Ninomiya Kazunari's "It" (More, September 2009)
第９回：仲間たち
09: Companions
取材当日は２６歳の誕生日の数日後。「コレ」といつもより少しだけ弾んだ声で差し出されたケータイの画面には、〝先輩〟の文字が描かれたバースデーケーキが映っていた。
The day of the interview was a few days after his 26th birthday. "Here," he said in a voice just slightly bouncier than usual, fishing out his cell phone. On the screen was a picture of a birthday cake with the word "senpai" written on it.
「誕生日に５日前、錦戸（亮）とご飯食べていたら突然、店の電気が消えて、コレが出てきた。サプライズでお祝いしてくれたの。普段、こういうコトをするヤツじゃないからさ、すげぇ驚いた（笑）。嵐のメンバーからは誕生日プレゼントもらって・・・・・・」
"Five days before my birthday, when I went out to eat with Nishikido (Ryo), the lights in the restaurant suddenly dimmed, and this came out. He gave me a surprise celebration. Since he's not the kind of person who normally does this, I was really surprised (laugh). And from the members of Arashi, I received presents..."
後輩、メンバー、共演者・・・・・・ｅｔｃ．〝仕事仲間〟について語る時のニノは、自分のことを語る時よりも随分リラックスしていて楽しそうだ。「友達はいない」というけれど、彼には信頼する仕事仲間がいる。中には２０歳以上も年上の女優もいれば、祖父母世代の演出家もいる。
Kouhai, members of Arashi, costars, etc. When Nino speaks of his "work companions", he seems to be relaxed and enjoying himself, even more than when he speaks about himself. Though he says that he doesn't have any friends, he has work companions that he can put his trust in. Amongst them are actresses who are more than 20 years older than him, and people a part of his grandparents' generation that he's acted with.
「いくら年上でも、仲間だったらたいてい呼びすてでタメ口（笑）。年齢にかかわらず、仲がいい相手ほどそうなる。がんがんツッコむし、からかうし。でも、オレのタメ口とツッコミは、敬愛が前提だからね。大御所俳優に『何言ってんの？』なんて突っ込むたびに周囲はヒヤヒヤしてるだろうけど、ふたりの間では自然なことだったりする。一緒に仕事すると、相手の人間性もよくわかるから。才能でも生き方でも何かしら尊敬できる人で、気が合えば、自然と距離が縮まっていくよね。たとえば、今、一緒に舞台をやってる秋吉（久美子）さんはすごい不思議な人で、普段は会話しててもあんまりかみあわないの（笑）。でも、芝居の相性はすごくいいみたいなんだよね。演じていてすんなりくるから、それはすごくありがたいなって思う」
"No matter how much older they are, if they're my companions, I usually don't use honorifics and and speak casually (laugh). Regardless of their age, if we're close, that's how it is. I throw out retorts [tsukkomi] incessantly and I tease them. But within that casual speech and those retorts, there's an underlying affection and respect there. Whenever I respond to a respected actor with something like "What the hell are you saying?" the people around us probably get nervous, but between the two of us, it's what comes naturally. Because whenever I work with someone, I come to really understand the other person's nature. If it's a person I can respect for his talent or his way of life or anything else, when we click, the distance between us naturally shrinks. For example, right now I'm in a stage play with Akiyoshi (Kumiko)-san*, who's a really strange person. When we're having normal conversations, we don't really engage each other (laughs), but our compatibility while acting is really good. When we're acting it comes quite easily, which I'm really thankful for."
*This was while he was doing Strangers on a Train.
１０代前半から、家よりも学校よりも現場に身をおいてきた。仕事に人生を費やしてきたニノにとって、そこでの仲間はかけがえのない存在だ。
From his early teens, he spent most of his time not at home or at school, but on set. For Nino, who spent his life at work, those companions are an irreplaceable existence.
「この仕事は周囲の人あってこそでしょう。１４歳で出た初めてのドラマ『天城越え』のプロデューサーに言われたの。『ココに立てるのはお前ひとりの力じゃないぞ。照明を当ててくれる人、衣装を作ってくれる人、いろんな人がいて始めて立っていられるんだ』って。それ以来、ずっとそう思ってる。別に過剰なテンションではなく当たり前にね、みんなに支えられているって知っているし、自分も役割をまっとうしようとするし。自分の演技がどうこうより、ひとつの作品としてとらえるべきだなっていつも思う。だから、オレはたまたま自分が主演でも、現場では全然真ん中にいないの。みんなで輪になって、同じ目線でワイワイ言いながら作っていくのが楽しいし、むしろ、オレ以外の誰かが好き放題やってるとワクワクしてくる（笑）。そうすると、年齢や立場にかかわらず、いつの間にか仲よくなっていくよね」
"It's precisely because there are people around me at my job. When I was 14 and I appeared in my first drama, Amagigoe, this is what the producer told me: 'The fact that you're standing here isn't thanks to your power alone. It's because there are people working the lights, people making the costumes... it's because all kinds of people are here that you get to stand here in the first place.' From then on, I always think of that. And obviously they might not be overenthusiastic, but I know that I'm being supported by everyone there, and I try earnestly to fill my role as best I can. More than how my own acting is, I always think about how we should create the production as a singular whole. Even if I end up being the lead actor, I'm never in the middle of the set. It's more fun when everyone makes a circle and we're all getting excited and creating the production from the same perspective. Plus, I get more excited when someone besides me goes all out and does as he pleases (laugh). In that way, no matter what the age or the position, before we know it, we all become close."
