Riko, Aya, Mizuki and Yuka have been friends since childhood. They are as close as anyone can be. About five years ago or so, Riko and Yuka moved away from Japan to North America, leaving Riko and Aya behind. Ashita’s story Cream Puff Explosion (named after a band the four friends had formed) starts with Riko, Aya and Mizuki in a laundromat folding clothes. Aya and Mizuki are staying with Riko for a few says, they’ve come to town for Yuka’s wedding which is tomorrow. The three friends reminisce about old times and laugh like they used to and Riko can’t express how much she’s missed them these last five years.
The go back to Riko’s house and drink wine and talk about me, Aya wants all the dirty details about Yuka’s future husband—she wants to gossip wondering if white guys are bigger than Asian guys etc. Mizuki smirks and asks what difference does it really make, Yuka and Joey are in love and that’s all that matters.
The conversation quickly takes a turn as Riko looks distant and sad. After some prodding by her friends, she embarrassingly admits that she is in love with Joey, Yuka’s finance and that her and Joey have been sleeping together and in a relationship for over a year.
Things come crashing down from there. I will limit what I say about this particular story beyond this point. It’s pretty obvious what her friends might think or say. But the central theme, though may seem like adultery, is more about friendship and love. Riko chooses not to tell her best friend Yuka about the affair, because she does not want to hurt her. So the question is; is it better to lie to protect somebody or to tell the truth and possibly destroy them. Again, I do not pretend to know the answer to this question which is why I ask in this story. The aspect of love is involved in here as well. Riko says that her relationship with Joey is not just sex, but that they are truly in love. A number of questions pop here… is it wrong to love your best friend’s husband? Well the bible will say yes, anyone whose experienced passion through love may disagree. Sometimes you fall in love with people and you can’t control yourself, you can try, but usually you end up helpless. Besides don’t all human beings have the right to feel any way they want about anybody or anything? Riko may be selfish by choosing her happiness over her friends, but when the possibility of total loneliness is presented to you, you may be surprised at what you are willing to do to fill that void in your heart. Again, I’m not saying I’m right… I’m just saying that these questions are asked in Cream Puff Explosion. And like all stories in Ashita, CPE brings its own perspective on love, loneliness and humanity.
Riko is played brilliantly by Rumiko A. Matsuda, who when I first approached her with the story wanted to play Aya, but the more I thought about it the more Rumiko seemed a good fit for the part of Riko. One night I met her at Tim Horton’s and we discussed the possibility. Rumiko, took the script home and re-read it this time keeping the role of Riko in mind. A few days later she called me and said:
“Absolutely not. I do not want to play Riko.”
“Well then,” I said. “You better come over to my house for coffee.”
Two nights later she was over and we discussed the part. Rumiko was angry at Riko, she hated her and bluntly said that she cannot ever like a person who would do such a thing. I can understand such feelings, but I asked Rumiko not to judge Riko… in fact, I suggested that she should try to understand her. We then had a long conversation about love and loneliness, where I asked a lot of the same questions I asked above. Rumiko agreed to take another look at the character, and tried to understand Riko—to this day, Rumiko does not like Riko, but she understands her… which is fine. I am sure Anthony Hopkins, though he understands Hannibal Lectre, he probably does not like the man very much. As an actor, you need to understand and respect the character you are playing, but you do not have to like him or her.
Rumiko agreed to play the part of Riko and I was thrilled, she was joined by Sho Suzuki as Aya and Kanako Yamamoto as Mizuki. All three were stellar in their parts and really bring out the finer details of friendship. When I wrote the story and thought of these characters, I thought of my relationships with my some of my closest and oldest friends. What’s beautiful about the love of friends is that, much like a spouse, it is a chosen love. People chose to be your friends, the real friends, take the good with the bad. In my case, some of my closest friends who have known me for over a decade, accept the good and the bad, they accept my insanity and seclusion while making movies, they accept my binge drinking through the stress and my many other flaws. My true friends and my lovely wife still love me and value in my existence even when I do not. This is really what Cream Puff Explosion brings out. Riko, is in quite the terrible spot she’s admitted to lying and hurting people, she’s admitted to doing very bad things, yet her friends get angry and criticize what she’s done. However, they do not judge her and more importantly they do not abandon her. And this is the true root of friendship, it’s more than have a few beers and taking in a ball game, its being there when you’re needed, through the good but more importantly through the bad. So to my wife and my true friends, I thank you for inspiring me and teaching me for all of you I made Cream Puff Explosion.
