Features Interviews Projects The Takashi Miike Project (102/111 complete)

Interview with Eihi Shiina: I Would Like to Try to Become Asami Yamazaki Again. I Would Like to Make “Audition” Part Two

Eihi Shiina, the protagonist of Audition and Tokyo Gore Police talks to Panos Kotzathanasis about taking a break from the industry, her collaborations with Takashi Miike, Yoshihiro Nishimura, Takeshi Kitano and Shinji Aoyama, being a model and an actor, Koji Yakusho and her future endeavors

(椎名英姫, Shiina Eihi, born February 3, 1976) is a Japanese fashion model and actress from Fukuoka, Japan. She got her first big break in 1995, working for Benetton, after which she represented Japan at the global Elite Model Look '95. More magazine work followed.

Shiina made her film debut in 1998 with “Open House”. She also published a book of photographs and poems, entitled “No Filter, Only Eyes”, that same year. She is recognized internationally for her role as Asami Yamazaki in 's “”, and as the vengeful police officer Ruka in 's “”. Apart from her many collaborations with Yoshihiro Nishimura, she has also acted in 's “” and 's “”.

You can follow her on Facebook and Instagram

We speak with her about taking a break from the industry, her collaborations with Takashi Miike, Yoshihiro Nishimura, Takeshi Kitano and Shinji Aoyama, being a model and an actor, , and a number of other topics

Translated from Japanese by Lukasz Mankowski.

In the last few years, you have somewhat detracted from the movie industry. Why is that, and can you give us some details about your current endeavors?

The last time I worked as an actress was during Yoshihiro Nishimura's “Meatball Machine Kodoku” (2017), after which I decided to have some time off. Up until then, there were many productions I performed in, starting from Takashi Miike's “Audition” (1999) and later “Tokyo Gore Police” (2008), but after 10 years or so, I started thinking about my origins as a performer. It was a time to think, what is the purpose of my acting, how did it all start, and what for. And eventually, I had to figure out what's next.

Originally, I entered the world of show business through modeling, but then I gravitated towards art fields. I was engaged in many artistic activities, doing solo exhibitions in museums, working with photography or poetry. Then I received an offer to work as an actress, which I have been for many years. But now, after I had time to have some rest and time to think, I decided that it is time to go back to the starting point.

Models and actresses are pieces of someone's work. That's our job. If you make such an effort for such a long time, after a while, you finally reach a certain point, where the only answer for you as a person is being able to work on something of your own. Something truly and only yours.

The journey that I've had so far, all that I've learned, all that I've achieved in my work, and all the people that I've met, I know that, from now on, I need to think about what I should do next with all this experience. It seems that the solution is to collect all of that effort and coin it into art. I understood that I was the only one who was capable of managing different sides of me: me as a model, as an actress, and as a writer. I am in the process of figuring out what is the answer, who is me, while working on my art. There are different forms of expression, not just one. Image and video, photography, words, those in which I am the photographic subject, and those in which I'm not.

However, if you produce everything by yourself, that does not affect your creative work. What I really want is to bring to the world a Gesamtkunstwerk, a total body of work, of Eihi Shiina. To start with, I started with social media, which I've never had a chance to use before. I am showing my work on Instagram or Facebook. I want everybody to see it. I will show my art, piece by piece. That is my direction for now.

Before you were an actress, you were a fashion model. Do you think that the work you did in modeling helped you as an actress, and how?

It helped a lot. Through modeling, I realized my image reflection, how people see me, and how I can communicate with people.

When you are a subject of photography in an advertisement, you are carrying one's brand image on your shoulder. Once on stage, you are wearing the ideas and thoughts of the designer of clothes. It is a training of realization. You realize what people want from you through all of these things I've just mentioned. I think that feeling surpassed me. That is why I can tell right away what the designer or film director wants from me. Both as a model and as an actress, I'm able to figure it out in a flash. After all, my job is to express a certain form.

Your role as Asami Yamazaki in Audition is one that will be mentioned probably forever. How was the experience of acting in that film? Did you  expect the impact it would have?

Asami Yamazaki from “Audition” was an extremely important role for me. With that being said, I did not realize it back then when we were shooting the film. It came to me afterwards.

During the shooting, I felt I was completely absorbed by it. I worked as in a trance. The famous “kirikirikirikiri” line was not in the script. Miike came up with the idea spontaneously. As the shooting went by, the image of Asami was gradually becoming complete. When we were approaching the last scene, which is quite shocking, I thought during the shooting, that it is simple, there is nothing complicated about it. I did not think of anything difficult. I blended into the character. I became Asami naturally. We became one.

Then after the film was finished, everybody in the world loved my character. I was happy about it, but I never had any expectations. Nevertheless, it was a great honor. 20 years have passed from that moment, and people still cherish this role. I am still very happy about it. I feel gratitude. If possible, I would like to try to become Asami Yamazaki again. I would like to make “Audition” part two.

Did you audition for the part?

Yes, I did. But, I didn't know it was an audition. When I heard that Miike wanted to film 's “Audition”, I just thought it would be fun to see Miike working, because I was a fan of his films back then. I did not anticipate anything, not that I will play a part in the film.

