It is my favorite entertainer who heals us who work hard to live every day. An interview with the My Navi Woman editorial department and writer who shines the spotlight on the "push men" who are interested now. We will deliver their cool appearance with photos.
Interview and text: Mikuni Shiori
Photography: Kota Sasaki
Editing: Honami Sugita / My Navi Woman Editorial Department
With eyes that are likely to be glued to you once you see him, and a duck mouth with a raised corner, he shows a variety of expressions in dramas and movies. His name is Koji Seto.
In the kissing scene in "Perfect World," I felt my heart ripping apart, and in "Princess Jellyfish," when I was dressed as a woman, I thought to myself, "Is it really okay to have such a cute boy?" I remember being forced to hold it.
Mr. Seto made his debut in the entertainment world in 2005 and has been active as a main cast in 2.5-dimensional musicals and special effects hero movies. He has played many characters with his stage-trained acting ability, and he shows a completely different expression for each character.
This time, he played Ryosuke, a smart and refreshing man in "The One Who Fell in Love - Stendhal's Theory of Love". In the work, Ryosuke plays with the protagonist as a mysterious character. I searched for his true face, which has many faces.
17 years of entertainment life. Koji Seto, who feels the changes little by little
――What kind of man was the character Ryosuke who played this time?
Because Ryosuke is sincere and kind, he is a man who cares about how others see him. I think he's completely different from me. I'm the type of person who doesn't care about details.
――The work is centered on the psychology of “love theory,” but were you personally interested in psychology and love techniques?
I'm not really interested in romance theory itself (laughs). However, since there are various ways of thinking in the work, I sympathized with the idea of "making flaws attractive". When I was young, I had a complex about how cute my features were... or rather, how I felt unmanly.
――Have you overcome your complex now?
As I worked as an actor, I gradually became accepted. Maybe I hated myself for having a complex. Now that I think about it, maybe I was slowly building the soil to accept myself.
As I worked, I started to accept myself, including my facial features, and it became very easy. After acknowledging cuteness as originality, the range of roles has expanded.
- That's a positive and nice way of thinking. Was there a big part that changed through your work?
I wonder what it was like in the beginning (laughs). I don't remember much, but I think there was a part where I wasn't able to look at the other person and work. Reactions are the life of a play, and it's all about the other person.
That's the part where I've grown a lot in my work. Now, I always take seriously the fact that I am not working alone.
"Usual" Koji Seto that cannot be understood through the screen
――Seto-san, when you actually talk to him, he talks in a flat manner.
Maybe so. It's often said, but it's not like when you're in a play, you don't raise and lower the tension to the point of fist pumping.
If there's ever a time when I'm really fist pumping, it's when I'm like, "I just won a million dollars in the lottery!" If the tension is a little high, people around you may not be able to tell.
――Do you often worry or struggle?It may be small compared to humans. I don't really worry about it, but there was a time when my lines went blank for a moment during a live performance. No matter how many years pass, I still remember that every time I do a stage play. I guess I'm a little traumatized.
But after all, I'm practicing. The lines come out as if you were taking a deep breath. After all, I think that it is very important to accumulate practice.
――It's important to accumulate successful experiences, isn't it?
I agree. The variety show "Gretel's Kamado" that I've been doing for many years is mostly ad-lib. I can generally handle whatever is thrown at me, and even if I can't, I won't be discouraged (laughs).
――Is that kind of positivity part of Seto-san’s original charm?
It may be a positive or flexible type. After all, isn't there a place where there is no front and back? Actually, I'm not the refreshing type as people around me think.
―― Rather than refreshing, it feels cheerful.
Haha (laughs). Actually, it's easy to understand, isn't it? But I'm not always fine. When you enter troublesome mode, you may not be able to do anything.
--What happens when you're in troublesome mode?
I'm a little diligent, so I really want to wash the dishes I used that day before going to bed. But when I'm in troublesome mode, I usually skip it and go to sleep (laughs).
Aiming for multiple activities with the last-minute power cultivated on the stage
――I already feel that you are a very attractive person as a person, but is there anything you would like to improve in the future?
The core of my expression as an artist is, of course, theater, but I also like drawing, and I would like to pursue various methods of expression. I want to try anything without focusing on one thing.
――Seto-san, you like painting.
That's right. Until now, I've been drawing digitally using an iPad, but this time I want to draw on the canvas. You can't redo the pictures you draw on campus, can you?
For me, not being able to redo things is a very scary thing, but... that's why I feel like I can create something unique. I think it would be nice if it was accepted.
Well, the play and the stage basically can't be redone. That's why I have to do it, and there are parts that can be done if I do it.
--thank you very much. Lastly, please tell us the highlights of this time's "One who fell in love"!
The Ryosuke I played is a character with many mysterious parts. The viewers may be deceived by me in the dialogue with the main character, Satoko. I hope you will have fun imagining all sorts of things.