信頼する仲間とは、絶対恋愛にはならない。
For those companions that he can put his trust in, it definitely doesn't turn into romance.
みんなでひとつの作品を作り上げていく道のりは、恋愛とも友情とも異なる特別な関係をつくる――。なかでも親密になり、つきあい続けているのが舞台『シブヤから遠く離れて』の共演者、勝村政信、小泉今日子、蒼井優など演技派の面々だ。
The journey that everyone takes to create one final product creates a different relationship than those of love or friendship. Amongst those, he's kept up with his costars from the stage play Shibuya kara Tooku Hanarete, whom he's become intimate friends with: Katsumura Masanobu, Koizumi Kyoko, Aoi Yuu... all kinds of great actors/actresses.
「演技派かな？『演技なんて、見る人の好みでしょ』ってあのメンバーは思ってるよ。みんな演技やインタビューではすごく考えてるように見えるけど、普段は適当だしね（笑）。少し前も小泉今日子と蒼井優が演技で何かの賞を受賞したっていうから、（高橋）克美の誕生日も兼ねて、いつものメンバーでお祝いしたんだけど。どうでもいいことを話して笑ってただけ。オフの場でわざわざ演技論とかマジメな話なんて絶対にしたくないメンバーだからね。勢いで顔にマジックで落書きしたりして。この人、世間的にはすごい人なんだよなぁと思いつつ（笑）。あのメンバーとは、絶対に恋愛にはならない。フザけた仲間だから、お互いが異性になる瞬間なんて見たくもない（笑）。でも、やっぱり尊敬はしているんだよね。あの人たちの共通点って、なんていうか、普通に人間らしいの。マジメだけどマジメすぎないし、欲はあるけどイヤラしすぎないし。『賞はいらない』って言うつつ、いざもらうとうれしそうだったり。明日早いから帰るわって言いつつ、居続けちゃったり。自分勝手っちゃ自分勝手だけど、人としてブレがない。いきなり感情的に乱れたり、豹変したりしないし、自分は自分で立っている感じ。いきなり色気とか感情とかをぶつけてこないから、恋愛にならずに仲間でいられるんだと思う」
"Are they great actors and actresses? Those guys think, 'Isn't acting the kind of thing that's up to the preference of the viewer?' It may seem as if everyone thinks hard about it while they're acting or during interviews, but usually it's just random (laugh). Just a while back Koizumi Kyoko and Aoi Yuu won some kind of award for acting, and we piled that on top of (Takahashi) Katsumi's birthday and had a celebration with the usual suspects. All we did was talk and laugh about things that don't matter. It's because they're the type of people who don't want to go out of their way to talk about acting theories or other serious things when they're off set. All the while, I'm thinking about how these people are really worldly, amazing people (laugh). It definitely would never turn into romance with those people. Since we're buddies who just screw around, we don't want to see that moment when we each become someone of the opposite sex (laugh). But I respect them after all. The thing those people have in common is... how do I say it... they're all regular people. They're serious but not too serious, they have desires but they're not too indecent. They say, 'I don't need an award,' but they go ahead and accept it and are happy about it. They say, 'I've got an early day tomorrow so I'm heading home,' but they stay right where they are. While it may be self-centered, as people they're unshakeable. They don't suddenly get sentimental or completely change things. It's like they're standing there as themselves. Since that won't suddenly clash with sexuality or emotions, I think we'll be able to stay as friends without having it turn into romance."
孤独だけど、シリアスにはならない。パターン化した演技はしない。世間のモノサシには流されず、マイペースに飄々と生きている――。
敬愛する仲間についてニノが語る言葉は、そのまま、彼自身をも表していることに気がついた。
Though it's lonely, he doesn't get serious. He doesn't act with set patterns. Without measuring himself up against society's ruler, he's detached, living at his own pace.
And at the words Nino uses to talk about his companions whom he respects, just like that, he realizes he's been expressing something about himself.
「２６歳の抱負？あるわけないじゃん（笑）。年齢なんかでいきなり変わらない。今までどおり仕事頑張るよ。」
"My aspirations at 26 years old? Like I have any (laugh). I won't suddenly change with my age. Just as it's been up till now, when it comes to work, I'll do my best."
[Corrections and suggestions and whatnot are appreciated! Also, if you need any clarification on what he's saying, please let me know. Japanese is kind of a jerk to translate.]