Actor Oguri completed his Hollywood film debut, and in a recent interview, he talked about the impression he left on the shooting scene in the United States and the advantages he found on the shooting scene in Japan.
Actor Shun Oguri made his Hollywood debut in the movie King Kong vs. Godzilla. There are Oguri Shun that we all know and love, and it also shows the Oguri Shun that we don't know.
Shun Oguri: Originally, American film production company Legend Pictures consulted Toho on the Japanese cast of King Kong vs. Godzilla. Toho mentioned my name and sent me an invitation directly, but at first I told them that with my language skills, it would be difficult to participate. About three years ago, when I was on another project in Los Angeles, a Legendary Pictures staff member asked me if I would like to meet them. After we met and talked, I decided to work with them.
Six months before I started shooting, I started training in English. Working in a language you're not used to is really hard. Everyone on set was very friendly, but at first I couldn't understand what they were saying for half the time. , that's quite difficult. Some of the scenes were cut out and I was frustrated.
"Salmon"
■"Salmon" 100 times
What is one thing you regret the most that you can't forget now? When I asked him this question, he gave me an unexpected answer.
Oguri: After the shoot, we made a recording, but until the end, I couldn't pronounce the word "salmon" for a long time. Until the end, I couldn't pronounce the word "salmon." I couldn't tell the difference between the two words, and I couldn't figure out what was wrong with my pronunciation. I must have said "salmon" hundreds of times (laughs).
I think if I had the opportunity to work in different languages, these questions would stay with me for the rest of my life. Or you have to find a way to pronounce it in your own intonation so that the other person can understand. My native language is not English and I'm not used to using English, so it's quite difficult to make it "understandable".
--On the spot, I felt a huge difference in shooting style. What impressed me the most was the way they used their time.
Oguri: It often takes a few days to shoot a scene. I don't think that's the case on every set, but in Japan, we tend to put efficiency first and shoot everything in this time, so it feels completely different. Normally, such a long scene and so much detail can be shot in half a day, but sometimes it takes a full two days until I'm satisfied. I really liked the time and budget I could spend on set. Sometimes, I spend two whole days on a scene and end up cutting everything out, and things rarely go as planned.
She was also impressed by the staff's practice of taking weekend breaks and valuing private time.
Oguri: Everyone has a lot of time on their hands. Our time wasn't tight, so there were hardly any situations in which we didn't sleep. If you start shooting early in the morning, the evening is over, and if you start shooting late at night, it's over in the morning. I didn't feel tired on set, so I thought it was a healthy "workplace". Of course, it depends on the film and location, but I don't think there is any "hard shell" in my experience.
■Advantages of the Japanese set
What are the advantages of the Japanese scene?
Oguri: We had one day to shoot on a Saturday, but that was due to my schedule, so we were discussing, because of Shun, to shoot on Saturday, I had to leave early because I looked like a busy Japanese actor (laughs).
Among Japanese actors, there is a virtue of "only thinking about the role when filming". But over there, I think they also emphasize "living a normal life." Of course, there are some people who stay on this character all the time, and I think that's a big part of why King Kong vs Godzilla is an entertaining work, but I like the feeling that they have fun making things.
On the other hand, it was also a valuable opportunity for me to recognize the merits of a Japanese filming location that I had never thought of before.
Oguri: I think of how amazing it was for a Japanese crew to be able to make an entertaining movie on a budget that was an order of magnitude smaller than ours and without spending a lot of money. I even think that if they had the same budget, the Japanese staff would be able to create more amazing works.
There, we often had to retake because the camera wasn't in focus, but everyone just said, "Oh, I'm sorry!" "。 They don't really care. The Japanese staff are highly skilled, and they are all very talented.
- Even after the film is completed, the cast and crew maintain a good relationship.
Oguri: After shooting in Australia in March last year, we had another shoot in Los Angeles last January, where I had a pleasant reunion with the crew and the cast. I was living in Los Angeles at the time, so everyone said, "Your English is getting better!" "。 They all said, "Your English is getting better!" It's interesting. I used to think that Brother Shun wouldn't understand anything I said around him, but now he understands what I'm saying, so I have to be careful" (laughs). I'm still in touch with Dimian Beechel and Alexander Skarsgaard, with whom I have many scenes in common, saying, "I don't see you very often, but how about you?" I still keep in touch with them.
As for myself, I chose to stay in Japan for a while due to my shooting assignment (next year I will be starring in a big TV series). However, if, after I settle down, I have the opportunity to work in foreign films, I certainly hope to challenge myself. If you want it, the opportunity will come, and whether you can seize it or not depends on yourself. But if there was a line in the script that said "salmon," I would be the first to say, "I can't say this."