Interview with Kubo Shiori - BRODY August 2021 Nogizaka46 Special : The Reason I am Standing on the Stage

(original article : BRODY magazine, August 2021. Nogizaka46 Special : The Reason I am Standing on the Stage)

Q : Question / Interviewer

K : Kubo's Response

Q : Talking about Kubo-san, first thing that came right to mind is your great success during the "3-Nin no Principal" (Feb 2017).

K : Ee~~, did you really mean it? (www)

Q : Thinking about it, that was your first time taking part in acting, right? Was there another one before it......?

K : I got zero experience and didn't even have any interest in acting (www). My mother likes Gekidan Shiki (theater group of Yoshimoto Kogyo), so there were instances where I went to watch their shows in Miyagi, but I didn't have any dreams or visions about performing on a stage myself.

Q : That being said, how would you explain that "awakening" during the "Principal" back then?

K : Naaah~~ (bitter laugh). I already knew about "Principal" since I like Nogizaka46 in the first place, and even from my point of view as a fan I knew that it is quite stressful. That's why back then I faced the rehearsals with a "do-or-die" mentallity. I'm really thankful with the fact that I was able to perform for the 2nd act for so many times (2nd act is the real stage play, while the 1st act is for "appeal time" to the fans who will vote).

Q : Confronting the rehearsal period quite recklessly like that, is there something in particular you did to prepare?

K : Everything was a first for me, so I took notes of everything I learned. It was not really efficient, but I tried to continue taking notes on things like what the director said or my own thoughts about the process. At any rate, I tried to absorb all the things happening in the rehearsal hall as much as I can.

Q : Speaking of which, when I talked with Tokuo Kouji-san, the director of "Principal" back then, he said that "Kubo is always writing down notes. That's why she was able to learn things fast."

K : That's embarassing (bitter laugh) (take the "embarassing" in a positive way, as in "making me blush"). However, the one who got me interested in the field of acting was actually Tokuo-san. I forgot was it during the first day or the last day of "Principal" when Tokuo-san gave a letter to each one of the 3rd-gen members. There, he wrote 「Kubo, you said that "I have no character / unique traits". But then, if you don't call your will to put up such a great effort as a character, then what would it be?」.

Oh, you know...... just recalling about it now almost made me tear up. That's how much those words hit me (right at the Kokoro 😛). During that period, I kept on worrying about my lack of character compared to the others, so I had no better idea on how to break through it apart from trying to do better than the others. The fact that Tokuo-san actually recognized that and even gave his thoughts made me so happy, so the reason why I started to think about challenging myself more in the acting field was those words from Tokuo-san.

Q : So, having gone through the "Principal", surely you have become more confident, right?

K : Right after it finished, there was the 5th Year Birthday Live. There, the 3rd-gen members perform the song "Hane no Kioku", which was used back in the stage play too. I was chosen to perform as the center for that. That time, I thought that "If there was no "Principal" back then, no way I would be standing right in the middle now". However, that time I didn't think that "I have did great!", but instead I realized the enjoyment in making an effort for something.

Q : The next stage play after that is "Migoroshi Hime" (Oct 2017). It sure was quiet a challenging one, right?

K : Oh gosh...... during that time I was frantic. Although I am thankful that my performance in "Principal" was evaluated highly, it also put a lot of pressure on me. I remember how hard it was (www).

Q : Given the fact that it was your first experience to act for a role that is assigned to you, surely the way you were preparing for that role was different from how it used to be?

K : Yes, it was completely different, to the point that my personal life was also affected a lot by the role as well, which remains as quite a painful memory. Because of that experience, I learned that I must be able to separate the role and my ownself. But the fact that the director Matsumura (Takeshi)-san wrote a script that he believe only I can play simply makes me happy.

Q : The stage plays that Kubo-san performed in after that are "Sannin Shimai", "ZAMBI" (Nov 2018), "Nogizaka46 Ver. Musical : Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon" (Oct~Nov 2019). So basically all stage plays have quite distinctive characteristics in their own ways.

K : This is something I noticed a while back ago, but apart from the stage play "Yoru wa Mijikashi Aruke yo Otome" that I am performing in now, in all the other plays I was always dealing with "Death".

Q : Aa, that's true, now that you mention it.

K : In the stage play "Ginga Tetsudou no Yoru" for the "Principal", Campanella was the very first role that I got to perform, and there I died (in the play). In "Sannin Shimai", the husband died. I also died in "ZAMBI", and in "Sailor Moon" my companions died. That's why...... I kind of overthinking it too much such that stage play feels somewhat scary. I am wondering whether I am actually being pulled over to that side (a.k.a. land of the dead). I just noticed that a while ago.

