The stage version of Makoto Shinkai Words’ film The Garden of is running in London until September 9, at the Park Theater in Finsbury Park. Shinkai’s film is about a schoolboy Takao who meets a mysterious woman in a rainy park in Tokyo. The play is based on the movie but also uses elements from the book version of Shinkai, which adds more details about the characters’ backgrounds, especially Takao’s family.
We interviewed two actors who played Takao in a separate stage play version. One is Hiroki Berrecloth, the Japanese/British actor in the film in London. He will soon appear in the upcoming film The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, playing the character Treech.
The other one was Kurumu Okamiya, who was visiting from Japan. He did not participate in the London production, but he has been cast in an upcoming play in Tokyo that will begin in November. Okamiya is an experienced stage actor who previously played Eren in the session. musical version of Attack on Titan, which premiered in Tokyo and Osaka in January. He also played Yuri Briar in SPY x FAMILY and Eiji Okumura in Banana Fish, both on stage.
Hiroki Berrecloth, Kurumu Okamiya on set Image courtesy of Whole Hog Theater and Nelke Planning
Did you watch the film’s The Garden of Speech before you were given the role, or did you come to the story in a fresh way?
Hiroki BERRECLOTH: I had never heard of the movie when I first auditioned for the cast three years ago when the pandemic caused the show to be postponed. And I was lucky enough to be cast at the time, I saw the movie during the research and development that we did and I loved it. Since then, I’ve re-watched it a few times, just re-watching it, keeping it the same. And then, I was fortunate to be given the opportunity again after another audition after the pandemic.
In the movie version, we mainly see Takao and Yukino’s relationship. Can you talk a little bit about Takao’s other relationships—for example, with his mother like in the play?
BERRECLOTH: I think the book goes into more detail about the relationships between all the different characters. What becomes very clear as you read the novel, and which I personally draw a lot of inspiration from, is that Takao is completely shunned. He feels he is not seen by anyone with whom he should have had a closer relationship. His mother was often absent; it’s similar to his brother. This highlights his relationship with Yukino even more, in the sense that she is the first character Takao meets to actually see and hear him. That leads to confusion about his feelings for her.
Some people might think Takao is a weird guy obsessed with shoes. Did he remind you of anyone as a student, or even yourself as a teenager?
Kurumu OKAMIYA: I thought that there was no one like Takao when I was a student. The first time I watched a movie was when I was 18 years old. My impression of Takao back then was different from what I think of him now. When I was 18 years old, I thought Takao in the movie was a pretty mature guy, but now I think he has a very young energy. He has a difficult and complicated relationship with his family, but he remains very pure, follows his dreams and has energy and passion. I really like that about him.
BERRECLOTH: Personally, I think there are people I grew up with that have that uniqueness, which I like. I think I have that too. I connected with Takao very early on; I decided that I wanted to be an actor. And I was very passionate about it, like Takao decided early on that he wanted to be a shoemaker. I found a comparison there. Likewise, at the theater at my school, something was repressed. We have a very toxic teacher… Working in an environment where you regularly experience homophobic abuse is not ideal. So it feels like I’m going against the law in that sense.
The people I look up to in friendships and relationships have that uniqueness, determined to have ambitions, goals, traits that drive them. I find it very difficult to converse with people who have no greater motivation than that.
How would you describe Takao’s feelings towards Yukino? For example, are they similar to how a boy feels towards a beautiful girl of the same age or are they different from that?
OKAMIYA: In Japan, in high school First-year students tend to admire third-year students. Takao’s feelings for Yukino are different from the feelings he has for someone of the same generation. To him, the mature older woman seemed attractive and mysterious. It seems she knows the whole world that he doesn’t. I also want to hear Hiroki’s answer.
BERRECLOTH: I would say that the age gap between different grade groups at school is not so significant. In my experience, many friendships happen at all ages in the UK, especially when you get into high school and university, because everyone goes to university at different ages.
But for me, Takao’s relationship with Yukino—going back to what I said earlier, Takao feels like he’s invisible to so many people, mother, brother, teacher. So I don’t think it’s love or affection for Yukino emotionally. It’s actually a confusion between love and first sighting. So he has this new experience of being seen and understood by someone and confused that with “Oh, this must be love” because that feeling is so unique.
I think he’s very uncertain, and throughout the play, he’s figuring out what love is, what it isn’t, and what kind of love it is. So it’s not as simple as if he’s in love with a teacher or an elderly woman—it’s much more complicated than that.
Are you referencing voice actor Takao’s performance in the movie version for your performance?
BERRECLOTH: Personally, I don’t—I think the medium is too different. In the anime there are a lot of close-ups and eye acting. Meanwhile, we’re trying to fill a theater. In terms of voice quality and intent, I explore most of them in ‘s book [Shinaki]. I found myself wanting to erase the memory of the movie as quickly as possible so that I could freely explore myself and explore things while relying heavily on the intentions I discovered in the text.
OKAMIYA: I really admire Shinkai’s work. I’m not saying I won’t mention it at all. But it applies to my process because I have been in many anime and manga adaptations. So I always wanted to put my personality into the character. I also enjoy collaborating with other actors on stage, so they will influence me and then complete a unique version. [của nhân vật] on the stage. This is what I want to do.
The play can move very quickly between different times and places. Do you find being an actor challenging?
BERRECLOTH: Personally, I think it’s easier for me to do that than some other actors. Because I played Takao, that meant I couldn’t play a major role in all the “chorus” moments in the play. Lots of other actors are doing an incredible job, doing the transitions, continuing to do the “moving” parts. On the contrary, I was interested in playing the character quite a bit throughout the whole movie.
The novel changes time quite a bit, but after it was translated and adapted into a chronological screenplay by Alexandra Rutter and Susan Momoko Hingley, it made a lot of sense to me. I didn’t struggle too much, or not to the extent of the other actors, who did an amazing job of figuring it out. But in terms of the language of movement between scenes, we tried to make sure those transitions were smooth… We were trying to achieve fluidity between scenes, so that it never felt like there were any transitions. interruption when the energy in the theater is being removed.
In the play, Takao grew up in Tokyo; Have you ever lived in Tokyo?
OKAMIYA: I’m not from Tokyo, but Nagano and I weren’t in Tokyo during Takao’s time. I came to Tokyo while in college, away from my family. I was really scared, scared to step on the subway. I was alone and locked myself in my room for three days. Of course I can go anywhere now; I know Tokyo very well. Now I am brave enough to wish to go abroad.
BERRECLOTH: My experience with Tokyo has been mostly as a tourist, but my grandparents live just outside of Tokorazawa. It only takes about half an hour by train to central Tokyo. We take day trips and hang out together. More recently, last winter, I went alone and now I have friends who live in Tokyo so we went out with them. But I won’t say that I know this city well. I can only get around using Google Maps.