So, this time at Animate Times, we are running a series of interviews with people who are active at the forefront of the industry, titled “The Job of a Suit Actor”!
The first episode will feature Nagatoku-san, who plays Kamen Rider Gatchard in “Kamen Rider Gatchard,” and Mori Hiroshi, who plays Bunred in “Bakujo Sentai Bunbunger.”
We spoke to him about a variety of topics, including what inspired him to become a suit actor, his favorite special effects works, and the secret to creating impressive poses, and he also answered questions that were submitted in advance by users.
■ Eitoku Eitoku (pictured right)
Born January 16th. Height 177cm.
He has played various regular heroes since the Deka Break of “Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger” in 2004, and is popular for his acclaimed acting skills. He plays the lead role of Kamen Rider Gatchard in the currently airing and highly acclaimed “Kamen Rider Gatchard”.
The film “Kamen Rider THE SUMMER MOVIE 2024 / Kamen Rider Gatchard & Bakujo Sentai Bunbunger” is also currently being shown and receiving rave reviews. It is also streamed on the fan club “E-TALK”, so if you’re interested, be sure to check it out!
■ Hirotsugu Mori (left)
Born October 20th. Height 180cm. He
gained popularity in 2022 with his role as Sonoi Hen-tai in “Boutarou Sentai Don Brothers” and Tombo Oger in “Ousama Sentai King Oger”. He plays the lead role of Bun Red in the currently airing “Bakujo Sentai Bunbunger”
. The movie “Kamen Rider THE SUMMER MOVIE 2024 / Kamen Rider Gatchard & Bakujo Sentai Bunbunger” is also currently being shown and receiving rave reviews.
──First, I would like to ask about how you two met and the beginning of your relationship.
Hiroshi Mori (hereafter, Mori): I remember! But only one-sidedly. The first time I did the Deka Break was when we were filming “199” (“Gokaiger Goseiger Super Sentai 199 Hero Great Battle”).
Before I joined the agency, I came to Tokyo from Sendai for a shoot and I was playing a soldier (an enemy combatant), and all I remember is thinking, “That’s Naganori…” (laughs).
Nagatoku-san (hereinafter, Nagatoku): I don’t remember exactly when I first recognized him, but Mori-kun started to participate in our filmings a lot, and I recognized him as a cheerful guy. I thought he was an interesting guy
, and I was attracted to him. And before I knew it, we started talking.
–What kind of stories will you be telling…?
Nagatoku: I’ve always liked special effects programs, and Mori-kun would talk about Showa special effects before I started (as a suit actor), saying things like, “There was this kind of thing in special effects at that time.” Since Mori-kun is knowledgeable about Showa special effects, I would say, “Mori-kun, you weren’t around at that time, were you?”
Mori: No way (laughs).
Everyone: (laughs)
── Following that, please tell us how you got into this world and about your favorite special effects hero as a child.
Eitoku: I got into it because I was watching special effects programs since I was little. But boys stop watching them when they start elementary school. It was a time when people would say, “What, you’re still watching that?” I can’t tell everyone this, but I used to go home alone, turn on the TV, and watch special effects programs all the time. In those days, special effects heroes were on during prime time, so I had a lot of opportunities to watch them.
The best one is definitely “Space Sheriff”. At the time, I was obsessed with “Space Sheriff Gavan” starring Kenji Ohba. Nowadays, I would interpret it as “as a person”, but at the time, I think it taught me “This is what a man is like!”
From there, when I was about 20 years old and wondering “What should I do in the future?”, I thought about taking over my family’s liquor store… At that time, I wondered “What on earth do I want to do?” When I was little, I liked special effects. So I thought “I’m over 20, but I’ll give it a try once!” and started looking for it.
–Is it late to start this job after turning 20?
Nagatoku: Nowadays, with the development of training and supplements, you can get back in shape physically, but when I was in my twenties, I had the image that athletes retired around the age of 30, so I wondered what I could do in those 10 years and how much I could earn, but I thought I wouldn’t regret it if I didn’t try it once. That’s what got me started.
Mori: I’m from the generation that grew up watching Kakuranger, Ohranger, and Carranger, and I loved them so much.
— I heard that you are a fan of Super Sentai Red, played by Kazuo Shinbori (※). Was there an opportunity for you to watch works from before your generation?
※：新堀和男（にいぼり・かずお）。『秘密戦隊ゴレンジャー』のアカレンジャーから『鳥人戦隊ジェットマン』のレッドホークまでの歴代レッドのスーツアクターを務める。現在は株式会社レッド・エンタテインメント・デリヴァー代表取締役社長。
森：おばあちゃんの家に行ったときに、よくレンタルビデオを借りて見ていたんですよ。
新堀さんを知ったのは高校生くらいで、作品を見ていると「この名前、よく見るな」と。スーツアクターという概念はなかったんですが、「中の人が別にいる」というのはわかっていたんです。
僕のきっかけは小さい頃から特撮が好きで、誰しも「変身前をやってみたい」って概念があると思うんですよ。もし奇跡的になれたとしても、一年間しかやれない。「ずっとやりたいってなったらどうするんだろう？ 中に入ればいいんだ！」とそれだけの理由です（笑）。
──確かに。1年間だけでなく、ずっと演じられるのは中の人ですよね！
永徳： その考え、なかったわ（笑）。
一同：（笑）
森：僕はおもちゃとかロボを買ったり、集めたりするのが好きなんですけど。だったらオタクのなかでも上位に立ちたいんで、自分がやったやつを……。それはもう誰にも真似できないだろうと。自分の部屋に、演じたキャラクターのフィギュアやおもちゃを飾るスペースを作っています。
──そこは発想が特撮オタクなんですね（笑）。では、今年レッドを演じられるのは嬉しいですね！
永徳： 買うグッズも増えるね！
森：そうなんですよ。周りのみんながくれたりするんです。「これ、当たったからあげるー！」みたいな。
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