Q : In that sense, the "Yoru wa Mijikashi Aruke yo Otome" that you will star in this June was the only one with the different vibe. Moreover, for Kubo-san yourself it is the first stage play without other Nogizaka46 members there with you.

K : Of course I am thankful for the fact that I was allowed to perform in lots of stage plays up until now, but about the fact that I have only ever performed along with the other members...... that sure made me think that I am still lacking the capacity to do stuff apart from the group activities. Seeing how both my fellow 3rd-gen members and even my juniors are experiencing how it was outside there before me was actually quite painful. That's why, I was really happy to have the chance this time. So far I was always taken care of by the other members, so now even though I do have some worries, the joy to finally have a place to test my ownself overcomes it.

Q : How do you build up your motivation for the rehearsals?

K : During the first day I was really nervous, that I kept thinking "only XX minutes left before I arrived" during commuting. However, it turned out to be really enjoyable once the rehearsal started. Just after 3 days, I got along really well with the others as if I already spent about 2 weeks with them. I am the youngest within the company, so they somewhat really take a good care of me. All the co-stars are really great people. Being one-half of the leading role, I guess my main motivation is to do my best not to drag the others down.

Q : It seems like you can learn many things from this work.

K : Yes, truly there are lots of it. I'm so impressed seeing how everyone is trying new things on each day, pursuing to do better and making their act more enjoyable. On the other hand, I have only been working on solidifying my performance. But then I realized that's not all there's to it, and that it is okay to try new things up until the last rehearsal. When the co-stars said "During the show it is also okay to change things up, you know?" I was surprised, thinking "Oh, so this is what a stage play is".

Even though this nobody named "Kubo Shiori" jumped in into the group, they accept me for who I am. That's why, I am also challenging myself (adding something new to her performances) as much as I can, to which during one particular rehearsal, the co-stars teased me, saying "It seems like you are steadily breaking out of your shell" (www). I feel like we can keep such atmosphere to be intact during the actual shows as well. That is one of the interesting thing that I won't experience if I never do a separate activities from the group. It allowed me to discover something new in myself, which I believe will be worthwhile in my life from now on.

Q : Speaking of which, there are a lot of fans of the source material for "Yoru wa Mijikashi Aruke yo Otome", so there should be a lot of non-Nogizaka46 fans that came to watch it as well. It seems like it will be a great opportunity to challenge yourself.

K : Yes, I really think so. Of course, it makes me happy thinking that there will be people who come to watch a stage play for the first time because I am performing in it (fans or Kubo Shiori, the idol). However, the fact that the source material itself is popular, and that there will be fans of EUROPE (the theater group that are performing with her), fans of Kabuki (the male lead cast, Nakamura Kazutaro, is actively performing in Kabuki theaters), or people who simply just love stage play in the first place, I believe it will be a place where people won't see me performing as an idol.

There are many instances where having a status as an idol feels like a great hurdle when I am doing acting related works. This time I hope I am seen just as a person who is doing acting without any perspective / stigma about my status as an idol, so that I will know how people evaluate my performance, what am I still lacking, and what should I do to improve from now on. I believe this job will be something decisive in my life from now on, so even though I'm scared thinking about the evaluation, I am also excited to see how it will turn out.

Q : So for Kubo-san yourself, do you think it will be a great turning point?

K : Yes, I do believe so. However, I also like my activities with the group, so there is a bit of a bad feeling about leaving an empty spot there. In my mind, instead of dividing my effort between the group and the stage play in 50:50 ratio, I want to have a ratio of 100:100. Right now, I somewhat manage to keep up that balance, but in the end trying to put 200 into a vessel that can only contain a 100...... it gave quite a burden in me. I think it is a very important moment to on whether to rethink about that balance, or think about how it will affect my future.

Q : Seems like there might be quite a consequence just by changing the way to keep that balance. It will be interesting to see how your experience this time around will be reflected on your future activities within Nogizaka46.

K : Above all, my first and foremost goal from having all these chances to perform in a stage play apart from the group activities is to become the strength of the group itself. I am still lacking in lots of ways to actually perform solo, but with this I wish to bring the name of the group into a new genre and more wider audiences. That's why, in the end I'm happy to be able to become the strength for the group itself, and also able to spread out the name of the group through my external activities. I guess in the end my greatest motivation lies in the existence of the group itself.

Q : Kubo-san sure loves Nogizaka46 a lot, eh?

K : Ufufuu! Being told that again is kinda embarrassing (www).