Etsushi Toyokawa as Otcho

Interview

Did you read the original manga?

Yes, and I've always been interested in it, because there have been rumours about adapting it for a while, as well as another masterpiece "Monster" created by Naoki Urasawa. Naoki Urasawa is a master storyteller. The way he depicts scenes in his manga is very cinematic. I like the way his drawings are dynamic, but he doesn't use bold strokes. I think that's one of the reasons why the "20th Century Boys" manga is packed with action and dynamic, yet it has class. To adapt it into a movie, I believe that the director is very conscious of the graphic excellence of the manga.

Are there anything you particularly did to play Otcho, the manga character?

The original manga goes into Otcho's background in detail. So I read it over and over. You don't see it in the movie but in the manga, Otcho goes through zen training like a "Dragon Ball" character (laughs). His life is quite extraordinary and in that sense his character is the most fantastic. Most other characters come from regular backgrounds and that puts Otcho in a heroic light. Like Toshiyuki Karasawa said, "20th Century Boys" is an ensemble movie. I figured the character I play could stick out a little. I also postured a lot and positioned my face as Otcho was drawn in the manga. Normally I don't pay attention to storyboards and camera setup plans. But this time, photocopied pages of the manga came with the screenplay so I diligently checked them for reference. Of course this is going to be very enjoyable for those who haven't read the manga but I really don't want to betray the expectations of the manga fans. If we were not truthful to the original manga, it would be meaningless. The principal plan was to follow the manga as close as possible, so I did my best to play the character as closely as it was drawn in manga.

How did you like the location shooting in Thailand?

I went there to mainly shoot the action sequence. I had a long partial wig and a long coat on so it was really hot. Otcho never takes off his long coat. I'd like to ask Naoki Urasawa what's behind Otcho's look one day (laughs).

What do you find most interesting about Otcho?

Otcho is a man who lost something very important in his life. There's something very sexy about him because of that.

Profile

Etsushi Toyokawa was born in Osaka in 1962. He became well known after starring in a popular TV thriller "Night Head" in 1992. He has been active in movies and TV dramas ever since. Awards he received for his performances include both Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading and Supporting Role Awards from Japan Academy Awards, Best Actor Award for Takasaki Film Festival and Hochi Film Festival. He often chose to work with directors he'd never worked with, to expand his boundaries.

Etsushi Toyokawa's other film appearances include, Katsuaki Motoki's "Inu to Watashi no Ju no Yakusoku / 10 Promises to My Dog" (2008); Kaneto Shindo's "Hana wa Chiredomo / Though the Petals have Fallen" (2008); Yoshimitsu Morita's "Southbound", "Tsubaki Sanjuro / Sanjuro" (2007); Kunitoshi Manda's "Seppun / The Kiss" (2007); Junji Sakamoto's "Tamamoe" (2007); Yasuo Tsuruhashi's "Ai no Rukeichi / Love Never to End" (2007) and Tomoyuki Takigawa's "Hanin ni Tsugu / The Investigation Game" (2007).

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