[Full Text Published] Actor Motoki Kobayashi Talks About His “Sense of Acting”… He’s Causing a Sensation Playing a Corrupt Police Inspector in the Drama “Gas Human”!

Huge Response to “Gas Human”

“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 saying, ‘This is getting crazy.’ To be honest, I never imagined I’d receive this much attention.”

Expressing his surprise is actor Motoki Kobayashi (52). He has long worked as an actor both in Japan and abroad, and his appearance in the Netflix series *Gas Human*, currently streaming, has sparked 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 the explosive death of a person during a live TV broadcast. Kobayashi plays Norio Yoshida, a corrupt police inspector with ties to the underworld.On social media, some viewers even compared his intense performance to that of a certain renowned actor.

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

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 was 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 vibe.”

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.

The Driving Force Behind the Play

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

Kobayashi says he places great importance on “physical conditioning” when preparing for a role. When he played a drug-addicted reporter in *TOKYO VICE* (2022–, WOWWOW), 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 thinner suits unusual roles better.Plus, I value that feeling of ‘being hungry.’ The frustration and irritation 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 gotten into character, and it gives me peace of mind.”

Hearing this, you might think he’s been deeply immersed in acting since his youth. However, he recalled that this wasn’t the case.

“I majored in theater and performing arts in college, but I wasn’t particularly knowledgeable about movies or theater—I just liked performing in front of people. However, after being encouraged by those around me to watch the movie *Taxi Driver* (1976), starring Robert De Niro (83), I was blown away.His performance—realistically portraying the protagonist’s gradual descent into madness using nothing but his gaze and gestures—was magnificent.”

After graduating from college, he saved up money, moved to New York, and enrolled at the prestigious Hollywood school “Lee Strasberg,” known for its Method acting.

“I hit a major language barrier. The teachers spoke so fast I couldn’t understand them, and there was even a time when I went back to language school. It took me about five or six years before I felt confident enough to think, ‘Maybe I can act in English.’ Even now, when I think back to that time, my stomach still tightens (laughs). I guess I was living with that much tension.”

His efforts paid off, and he landed a leading role in the 2005 Hollywood war epic *The Great Raid*.

Kobayashi returned to Japan in 2010 and is currently signed to a talent agency headed by Shun Oguri.He has appeared in high-profile works such as the film *Father on the Galaxy Express* (2023) and Season 2 of the streaming drama *Gannibal* (2025), and played the role of Motoharu Yoshikawa in his first NHK Taiga drama, *The Toyotomi Brothers!*.

“My parents were really happy about the Taiga drama. That made me the happiest. However, since it was my first Taiga drama, I was a little nervous. I also felt like I was getting overwhelmed by that massive set… I was left with the feeling that I could have done better.”

It’s not just because it was a Taiga drama.

“Every time I watch my own performance, I think, ‘Why am I so bad at this?’ or ‘Couldn’t I have done that better?’—both technically and as a person. Ultimately, I’m not at all satisfied with myself. That’s probably what drives me. If the day ever comes when I’m satisfied, I might quit acting (laughs).”

An insatiable thirst for artistic expression drives Kobayashi toward his next role.

From the October 16, 2026 issue of *FRIDAY*