All the Buzz Over “Gas Human”! Actor Motoki Kobayashi Shares Behind-the-Scenes Stories: “I Had to Ask, ‘Wait, Are We Actually Going to Dance?’”

His eerie performance in the Netflix drama *Gas Human* is generating a lot of buzz

“The response has been so huge it’s almost scary (laughs). The number of comments and followers keeps rising in real time, and even my family and friends are telling me, ‘This is getting crazy.’ To be honest, I never imagined I’d receive this much attention.”

The one expressing this surprise is actor Motoki Kobayashi (52). Having worked as an actor both in Japan and abroad for many years, he stars in the Netflix series “Gas Human,” which is currently generating a huge buzz.The story follows a detective played by Shun Oguri (43) and a reporter played by Yu Aoi (41) as they track down the “Gas Man,” a serial killer, following a human explosion that occurs during a live TV broadcast.Kobayashi plays Norio Yoshida, a corrupt police inspector with ties to the underworld despite his official position. On social media, some viewers have even compared his intense performance to that of a famous actor.

“There were comments saying, ‘He’s like Gary Oldman (68) in the 1994 movie *Léon*.’ I absolutely loved his villainous role as a narcotics officer who actually controlled the underworld, so I was really flattered,”

The scene where Yoshida, played by Kobayashi, enjoys a game of bowling in a tank top perfectly captures his bizarre nature. The originally planned baseball field became unavailable, so the location was changed to a bowling alley at the last minute.Director Shinzo Katayama came up with the idea as a homage to the unconventional film *The Big Lebowski* (1998), which is set in a bowling alley.

“The director handed me a video and said, ‘If you get a strike, please do this dance move.’ Since dancing at a bowling alley wasn’t in the script, I asked, ‘Wait, am I supposed to dance?’ (laughs). I think this scene really brought out Yoshida’s weird side—or rather, his borderline-insane nature.”

In the final episode, Yoshida—who had been hiding a large cache of weapons—attacks a female detective colleague. But what Kobayashi saw there was an unexpected side of him.

“I actually think Yoshida might be a vulnerable person deep down. It’s precisely because he’s vulnerable that he hides so many weapons. He maintains his facade as a police officer, but behind the scenes, he’s up to something else. When I think about it that way, I feel like I understand his strangeness a little better.”

Kobayashi says he places great importance on “physical conditioning” when playing a role.When he played a drug-addicted reporter in *TOKYO VICE* (2022–, WOWOW), he lost about 20 kg. Taking that as an opportunity, he maintained a slender physique and approached the role in *Gas Human* weighing 48 kg.

“I think being thin suits unusual roles better.Plus, I place a lot of importance on that feeling of ‘hunger.’ The frustration and irritation that come from not being able to eat can be channeled into the role. I even imagine what the character normally eats and what they do when they’re not filming. When I was channeling Yoshida, I was eating nothing but vegetables (laughs). When I go that far, I feel like I’ve truly become the character, and that gives me peace of mind.”

By transforming even “hunger” into a source of acting power, this talented actor has finally blossomed into his full potential.

The October 2 issue of *FRIDAY* (October 16 edition) and the paid version, *FRIDAY GOLD*, feature detailed reports on the hardships he experienced overseas and the driving forces behind his acting.

From the October 16, 2026 issue of *FRIDAY*