浅野忠信 interview

With the exception perhaps of Koji Yakusho, no actor has come to
characterise recent Japanese cinema the way Tadanobu Asano has.

How was the experience of working on Ichi the Killer? Did the violent nature of the story trouble you in any way?

Miike really is such a prolific director, he is so
relaxed on set and everything went so smoothly, that it made me feel
very comfortable. I realize that it looks very bloody on the screen and
even with the original manga you want to close your eyes in several
places. But actually the set was very much of a world apart. I sensed
something very special and unique, and something that never felt
unsettling to me when making that film, so I was very comfortable with
portraying the violence. It was a very easygoing atmosphere on set and
we really had a fabulous time making the film.

And how would that experience compare with making Distance with Hirokazu Kore-eda?

Distance took the very unusual approach that each of
the five actors only had a script that was pertinent to our own part.
So it was a very different experience on set, with the director trying
to give birth to something through that process. It was very different
altogether and a little bit slower. Generally I would know the
questions I was supposed to ask the others, but had no idea as to how
they would react. We each had our own lines and sometimes on purpose
those would be the wrong lines, with the intention to trip us up in our
performances.