Then, I heard that Miike wanted to see me, so I thought to myself that I want to meet him. When we met and talked, it was nothing like the experience of the audition. He asked me what I think about love between men and women. It was, in a way, a philosophical conversation. I simply spoke my mind, without really paying any attention to any of what I said. Before I realized it, a few hours had passed. Suddenly, the person in charge of the audition interrupted our conversation and said that we ran out of time. I concluded that the audition seems to be a lot of fun and I went back home without even thinking that I would end up in the film. The next day, I received a message from the director, saying that he wants me to play Asami. I did not even think that it was possible. I was really surprised.

You have cooperated with directors like Shinji Aoyama and Takeshi Kitano. How was your cooperation with them and who did you enjoy working for the best?

I would say that working with Shinji Aoyama and Takeshi Kitano was the most enjoyable. Aoyama, the director of “Eureka” is the kind of filmmaker that has it all figured out when it comes to the desired picture. To put it simply, when we worked together it was not about thinking about how we can create something, but it was me searching the match with what was in his mind. It was very difficult. Overall, despite the difficulty, I think that I surprisingly liked myself from “Eurkea” more than I expected in the first place. In a sense, I think it might have been a very natural role for me.

As for Takeshi Kitano – he is a director that I truly admire. I love “”. I was very happy that I could perform in his work. The protagonist of the story was a male lead, but I think it was great to work on that production (“Outrage”). Kitano was very shy during the shooting. Although he's a big name in the industry, he seemed to be very nervous when he talked to me. He was very sensitive. He did not say anything regarding my acting. On the last day of shooting, I went to Kitano's room to say goodbye and gave him a present. It was a DVD of “Tokyo Gore Police” by Nishimura. He laughed. Even though my time on the set of Kitano's film was not that long, for me as an actress, it was a time that I cherished.

Your most common collaborator is Yoshihiro Nishimura. How was the experience of acting on all those crazy movies? How would you describe him as a director and as a person?

Truth be told, when talking about Eihi Shiina's career as an actress, Nishimura is a person that is crucial for my success. We met in 2008 on the set of “Tokyo Gore Police” and to this day, I love everything we managed to work on together. He has been truly a treasure for my career and that is something no one can change. The two of us, we have been fighting through the world, climbing together as one. Japan, supposedly a home ground, was the most difficult environment we got to work in, but thanks to the fact we were working together, I can proudly say we managed to walk that path together.

Nishimura is a person who is very straightforward, pure, quite self-centered, but also very clever. But sometimes, he tends to go too far and make small mistakes. It never affects his work, though. No matter how hard the circumstances, thanks to his intuition, he is always able to deliver precise solutions in a short period. As for our work – he was always very professional. He loves me as an actress.

He's very peculiar, yes, with plenty of obsessions and fixations, but he's also very open for me. He puts much faith in me, and I know that is because he trusts me. And for me, as an actress, I think this is also my duty to respond to his feelings.

Regarding the actors you have appeared with, is there someone who stands out for you?

Koji Yakusho. We worked on “Eureka” together, but we also had some opportunities to talk privately. He is a world-class talent. No doubt about it. He can play perfectly, both a common guy or someone running in madness. He is one of a kind. I think this might be because of his ordinary appearance. He is a genuine oddball. But at the root of his personality, there is also simplicity and great intuition. He is very good at deceiving and charming. I would love to watch him continue acting as long as possible. Koji Yakusho is an actor that I respect the most.

Particularly after a point in your career, most of the films you appeared in, were what we call cult movies. Was that a choice on your part? Would you have preferred to have starred in more mainstream films, family dramas for example? In general, is there a role you wished to have played and you did not?

There were no roles that I did not want to take. They happened as a natural course of being. Even if people try to label them as cult films, in general, I do not consider these roles as such. For me, it was not really that important.

Up until now, every opportunity, every director that I worked with, every film that I worked on, were simply great for me. As for roles that I would like to try – if I may dare to say – I would love to work with Nishimura on the sequel of “Tokyo Gore Police” or try to make “Audition 2”.

Will we see you in the movies again soon you think?

Similarly to what I've just said, if there is an opportunity on the horizon, if I receive such an offer, then I'd like to give it a try. It is not that I have given up on acting. It is just that I intend to do work that would be related to acting. Acting is just one layer of being an actress.

I think that if I were to receive an offer from someone whose work I really admire, whether that be a director from Japan or abroad, if that person were to make use of my skills, then it would be a great chance for me. If so, I would love to do something that would be a challenge for me.

About the author

Panos Kotzathanasis

My name is Panos Kotzathanasis and I am Greek. Being a fan of Asian cinema and especially of Chinese kung fu and Japanese samurai movies since I was a little kid, I cultivated that love during my adolescence, to extend to the whole of SE Asia.

Starting from my own blog in Greek, I then moved on to write for some of the major publications in Greece, and in a number of websites dealing with (Asian) cinema, such as Taste of Cinema, Hancinema, EasternKicks, Chinese Policy Institute, and of course, Asian Movie Pulse. in which I still continue to contribute.

In the beginning of 2017, I launched my own website, Asian Film Vault, which I merged in 2018 with Asian Movie Pulse, creating the most complete website about the Asian movie industry, as it deals with almost every country from East and South Asia, and definitely all genres.

You can follow me on Facebook and Twitter.

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

>