About Each Other

Kozuki: Dan-chan (Dan), I met you in “Gone with the Wind” (2002 Nissay Theater production).
Dan: Yes.
Kozuki: I felt then that you were easy to talk to and that I could relax around you. I also thought that you had a lot of determination. Even when a teacher said you were fine in rehearsal, if you weren’t satisfied with yourself, you’d say, “I’m sorry, but could we do that one more time?” I realized that you often felt you weren’t ready yet.
Dan: I do feel like that sometimes. If there’s an inconsistency or something I’m not satisfied with, then I can’t move forward. I can’t deceive myself like that. You must observe me very closely, Wataru-san…I’m in trouble (laughs).
Kozuki: Nooo~. You’re a great success (laughs).
Dan: (laughs). I’m clumsy with words and shy in front of strangers, so during “Gone with the Wind” I had to think about how I should talk to you (laughs). But you started talking to me kindly and naturally…even I was surprised by how easily I could talk with you. When I look at you, I always feel that you are a very unaffected person. I think people restrain or hide their feelings as they become adults, but when you are happy, Wataru-san, your face really looks happy, and when something tastes delicious…
Kozuki: You mean I’m a kid…
Dan: No! I think you’re amazing. You express your feelings when you’re happy, and that in turn makes everyone around you smile and feel warm inside.
Kozuki: I guess… (laughs)

What would you like to play if you switched male and female roles?

Kozuki: Nobitaro-kun and Shizuka-chan from “Doraemon” (laughs). Because Shizuka-chan is cute (laughs). I picked that just because I want to play Shizuka-chan (laughs). ……I lied! …I’m just joking…!
Dan: That’s alright (laughs).
Kozuki: What about “Romeo & Juliet” with Leonardo Dicaprio? Dan-chan, you seem like you could play a sweet Dicaprio-type boy. Don’t you think Juliet could deceive him? Hey, what if we can’t change our heights?! If we can’t, it’ll be tough~……but I guess it doesn’t make a difference, since Romeo and Juliet don’t meet each other very often.
Dan: That’s true (laughs).
Kozuki: And in the end, I (Juliet) am lying down, apparently dead, when you (Romeo) come to me, so the height balance doesn’t make a difference.
Dan: (laughs). Well then, will there be a scene just like in the movie where you have angel wings?
Kozuki: Yes. And then the two of us will see each other again through a water filter (laughs).

Describe an unexpected side of each other

Dan: The way her love scenes are so passionate…
Kozuki: That’s not unexpected, is it? (laughs)
Dan: Is that so? Have your fans long been aware of this?
Kozuki: Did you expect me to be cool?
Dan: Yes. I didn’t know. I’m sorry (laughs).
Kozuki: (laughs)
Dan: Another thing that’s surprising about you, Wataru-san, is how after only a little alcohol, you turn back into your girly, real name self.
Wataru: I do?
Dan: Very much so…
Kozuki: You mean I’m cute? (laughs)
Dan: You really become quite girly.
Kozuki: I’m not aware of it (laughs). About you, Dan-chan, you often make strange faces, like this.
Dan: Not all the time! (laughs)
Kozuki: When someone tells you, “Hey, Dan-chan, give this a try”, you’re the type to say, “Oh no, I couldn’t…” But then you end up doing it anyway (laughs). At least for a moment (laughs).
Dan: I can’t do everything I’m asked to do.
Kozuki: Oh, really?
Dan: Even I can be bashful (laughs). If I’m being told, “Do it, do it, do it!”, I’ll do it for a little bit.
Kozuki: But when you do something, you do it with all your might (laughs).
Dan: (laughs)

Speaking of Failures?

Kozuki: Dan-chan’s hair slipped out of place.
Dan: I knew you were going to say that (laughs). There is a scene in “Di-e・Rien” (“Butterfly・Love”) when I confess that I am actually a woman. When I took off my hat, my wig was out of place (laughs).
Kozuki: Yeah (laughs). Your forehead looked really big (laughs). That scene goes on for a long time (laughs).
Dan: And it’s such a good scene, too… The wig slipped towards the back, and it was crooked, too. I thought, “What should I do? This is awful! I’m going to be laughed at!” But it would have been weird to fix it, so I just left it and turned around. The audience must have been shocked, too… I truly apologize for that.
Kozuki: I wondered if I could fix it for you somehow, but that would have been strange, plus there was the possibility that I would pull it up too much while trying to adjust it……But I kept thinking, “I wonder what it would be like if it was slanted diagonally~”…
Dan: You managed not to laugh, Wataru-san.
Kozuki: Only because I know once I start laughing, I can’t stop. I don’t laugh when someone does something accidentally. I just endure it.
Dan: You’re strong when something unexpected happens.
Kozuki: You know, I’m more likely to burst out laughing if I say something funny in an adlib (laughs).
Dan: That’s cute (laughs).
Kozuki: Entertaining tricks make me laugh, too, when I manage to do them…
Dan: Then you think, “Yay, I did it!”?
Kozuki: Exactly (laughs). I worry that the audience won’t laugh, so when they do I’m so relieved. I don’t make many mistakes, do I? Though there are plenty of mistakes that only I’m aware of.
Dan: You don’t make any major ones, that’s true. Ah! I know of one that was prevented just before it happened!
Kozuki: What?
Dan: On the first day of “Gone with the Wind”, you totally forgot that you had to go out in the same costume in the next scene, so you undressed completely.
Kozuki: That’s right, that happened!
Dan: I said, “Wataru-san! Not yet!” and you responded, “Augh! What should I do~?!” (laughs).
Kozuki: I barely made it in time (laughs).
Dan: It was the first day so you weren’t sure of the timing yet.
Kozuki: Right. Thanks to you, I was able to prevent that mistake (laughs).

Memorable Words

Kozuki: Dan-chan, you usually give me a card before the last day of a production, right? I’m terribly happy when you write something like, “I am happy we could do this together” because you write without any affectation. I’m too embarrassed to write that kind of thing.
Dan: I’m the opposite. I’m too embarrassed to say such things aloud, so I always end up just joking around… I am very happy when you call me “Ojousan” (“Young Lady” or “Miss”).
Kozuki: People don’t usually call you that?
Dan: You say things like, “Oh, it’s the young lady!” Or recently, you said, “Ah, thank goodness you’re blood type A, Miss!”
Kozuki: You’re very punctual because you’re an A, so you’ll tell me things that I forget, like what time I have to be at work tomorrow (laughs).
Dan: You might not be aware of it, but when you say “Ah, thank goodness you’re blood type A, Miss!” instead of “Ah, thank goodness you’re blood type A, Dan-chan!”…
Kozuki: You wonder when we got married?
Dan: (laughs). Really, in a certain sense we are like a married couple, I think. You are the person I’m most concerned about, and I always want you to be able to smile. I’m incredibly happy when you casually say something like that to me…it makes me feel good. I think I’m not working alone, we are doing this together…
Kozuki: That’s right. In the future, we should keep taking care of ourselves, but if one of us isn’t feeling well, we should help each other and not push ourselves too far. I don’t want to worry the people around us, but let’s not hide that kind of thing from each other. The person who’s feeling well will help the other. Let’s take care of each other’s health.
Dan: Yes! I am always watching you, Wataru-san.
Kozuki: I know.
Dan: Do you really?
Kozuki: Yup. When I read the letters you give me before the end of a production, I think, “Oh, she’s been keeping an eye on me” (laughs).
Dan: (laughs)