Taisei Kido look.2
This is what makes the act intriguing and worthwhile.
The actor Taisei Kido garnered attention with his performance in the Netflix Original Series “First Love.” Many fans binge-watched one episode after another, drawn in to this story about the delicate circumstances of Harumichi’s youth and his mindset which changes over time. A film in which he plays the lead role is now playing in theaters. He became aware of the job of acting while watching a TV drama with his mother.
Among the TV dramas that he and his mother watched together, he was particularly influenced by works in which Takuya Kimura played the lead.
“Some may have been repeats, but I love the TV dramas that Kimura-san has been in. By the time I finished watching one whole show, the occupation portrayed by Kimura-san had become my future dream job (laughing)! One day it struck me that if I became an actor, I can be employed in all of the jobs that appeal to me!”
Kido the youth began following the path of an actor by meeting many different people. What he felt was, “acting is intriguing!”
“The role that one plays is different for each script, as is the occupation of a character. The role is a completely different person from the actor. Put frankly, the role may be someone who hurts or undermines someone else. The actor imagines the character’s background and mindset and becomes that person, even if he is not a decent person in society’s eyes. The theater is the one true venue where there is a place for this, and it is one of the many difficult intrigues of acting. I am 26 now, but it is a lot of fun to go back to being a student again for a gig. Being in another’s skin by putting on the garb prepared by the dresser on a set created by the art director is exciting!”
To maximize the breadth of his act, Kido is constantly imagining the part that he is to play.
“There are those who play the same character over and over again because by playing one role, you can perhaps play the same kind of role in the next work, but this is not so for me. There isn’t anything extraordinary that I do to prepare for a role, but I am in the habit of thinking about the background of the character I will play. I imagine what the person ordinarily wears, what is hair is like, does he have many friends or only a few friends, what kind of people he surrounds himself with, what is his father’s job, etc. As this is good for the role I will play, I try to have fun getting into a character’s skin.”
In response to the question “what work helped you to delve deep into character formation?” his reply was “works wherein I most enjoyed the process of character formation.”
“While the roles I played in all of my work were interesting, a role that particularly comes to mind is when I played the younger Harumichi Namiki in the Netflix Original Series ‘First Love.’ I had never played a character wherein I had to change my hairstyle so much from blond, to black, to bald. Every time I looked in the mirror with each different hairstyle, there was a moment when I linked with the mindset of Harumichi at that age. My ‘beingness’ changed on an unconscious level through undergoing changes in hairstyle. When playing an impish, blond-haired junior high school student, my gait changed and I kept my hands in my pant pockets. But when I played a bald version of Harumichi, my posture would elongate (laughing)! While there is a part of me that is conscious of putting on that behavior, I intuitively become that way owing to lifestyle habit. This is what is interesting about acting.”
Having taken on various parts as an actor for 6 years now, is there an ideal that you aspire to as an actor?
“This is also true for actors who are my seniors at my studio, but people who I think are cool continue to take on new challenges rather than being self-satisfied. When I think about why those acting in film and TV have those gigs, it is because they repeatedly “build a role only to ruin it” with each new gig. Before I said that I am not one of those who thinks, ‘I have done this role, so I should be all right doing those roles in the future.’ I simply want to continue challenging myself with various gigs and roles henceforth.”
According to Kido, because it is not the same role with each new gig, building a character from scratch is what makes the job worthwhile. What are his end goals?
“When I think about continuing the gig into my 30’s and 40’s, I hope that my act is realistic in portraying someone whether it is a detective, a public prosecutor, or athlete who is living his life while doing his job. Just as how watching Kimura-san’s acting gave me aspirations, I hope that many people see my character rather than my role. But I still feel blessed if someone says, ‘your acting in that drama was good.’ I feel like I chose the right profession and it gives me energy to make a similar effort in my next gig.”
He deals with the act with sincerity, but separates his private and work life by not dragging the part into his own life. “If I do bring my work into my own life, it is only to the extent that I try to be aware of it in my own life – such as Harumichi’s gait.” How does he spend his off time?
“I put a camping chair out at home and feel at peace when sitting in it. I listen to music or watch film, but also like drinking coffee and zoning out (laughing)! To relax, I recently have started using bath salts. I change the type of bath salt depending on my mood that day. When I was trying to tone down for a role, I bought some bath salts intending to sweat a lot in the bath. A lavender scented one was really good (while thinking ‘it is a salt but has an odor!’), so would repeat. On hindsight, scents may be important for me. I use room fragrance at various points in the room, and when I want to have a deep sleep I spray aroma spray onto my pillow.”
He used to play basketball and baseball and likes to move his body. Recently, he is immersed in golf.
“I have become so stuck on golf, that I find myself going to play golf whenever I have a break. I also enjoy spending time at home relaxing, but I feel refreshed when I golf. I am not that good at it but my lack of skill is also part of the game. Or no…I guess I feel bad after all (laughing). When I am out on course, I feel bad about 85% of the time. But more than that, when I hit a good shot the remaining 15% of the time, I get hooked. Other than that, there is nature all around as far as the eye can see, so it is comfortable being inside it.”
His eyes were shining as he talked about his impressions on Look 2 which is a chic, beige colored suit.
“I was anxious about this top and bottom setup. It is elegant but can be worn casual, so dressing in this big of a silhouette is passable. I felt it was a mixed sensibility that can be pulled off because I am 26 now. Matched with impact-making sneakers, this is a look that I would want to incorporate into my wardrobe. Wouldn’t it look cool worn at a film premiere?”
He is an up-and-coming actor, but the real him is a good young man who loves fashion, 90’s TV dramas, and sports. Whether at play or at work, his persona is sparking curiosity!
→ In Look 1, I ask him about his sense of fashion.
Direction : Shinsuke Nozaka
Photo,Movie : Yoshiaki Sekine (SIGNO)
Stylist : Kosei Matsuda (SIGNO)
Hair,MakeUp : Akihito Hayami
Text : Hisamoto Chikaraishi(S/T/D/Y)
■PROFILE
Born December 10, 1996, Fukuoka Prefecture. Having marked his acting debut in 2017, he has since gone on to appear in a range of media such as TV dramas, film, stage, and infotainment television programs. He has recently appeared in the films, “What to Do with the Dead Kaiju?” and “Mayhem Girls” and the Netflix original series “First Love” and a stageplay “Shakespeare’s R&J”. He will also star in the film “Sensei! Kuchisake-onna Desu” which will open on July 7. From August 1, he will appear in his first lead role in a Fuji TV Tuesday ACTION! drama series called, ” Our School Broadcast.”