Oguri Shun interview - "SURELY SOMEDAY"

Oricon Style recently interviewed Shun Oguri about his directorial debut movie, Surely Someday.

— I head you started planning about Surely Someday at the age of 19

[Oguri] Yes, back when I was young, I had a thought that at the age of 20, everything will dramatically change. Being able to smoke and drink legally was a big thing for me. And just before I was turning 20, I had a thought that it would be interesting, if people could change their genders when they turn 20. That was when I started thinking about making a movie, a movie about three boys buying a cheap gender-changing machine manufactured by the government. But because I didn’t think enough about the ending and the story, the plot for the movie was a mess at first…

— When did you decide to seek help from Shougo Mutou, a famous playwright, for help?
[Oguri] I got to know Mutou-san through a drama that I was in. He wrote the script for CX Division1-STAGE4『ハングリーキッド』(Hungry Kid) (2004, Fuji TV). I asked him to write a story about friendships, and when I read the story that he wrote for me, I realized how talented Mutou-san is. I felt the passion while reading it. That was when I asked him to write a script for Surely-Someday. He is a very talented man. He made Surely Someday more exciting and better!

— How did you develop the character Misa?
[Oguri] Haha, because I don’t really know how girls feel, Misa was mainly developed while filming. We slowly figured out Misa’s feelings through observing Manami Konishi (actress) acting as Misa.

— Through the fast-moving pace of the movie, I was impressed by some of the overwhelming violence scenes.
[Oguri] It is not surprising to see cool action scenes in action movies such as Crows Zero in which I was in. However, I realized that when you are walking on a street, it is very painful to see other people hurting others. This is why I wanted to portray the violence scenes as realistic as possible. I think the scene with Kyohei and the yakuza went really well.

— What about the car racing and shooting scenes?
[Oguri] Well, since they rarely happen in our real life, I thought it was unnecessary to portray them realistically. So I tried making these scenes as cool as possible and almost like scenes from Rupan Sansei and COWBOY BEBOP.

— With fancy casts and a unique script, how was your experience as a first time director?
[Oguri] Because we did not have enough preparation time, the filming period was like hell! But after the editing started, I had a fun time relaxing and waiting for Youko Kanno’s music to be done. I’ve always wanted to direct a movie, but I was surprised that I would given a chance this early in my life. I’m very grateful that I was given a chance to direct this movie now, because otherwise, I might not have had the speed and the unique concepts. Even though making the movie was tough, I had a very fun time making it. I hope people will realize how wonderful life is through watching Surely Someday.
— Lastly, if you were given a chance to change your gender, which gender would you choose?
[Oguri] So the gender-changing machine in which I was thinking of had a restriction that once you change your gender, you will not be able to go back to your previousa one. And if this was the case, I would definitely stay as a male. I would love to become a girl for maybe a month, but I would not want to be a woman forever. I think living as a man is easier. Men are less complicated than women. I really like the last scene of Surely Someday. Ryou Katsuzi’s expression was great. (OMGJPOP!)

Oguri's "SURELY SOMEDAY" is completed!

Popular actor Oguri Shun appeared at the press conference for his new youth movie “SURELY SOMEDAY.”

“SURELY SOMEDAY” is the very first movie directed by Oguri Shun. He nursed this plot since he was a teenager, and the movie is now complete.

As a director, Shun said, “I kept wishing for rain everyday (so that the shooting would be postponed). I was that anxious, and not sure if I was doing the right thing.” He also said, “These 4 boys were just so cool. They made me sure that this would be a great movie.”

Leading actor, Koide Keisuke said about the shooting, “We were all excited by the scene of high school girls in bathing suits. This is the first and last scene Oguri took the camera, and shot.”
Koide Keisuke, Katsuji Ryo, Ayano Go, and Suzuki Ryohei are the main characters of the movie, and many other great stars are in the movie as well, such as, Konishi Manami, Ueto Aya, Inoue Mao, and Tsumabuki Satoshi.
The release of the movie is July 17th. (tokyohive)