Zero-One’s Fumiya Takahashi and Noa Tsurushima Talk About Zero-One

Takahashi and Tsurushima, who portrays Aruto and Izu respectively, talk about the relationship between their characters and the show.

Congratulations on the movie’s premiere. What can you tell us about the difference between the movie and TV series?

Tsurushima: The Izu in the movie is not the original Izu. Also, I’d like everyone to see how Izu in the movie changes throughout the film.

Takahashi: I portrayed him in the TV series, but I feel like Aruto has grown. When I read the movie script, I thought, “Aruto’s going to grow even more now.” I portrayed him with the mindset that he had room to grow.

One of the highlights of the film is seeing Hideaki Ito, who appeared briefly in the final episode of the TV series. What was it like working with him?

Takahashi: Seeing him in person… his presence was amazing. I did have a scene together with him but I thought he was intense during rehearsals. He told me “don’t be afraid on set,” and because of that I was able to work hard.

Tsurushima: I watched their scenes from afar but the intensity between Ito and Fumiya was overwhelming.

Takahashi: Expressing is difficult however, the presence around Hideaki and Tokuma Nishioka (portrays Korenosuke Hiden) is so different. There’s a feeling of tension but at the same time, they calm us down. They’re able to brighten the atmosphere by just being around. I learned a lot from them, as I was able to bring new perspective into my acting.

After appearing in Kamen Rider Zero-One, has your understanding of yourself deepened?

Takahashi: Not only have I grown, but to me my biggest achievement was being able to develop a bond with my co-stars.

Tsurushima: At first, I did everything according to script, but after deepening my relationship with everyone, but gradually I was able to work on jokes and stuff with everyone. I was able to try out a lot of things on set.

Takahashi: You’re right. Throughout the year, I was like “okay if I do this, Izu will do this for me” or “I want to see Izu make this kind of face!” and acted with those things in mind. I enjoyed checking those scenes out on the monitor. I was happy when she far surpassed my imagination.

Tsurushima: This “harmonizing” between the two of us is all thanks to being able to have the same roll throughout the span of a year. To me,  this is my first ever acting role, and I feel like I will feel enriched in my next acting job because I was able to form a deep bond with my costars will

If you two were to become a Humagear…

Takahashi: I’d like to be either Horobi or Jin. I wonder what it’d be like to see things from their perspective.

Tsurushima: Maybe Jin for me. I like how he’s a innocent seeming psychopath. Like Fumiya, I wonder what it’d be like to see the Hiden team from their side.

The tokusatsu series is known for being a time-consuming series. How do you build up the motivation for it?

Tsurushima: For me it’s seeing the audience reaction. Before the show premiered, I was filled with doubts like “will everything be okay?” But after that, I saw that we were trending every week and everyone’s voice cheered me on.

Takahashi: What I found important was that I wanted to live wholeheartedly as Aruto. There were a lot of hardships throughout filming but I wanted to live true to my role, and that helped me live through it all.

When you said “there were a lot of hardships,” is there any scene that you would never want to film again?

Tsurushima: I thought they were all enjoyable because every scene was worth doing. But no wind could get through the fabric on Izu’s material and in fact it retained heat. I had a difficult time filming in the summer (laughs).

Takahashi: I had difficulty filming the final battle scene. We split filming into two days and we usually wear protection during action scenes. However, they wanted a more to film a more “real” scene and we couldn’t wear them. And as expected, I was filled with bruises on the first day. It was a violent scene so on the next day, our bodies were pushed to their limits. We were so focused that we were in the zone. Even if I try to recall what happened that day, I can’t seem to remember. But when I saw the footage, I thought “Aruto Hiden is really here!” To be honest, no matter how much I try, I can never surpass my performance that day. So it’s not like it’s a scene I never want to film again, but rather, something I can never pull off again.

You can say the movie is a culmination of your hard work. The theme of the series is “dream,” can you tell us about the highlights?

Tsurushima: For Izu, her dream was to understand President Hiden’s heart. I think a lot of fans watch Aruto and Izu come together and do the Aruto Jyanai To! pose.

Takahashi: I think one of the highlights of the show is seeing various characters chase their dreams. Kamen Rider Eden in the movie also has his own dream. When his dream and Aruto’s dream clash, whose one is the righteous one? I’ll be very happy if it gives big friends and our little friends hope for their dreams, even if it’s just a little.

Source: Crank-In