“With two acclaimed indie features screening back-to-back at last year’s Tokyo International Film Festival — Keiko Tsuruoka’s Ravens and Kiyoshi Sugiyama’s award winner Teki Cometh — actress Kumi Takiuchi cemented her standing as one of the most versatile and fearless young performers of contemporary Japanese cinema. A one-time newcomer discovered through a national talent contest”, — write: www.hollywoodreporter.com
This fall, Takiuchi returns to TIFF in a different capacity: as the festival’s “Navigator,” an ongoing ambassadorship of sorts that the event bestows on a prominent screen figure each year.
The Hollywood Reporter recently sat down with Takiuchi for a brief conversation about her unconventional path into acting, the evolution of female representation in Japanese film and television, and what she hopes to bring to this year’s Tokyo festival as an ambassador for the art form she loves.
I understand that you came to acting somewhat by chance, when you were discovered in a talent contest. What do you see as the key creative breakthroughs in your journey as an actress?
Well, there are many types of actors and actresses. Some train formally in school, and some are simply scouted. I happened to come up during an era of talent contests in Japan — competitions that agencies staged around the country to find the “diamonds in the rough.” My start came through one of those contests, so I didn’t go through any formal training before my debut. I just jumped into the profession and learned on set, gaining experience from one project to the next.
It was during the shooting of my 2017 film Side Job that I really began to think seriously about the essence of acting. I started working with an acting coach, and that experience marked a huge turning point for me. I later joined a new, more acting-focused agency and began training under a senpai — an older actress who also taught acting at a school. Under her guidance, I continued to build my craft, performing both on screen and in independent theater productions. I really came to understand what it means to be on stage and what acting as a skill truly involves.
Another big turning point came last year with Ravens and Teki Cometh. After those films, I decided to leave my agency and become an independent actress. So I would say that was another chapter closing, and a new one beginning.
What seems to unite many of the characters you play is their inner strength — from the bold, sexually liberated but quite lost young woman of It Feels So Goodto powerful, independent figures like Yoko in Ravensor the stern teacher in NHK’s morning drama Anpan. Were you always offered the kinds of roles you wanted, or did you have to fight for them?
Well, when you play characters who are sexually liberated, like I did in It Feels So Goodlots of similar roles tend to come your way afterwards. That’s partly why I took it on A Balance (2020), which was the complete opposite — to keep my range as an actress and the diversity of roles I would be considered for. I do agree that many of my characters have been strong, determined women, but I think that mostly reflects the era we live in. You rarely see depictions anymore of women who are reserved and “walking three steps behind men.” There are more stories today about strong women simply because this is the reality of Japanese women in our times.
How are you approaching your role as “festival navigator” for the Tokyo International Film Festival? What does that actually entail?
I’m a passionate film lover, and I’ve attended the Tokyo International Film Festival many times as an audience member. So when I was asked to serve as a festival navigator, I was surprised, but I was very happy to say yes. Honestly, I wasn’t sure what exactly the job would involve. Navigator? When I asked what I would be “navigating,” they said they weren’t entirely sure either! (Laughs)
But I take it to mean that I’ll serve as a face for the festival — someone to introduce audiences to the films being screened and encourage them to come. I hope to talk about works I personally love and to share recommendations. I’d also like to help facilitate meaningful exchanges between Japanese and international guests, and to highlight emerging talent. I really love cinema, so I hope to just do whatever I can to help people have meaningful experiences at the festival.
Tadanobu Asano (L) and Kumi Takiuchi (R) attend the opening night red carpet in support of ‘Ravens’ for the 2024 Tokyo International Film Festival. Getty
There has been a lot of campaigning in Japan in recent years — some spearheaded by leading figures like Hirokazu Kore-eda and others — to improve the industry’s notoriously bad working conditions. You’ve worked on a lot of indie films, so you must have encountered some of this. Have you seen any positive changes? What’s your current assessment of the state of things?
It would be wonderful if working conditions could become more welcoming and stable — it would benefit the whole industry, because more talented young people would get involved if they had more assurance that they could make a decent living.
But at the same time, when it comes to creating art, there is a certain level of stoicism and dedication required. So it’s a delicate balance — between what you demand from your working environment and what is demanded of you as an actor. Once you’re immersed in a production, as an actor, you don’t always know the politics behind the scenes, so from my position, I try to contribute to a positive environment, but I mostly focus all of my energy on giving my best performance.
I think there has been progress, too — especially because female voices are finally being heard. The growing discussion around harassment on set has broken one of the Japanese industry’s last glass ceilings. Now we need even more women in leadership positions — for example, as producers — so there’s more advocacy for telling stories that depict women as they really are.
One thing I would really like to see improve, though, is the lack of opportunities for older actors. It’s unfortunate that after people have spent decades mastering their craft, there are fewer roles for them. It would be wonderful if there were more space for seasoned performers to continue finding meaningful work.
What always comes across in your performances is a strong, authentic point of view. This has been a year of many relatively young actors — Kristen Stewart, Scarlett Johansson, Harris Dickinson — making their debuts as writers/directors. Many actors also insist on producing their own work these days. Do these things interest you at all?
Well, I don’t think I’ll move into those areas. I have enormous respect for people who have trained and built professional careers as writers, directors or producers. I haven’t earned my living in those ways, so I don’t feel qualified. My calling is to continue growing as an actress.
