Hirate Yurina 20th Birthday Special "From 19 to 20" Interview part (ViVi August 2021)

She was 14 years old when she jumped into this world. Hirate Yurina who has been attracting the hearts of many people throughout her teenage years with her overwhelming presence and expressive power will turn 20 on her birthday, June 25th. We asked her 60 questions, which revealed the true face of the current Hirate Yurina on the “eve of her 20th birthday”.

 

Q. Please tell us about the drama "Dragon Zakura"!

 

-We received a lot of questions from ViVi readers about your appearance in Dragon Zakura. First of all, would you mind telling what you felt when you were offered the role? 

 

After I got the offer, I watched the Season 1 that had been aired previously. I don’t really watch drama, so it's been a while since I was able to enjoy one.

 

-Why did you decide to appear in it?

 

I wonder why.. I truly thought it was a wonderful work. It's not just about school stories, but I felt that it would be a work that could deliver something to the viewers, such as awareness and empathy.

 

- How do you view your role, Iwasaki Kaede in this work?

 

I think Kaede is truly an honest girl who loves her friends.

 

-Are there anything in common or parts that Hirate-san feels are relatable?

 

I'm... not as nice as Kaede. I think if there were many people like Kaede, the world would be peaceful.

 

-Whether it's badminton or studying for Todai entrance exam, I think how she’s totally absorbed in one thing is similar to Hirate-san in a way.

 

I wonder if that's really the case. Indeed, she's also working towards her goal.... But, I'm not able to look at myself objectively. So I'm not really sure if we're alike or not.

 

-How was it like on set?

 

The first thing that impressed me when the filming started was the teamwork between the director and the crew. I thought it was great that they had created a sense of team and how they trust each other.

 

-What’s your impression of your co-stars?

 

I think it must be hard for the teachers because they have a lot of lines to say. In the midst of that, they still cared about the students, reached out and talked to us.

 

-I'm really curious to know what kind of conversation Hirate-san had with them.

 

Eh, I wonder what. We talked about a lot of things. With Abe Hiroshi-san who acts as Sakuragi-sensei, we talked about the people we had in common; Okada (Junichi)-san, who both Abe-san and I had co-starred with....

 

-There are many actors of your generation in this drama. What kind of talk did you have with the students’ roles?

 

It's just a normal conversation that only the people of the same generation are having. Yeah, we talk as usual.

 

-Please tell us what you are looking forward to when you go to the set.

 

There are other dramas being filmed as well at the studio where we had our shootings. And which is why, Kitagawa Keiko-san’s “Rikokatsu”, who I've been friends with since we co-starred in "Hibiki", was also filmed in the same studio. We kept in touch and met in our free time. We've only met once, but I was very happy to see her.

 

-That's a pleasant surprise. Instead of the studio, what do you look forward to when going to Dragon Zakura’s set? (laughs)

 

Oh, I see, you’re talking about the set. For instance, the interactions between the teacher and the students, or who’s gonna act what, there are a lot of things that can't be understood unless you go to the set. That is always exciting in a good way. Also, unlike movies, the scripts are written at the same time as the drama progresses. The ending is also unknown to us actors. We're filming without knowing what will happen next. Will Kaede get into Todai? While also enjoying the realism of not knowing what lies ahead, I hope to be able to play the role until the end.

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Translation and raw by kiryu

QC toomuchidea