MOON CHILD Photobook, Interview with HYDE/Gackt, Part 2

Translated by: gekka_no_neko (@LJ)

Please do not copy, take, redistribute, retranslate or repost this translation without my permission. Thank you~~

Interviewer: Q
Gackt: G
HYDE: H

Q: All of the filming took place in Taiwan; were there any really difficult occurrences or events during the filming?

H: Balancing in mid-air for the wire action was really difficult. But it was fun, being hung up on the wires. I had never done that before, so I thought I'd be scared at first, but when I had to do it, it was surprisingly fun.

G: I think good reflexes are essential for that. My reflexes are at zero, so I felt like, “please don't make me do that”.

H: As far as difficult scenes...... Well, from the first day, it was really hot and the heat was unbearable. I honestly thought, "Is it going to continue like this? Can I bear it?" So I ended up calling Gacchan on the first day and said, "Hurry up and get over here!" (laughs). Because, the sweat was dripping down when I was just sitting there, and my heart was pounding. I was startled.

G: He sounded mad on the phone. I was still in Tokyo doing other work when the filming started, and suddenly I received a phone call from HYDE. When I said, "Hello? Aa, are you doing well?", he said, "I am NOT doing well!" I thought, "Why is he mad!? It's still the first day!" (laughs). I said, "What's wrong?", and he responded, "It's hot! Do something!"

Q: (laughs) Though there was nothing you could do.

G: It's always hot, so even I can't do anything about it, right? Still, he'd say "Do it!" "Hurry up and come over!". "Okay, I'll be there so just wait for me." (laughs).

H: Well, I did get used to the heat eventually. I was thinking how humans have been able to survive like this.

Q: Admiring the body's ability (to adapt) (laughs). So, what are your favorite scenes?

G: I have a lot of favorites but......there's a scene without dialogue where HYDE, Wang Lee Hom, Taro-chan (Yamamoto) and I were messing around and talking. That scene was filled with laughter, was extremely silly and fun, and I really liked it (laughs).

Q: Were you really talking nonsense and laughing while filming that scene?

G: Of course we talked about the movie too, but it was all unscripted. Even though there was no script, everyone was perfectly into character while talking nonsense. So it was really fun, and because Taro-chan's Chinese is really bad, he would try to make fun of my jokes by saying “haotsuu, haotsuu”[18], and I'd say “Haotsuu means 'delicious', you idiot!” (laughs). He'd respond, “You're the one that's wrong, you idiot!”, and we'd go back and forth like that.

Q: Taro-san himself was wrong (laughs).

G: That's right (laughs). Wang Lee Hom would hear that and burst out laughing, saying “You – idiots!?” or start firing off all the bad words he had learned in Japanese. That was the most fun.

Q: So, those words were taught to him by Gackt and HYDE, huh.

G: Right, right (laughs). And, Taro-chan didn't know that I was the one that taught Wang Lee Hom those bad words in Japanese, so he would hear that and say “haotsuu, haotsuu!” again. I felt like I was saying “This conversation doesn't make sense, you idiot” the whole time. It's sort of...... Both HYDE and I usually don't laugh like that, so we were really bad at laughing on screen. But I think the fact that the images of us laughing like that were captured is really wonderful. Also, there was that scene where we're all in the car smoking, right? I really like that scene too. It's like, the feeling of not knowing when this relationship or moment in time will end, like a snapshot of the thing that's most precious to us; I think that those feelings were captured in that scene and really brought out in the movie. The feelings in the movie are reflected in a straightforward way; whether it's my own feelings of my time, or the protagonists' feelings of their time, I think everyone can momentarily feel that that moment will never come again. So when I look at that scene, I think “Isn't it great”, and I think it's precious. I reflect back and wonder how long it's been since I've had a circle of friends like this, getting into situations like these.

H: I like the scene where Gacchan cries. I don't think it's possible to be able to cry with that timing unless you've got a mental[19] link. He really hadn't acted much until then, so I would think it was difficult. But, though it took some time, that scene would have been hard to do unless me, Gackt and the story were all linked together, and that's where I felt “we are connected”, and I really liked that.

G: The characters' feelings became connected soon after that scene, didn't they.

H: It's a cut with only Sho, so we talked about whether it'd be better if I was in it, and we tested that out, but in the end I said my lines from behind him. Because the scene was filmed like that, the feeling of “connected” was felt all the more. Also, I personally like the scenes where we're riding in the car. The scene where we're driving down the street in a convertible was really fun. And there was a cool breeze (laughs).

