Ken Watanabe didn’t think a kabuki film would work

A three-hour drama about kabuki, a centuries-old form of Japanese theater, doesn’t exactly look like box office gold. But that’s exactly what happened with That’s it. Director Lee Sang-il’s adaptation of Shoichi Yoshida’s novel of the same name was a surprise hit last year, becoming the highest-grossing live-action film in Japan domestically. But the star, Ken Watanabe, is a veteran actor known for Hollywood films such as beginning and Detective Pikachu -At first I didn’t think it was a good idea. He loved the novel, but was concerned that the art form would not translate well to film.

“Don’t do it,” he remembers telling Sang-il when he first brought up the idea. “Kabuki culture is a very strict culture in Japan, and it is difficult for an ordinary actor to play in a Kabuki play.” Despite these reservations, it has been a success, and now That’s it The film has the opportunity to reach a wider audience, and will be released in theaters across the United States on February 20.

The film follows the lives of two actors. There’s Keiko Tachibana (Ryo Yoshizawa), the orphaned son of a yakuza boss who is hired as an apprentice by legendary kabuki actor Hanjiro (Watanabe). He’s joined by Shunsuke Ogaki (Ryusei Yokohama), Hanjiro’s son, who has been groomed from a young age to succeed his father. That’s it The film traces their changing careers over the course of 50 years, from 1964 to 2014, as each devoted themselves to the coveted role known as onnagata, or male kabuki actors playing female roles. It’s a beautiful, and sometimes devastating, portrait of the lengths artists will go in search of greatness.

It’s also a film that asked a lot of its artists. Due to the very specific and physically challenging movements required of Onnagata, That’s itThe two leads spent about 18 months in training to get things right. Watanabe’s character spends relatively little time performing in the film, but he says he trained for about four months to learn the moves and choreography. Things were made more difficult by heavy wigs, elaborate costumes and long takes. “All difficult things are associated with joy,” he says of preparation. “It’s all part of the process of getting somewhere. So I never felt like it was too painful or too difficult. However, I do complain sometimes. Just sometimes.”

Watanabe’s character is constantly present throughout the film, especially in the beginning. In the 1960s, he trained budding kabuki stars (played by child actors Soya Kurokawa and Kitatsu Kochiyama), who developed a budding rivalry, partly due to his approval. “My role was to watch these two characters from the time I was a kid until they became amazing Kabuki actors, so I was a watchful eye throughout their careers,” Watanabe explains. “The child actors worked hard too, so I got to see them grow through the film process, which was a new experience for me.”

However, while he was a mentor in the film, Watanabe says that despite his career, he has never taken on a similar role off-camera. “When I was young, I always felt that acting with others was like entering the same ring, and that our careers and level of experience did not matter,” he explains. “I still act the same way. I don’t play the role of a teacher or a person who guides in real life, because we are all equal and step into the same circle.”

Watanabe remains unclear about why That’s it It was such a success. Perhaps it partly has to do with how detailed the production is, not only in terms of the gorgeous kabuki costumes and performances, but also the period-appropriate sets, which change frequently as the story progresses in time. Whatever the reason, he says that a few days after the film premiered in Japan, he tracked sentiment on social media, and “realized that young people were loving this movie. Then maybe a month later, we couldn’t believe the success.”

Despite his initial reservations, it works That’s it It has been a rewarding experience for Watanabe. Although he had no prior experience with kabuki specifically, he began acting on stage, and in 2015 made his Broadway debut as a lead in The king and I. He says it’s because of this shooting That’s it It was a nostalgic experience, and she described the feeling as “kind of like déjà vu.” It was such a strong feeling, in fact, that seeing the film for the first time affected him deeply. “I couldn’t stop my tears seeing the last moment of this movie,” he says.