Screening event of new NHK drama "Wagaya no Mondai"

The screening event of new NHK drama "Wagaya no Mondai" was held at its HQ on 26 January which was attended by the director Hagiuda Koji and cast members Mizukawa Asami, Koizumi Kotaro and Koike Teppei. The drama which consists of 4 episodes and begins its run from 4 February at 10pm, is based on the compilation of short stories by Okuda Hideo and will feature Mizukawa playing four different young wives who have various issues in their marriages. The husbands in each story will be played by Koizumi, Otani Ryohei, Katsuji Ryo and Koike.

The director described that during the short one-month filming, Mizukawa had to play 4 wives with varying troubles and said that her strong mental strength was what spurred everyone to work hard on the set. Mizukawa commented that it was a very difficult experience and felt that spontaneity was important in acting for the first time. Through this drama, Mizukawa said that it was interesting to find out how a married couple could be closest to each other but still faced difficulties due to differences in their values and lifestyles.

Koizumi commented on Mizukawa who he had worked together with for the first time, that he was helped a lot by Mizukawa who had a high level of concentration and was very sensitive and accommodating. In response, Mizukawa said that Koizumi was as per his public image i.e. refreshing and serious about his work so he was very convincing in the portrayal of his character.

Koike stated that the charm of this drama lies in the differing styles featured in each episode and praised Mizukawa for brightening up the atmosphere on the set. There was a quarrel scene which spanned 7 pages in the script so Koike said that it was fun to act in such a solid scene with her which was an experience he hardly had before.

When asked about how they would relieve their stress, Mizukawa said that she loves to eat and look at the photographic equipment used during filming. Koizumi then said that appearing in variety programmes especially those live broadcasts which would end on time, helps him to have a change of environment while Koike said that a drink at night after work is the best for him.

Sources: Eiga.com / Nikkansports / Oricon