Actor Kohei Fukuyama Once Dreamed to be a Koshien High School Baseball Champion

So says actor Kohei Fukuyama (24). He made his debut in the movie “Prophecy” released in 2015, and has since acted in NHK’s historical drama “Segodon” and “Moribito:The Guardian of the Spirit” (NHK), and “Our Dearest Sakura” (NTV) as well he was selected to play Harry’s son in the stage production of “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child”  which will begin this July. He first aspired to enter the entertainment industry when he was a high school student. At the time, he was a baseball player who wanted to play in the Koshien National Championships.

“I wasn’t that good at sports since I was little, but I enjoyed playing catch with my father. My friends invited me to join a club team, and I joined the baseball club in junior high and high school. In high school, while the rest of my classmates wore casual clothes to school, the baseball team was the only one that wore the school uniform with a mustache, as was the rule of the club (laughs).”

 

While he was immersed in sports, a turning point in his life came in 2013. He was scouted by a person from an entertainment agency who came to see a piano recital he was taking lessons in, and he decided to become an actor.

“I started this job when I was a senior in high school, “he said. But just before my last tournament, in which I was going to retire from club activities, I found out that the High School Baseball Federation did not allow players to participate in high school baseball tournaments while continuing to play as an actor. I was shocked because I had played baseball in elementary, junior high, and high school and had somehow thought that I would continue to play baseball. However, at the time, I wanted to do my acting job properly because I had decided to do it. To be honest, it was hard for me to have to make a choice, but I am glad that I was able to confirm my feelings about my current job.”

After that, everyone on the baseball team, including his friends and advisor, struggled to somehow get him on the bench, but it was not to be. At the summer tournament, he cheered on his teammates from the stands.

“I hope I can use this kind of experience in my work in the future. Harry Potter “is set in a magical world and is a large-scale story, but at its heart, it is a story about the problems of relationships between parents, children, and classmates. Other than the fact that it is a world with magic, the story is about experiences that are familiar and not far away for anyone. “

 

The play is a hit that has been acclaimed around the world. The tension of acting among the talented cast members, as well as facing the unknown tricks of the trade, is also high.

 

“When I was selected to perform, my manager came to my home and we shook hands firmly. The other day, we had a costume fitting, and from that stage I knew that it was going to be a great show. I am excited about it , as are the people who are looking forward to it.

 

Now, he feels that he will be able to grow as an actor once again.

“I’m looking forward to the next stage,” he said. “There are many double and triple casts, so there are many possible combinations of actors. The role of Albus, which I play, is also double cast. If the actors change , the way they play the role will also change. I just have to keep up with the changes. There is pressure, but I am also looking forward to it.”

On this big stage, he is going forward with the guts and positive attitude he learned in the baseball club.