"Yoake" (His Lost Name), starring Yuya Yagira and directed by Nanako Hirose, could be considered a product of fate. Yagira made his debut in "Daremo Shiranai" (Nobody Knows) directed by acclaimed filmmaker Hirokazu Koreeda, who Hirose worked for as an assistant for many years.
The film revolves around a young man (played by Yagira), who, harboring a secret, turns up in a regional city where he is rescued by a middle-aged man (Kaoru Kobayashi). Although the young man has almost given up on his life, he gradually changes through his relationship with the older man.
The young man, who says his name is Shinichi, starts to work at a woodworking plant managed by the elder man. Shinichi happens to be the name of the elder man's son.
Hirose also wrote the script for "Yoake," which means "dawn" in English.
"The director told me she was able to make progress with the script after visualizing me [playing the young man's role]," Yagira said. "Which is a bit rude, I thought," he playfully added. "But she's a student of director Koreeda, so I shrugged it off." He also said he empathized with "the eerily real character."
Yagira won the Award for Best Actor at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival in 2004 for his performance as the lead character in "Nobody Knows." At the young age of 14, he found himself abruptly thrust into the limelight, and he ended up hitting a wall in his late teens.
He said criticism he received about his acting ability sapped the enjoyment out of acting.
But looking back on that time, it was a worthwhile experience, he said. "It was a period in which I was able to reset my career."
"I thought I could use my experience as an actor, including the period when I was overthinking and agonizing over things," he said.
"I wonder if I was cast because of some kind of vitality that exists within me," he added. "I wanted to perform the role respectfully."
Perhaps because they are both close in age -- Hirose was born in 1987 and Yagira was born in 1990 -- the fateful pair spent a lot of time hashing over the film.
"We talked about every scene in the film, even things that might not have been necessary to discuss," Yagira said. "Neither of us is much of a talker though, so alcohol was usually involved."
In person, he was not as reticent as he suggests, however. Although he spoke in a subdued tone, his responses overflowed with passion.
Yagira often plays idiosyncratic characters, but in his latest film, the protagonist appears to be an ordinary young man.
Explaining why this made the role more challenging, Yagira said: "Honestly, I was always wondering, 'Is my acting all right?' because the director said very little about how I should act. But at the same time, I felt she had a clear vision, so I decided to just trust her and focus on doing whatever I was told to do."
Yagira has appeared in a diverse range of films, from "Gintama," based on a popular manga series of the same name, to more serious works like "Destruction Babies" and "His Lost Name."
"All genres are important for me," he said.
"Perhaps it's greedy of me, but I want to be an actor who can appear in blockbusters and independent films that are screened at international film festivals.
"It broadens your perspective and provides opportunities to learn new things."
"Yoake" is in theaters now.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