G: It was like regular driving, wasn't it. It's a scene where we're fighting while riding in the car, but it was so much fun.

Q: You're driving even though Sho doesn't have a license.

G: Right, right. You can tell I probably don't have a license from the way I'm driving, with my body up close to the steering wheel. Like a newbie.

H: And, I have lines in Taiwanese. Zeny Kwok would say, “That Taiwanese is wrong” and I was really being mocked. So I'd ask, “Then how do you say it?” and she'd teach me, but when I said the line again, everyone would have a “that's wrong” look on their face. I wondered “Why?”, and then realized that Zeny-chan was also not a native speaker so she was wrong too (laughs). I was like, “hey, hey”.

Q: What did you think of your costars that came from Japan?

G: I didn't get to meet Mr. Toyokawa (Luka) or An-chan (Hana). There were various people that didn't interact with each other, so HYDE didn't meet Terajima-ani[20] (Shinji). But, didn't you meet him at the bar?

H: I did (laughs).

G: We relaxed and talked about many things there. It really was fun. Terajima-ani seemed to really like this movie, and everyone worked with great inspiration. I was extremely happy about that.

Q: Yamamoto Taro also seemed really involved in the movie.

G: That's true. I wonder if he's a naturally passionate person? He does his very best in everything, and he's also a very conscientious person. Our characters were always fighting, but actually we relied on each other. I think that relationship came through because he is a person of great humanity. Also, it was unfortunate that I couldn't see Ishibashi-san much because we didn't have many scenes together. Though HYDE did have a lot of scenes with him.

H: There wasn't much time to talk though. He did tell me that he played a concert in my hometown (laughs). It was great that we could have natural conversations like that.

Q: Any moments where you got a particularly deep impression of the director?

G: The funniest thing was the conversation between him and Wang Lee Hom (laughs). After I started to understand Chinese, more or less, I was able to talk to Lee Hom and others in Chinese. But Zeze-san is basically an awkward[21] person......or more like, he's an uncouth[22] person. He's a bit shy, but once he gets going, he doesn't stop (laughs). It's like, is he really the director!?

Q: Zeze-san is sort of like Sho, isn't he.

G: Hahahahaha. Right, right, he's just like Sho! He's like the extremely uncouth Sho (laughs). He's really pure you know. And, during the scene with me and Lee Hom...... when Lee Hom was still not drawing out the feelings that Zeze wanted, he'd come running out. He'd say excitedly to Lee Hom in Japanese, “For this scene, do it this way with this kind of feeling!”, but Lee Hom didn't understand a word he was saying. And the director would realize it halfway through, but what's cute about him is that he won't just say, “Aa, sorry”. Even though the interpretor is next to him, the director would be energetically speaking to Lee Hom in Japanese, and eventually in the midst of that, he'd start to realize that Lee Hom is not understanding him at all, right? So then he'd slowly, gradually start facing the interpretor.

Q: He gradually starts to look for help?

G: More like, he's pretending he was talking to the interpretor the whole time (laughs).

Q: Hahahahaha. That's pretty cute.

G: It's cute. Very cute. On top of that, he was like that all the way until filming ended. He was never cured of it. And, Lee Hom realized that in the middle and was saying, “Zeze is crazy” (laughs). Near the end, Lee Hom would turn to the interpretor and respond “Yeah, yeah” and “I understand” in Japanese (laughs).

Q: Lee Hom is more of an adult (than Zeze) (laughs).

G: Lee Hom is more like an adult (laughs).

H: But Zeze-san really understands things, and he has a mysterious atmosphere. Gacchan gets involved with the work, and because he's an idea man he puts out a lot of ideas; the director has to really listen to make the final product take shape, right? I think it was even more difficult in this case because it was the lead actor (that had all the ideas) and yet the director was able to keep on top of it. He really gives the impression of being gentle and endearing.

Q: Rather than being a mean director, he's actually timid.

H: Yeah, that's right. But he'll tell you if a scene was good or bad. He'll say, “Aa, that was good”, or have a certain expression on his face; he has an unselfconscious appeal, so you can read him.

Notes:
[18] “ハオツー、ハオツー”: written in katakana, it's pronounced “haotsuu”. I'm not sure what Taro-san thought it meant though... any ideas?
[19] “seishinteki”: inward; mental; psychological; spiritual.
[20] “ani”: refers to an older brother.
[21] “bukiryou”: unskilled; clumsy; awkward; plain; unattractive; homely.
[22] “bukotsu”: rude; boorish; uncouth; rough; rustic.

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