, a powerful feeling welled up inside me—I finally had someone to protect. Of course, acting is a job that depends on receiving offers, but for the first time, I thought I wanted to continue being an actor for as long as I possibly could.”

Coincidentally, Shuri was born on September 21—the birthday of his close friend, Yusaku Matsuda, who had passed away the previous year at the age of 40. Mizutani first met Matsuda when he was 20. Mizutani had been cast as a criminal in the hit detective drama “Taiyō ni Hoero!” (“Bark at the Sun!”), in which Matsuda had become a star as the popular “Jeans Detective.” The two quickly hit it off and developed a close friendship in which they could talk about anything.

“Actually, around 1988, when Yusaku was hospitalized with bladder cancer, I was diagnosed with the same illness. We were admitted to the same hospital and underwent surgery there. Since I hadn’t made my condition public, the nameplate on my hospital room combined our names, reading ‘Mizuta Toyosaku.’ Yusaku looked at it and said, ‘What kind of name is that?’ with exasperation (laughs). We were both going in and out of the hospital, so whoever had been discharged would visit the other, and we’d spend hours talking. We even talked about directing a TV drama together once we recovered.”

That dream of directing a television drama was never realized because of Matsuda’s death. But carrying the promise he had made to his dear friend in his heart, Mizutani went on to forge a new path as a film director.

The July 17–24, 2026 combined issue of “FRIDAY” and the paid edition “FRIDAY GOLD” also feature details about Mizutani’s first on-screen collaboration with his daughter, Shuri.

For the full interview and additional photos, see the link below.

From the July 17–24, 2026, combined issue of “FRIDAY”