-MJ
The go back to Riko’s house and drink wine and talk about me, Aya wants all the dirty details about Yuka’s future husband—she wants to gossip wondering if white guys are bigger than Asian guys etc. Mizuki smirks and asks what difference does it really make, Yuka and Joey are in love and that’s all that matters.
The conversation quickly takes a turn as Riko looks distant and sad. After some prodding by her friends, she embarrassingly admits that she is in love with Joey, Yuka’s finance and that her and Joey have been sleeping together and in a relationship for over a year.
Things come crashing down from there. I will limit what I say about this particular story beyond this point. It’s pretty obvious what her friends might think or say. But the central theme, though may seem like adultery, is more about friendship and love. Riko chooses not to tell her best friend Yuka about the affair, because she does not want to hurt her. So the question is; is it better to lie to protect somebody or to tell the truth and possibly destroy them. Again, I do not pretend to know the answer to this question which is why I ask in this story. The aspect of love is involved in here as well. Riko says that her relationship with Joey is not just sex, but that they are truly in love. A number of questions pop here… is it wrong to love your best friend’s husband? Well the bible will say yes, anyone whose experienced passion through love may disagree. Sometimes you fall in love with people and you can’t control yourself, you can try, but usually you end up helpless. Besides don’t all human beings have the right to feel any way they want about anybody or anything? Riko may be selfish by choosing her happiness over her friends, but when the possibility of total loneliness is presented to you, you may be surprised at what you are willing to do to fill that void in your heart. Again, I’m not saying I’m right… I’m just saying that these questions are asked in Cream Puff Explosion. And like all stories in Ashita, CPE brings its own perspective on love, loneliness and humanity.
Riko is played brilliantly by Rumiko A. Matsuda, who when I first approached her with the story wanted to play Aya, but the more I thought about it the more Rumiko seemed a good fit for the part of Riko. One night I met her at Tim Horton’s and we discussed the possibility. Rumiko, took the script home and re-read it this time keeping the role of Riko in mind. A few days later she called me and said:
“Absolutely not. I do not want to play Riko.”
“Well then,” I said. “You better come over to my house for coffee.”
Two nights later she was over and we discussed the part. Rumiko was angry at Riko, she hated her and bluntly said that she cannot ever like a person who would do such a thing. I can understand such feelings, but I asked Rumiko not to judge Riko… in fact, I suggested that she should try to understand her. We then had a long conversation about love and loneliness, where I asked a lot of the same questions I asked above. Rumiko agreed to take another look at the character, and tried to understand Riko—to this day, Rumiko does not like Riko, but she understands her… which is fine. I am sure Anthony Hopkins, though he understands Hannibal Lectre, he probably does not like the man very much. As an actor, you need to understand and respect the character you are playing, but you do not have to like him or her.
Rumiko agreed to play the part of Riko and I was thrilled, she was joined by Sho Suzuki as Aya and Kanako Yamamoto as Mizuki. All three were stellar in their parts and really bring out the finer details of friendship. When I wrote the story and thought of these characters, I thought of my relationships with my some of my closest and oldest friends. What’s beautiful about the love of friends is that, much like a spouse, it is a chosen love. People chose to be your friends, the real friends, take the good with the bad. In my case, some of my closest friends who have known me for over a decade, accept the good and the bad, they accept my insanity and seclusion while making movies, they accept my binge drinking through the stress and my many other flaws. My true friends and my lovely wife still love me and value in my existence even when I do not. This is really what Cream Puff Explosion brings out. Riko, is in quite the terrible spot she’s admitted to lying and hurting people, she’s admitted to doing very bad things, yet her friends get angry and criticize what she’s done. However, they do not judge her and more importantly they do not abandon her. And this is the true root of friendship, it’s more than have a few beers and taking in a ball game, its being there when you’re needed, through the good but more importantly through the bad. So to my wife and my true friends, I thank you for inspiring me and teaching me for all of you I made Cream Puff Explosion.
-MJ
No comments:
Post a Comment