Interview with Actor Win Morisaki: Winning a Major Role in a Spielberg Film

"Behind the Scenes of 'Effective Expression'" focuses on "promoters of successful expressive activities" across various fields. This time, we spoke with actor Win Morisaki about his experiences filming a Steven Spielberg movie (to be released next year).

 

The final audition in LA was at the end of September 2015. Meeting Director Steven Spielberg for the first time there, he was incredibly friendly. To me, who was so nervous I didn't even know what I was doing, he said something like, "Hi, Win, Good to see you! Thank you for coming!" with a huge smile. That smile was cute, like a baby's. That was my first impression of Steven.

I also met the other Japanese actors who made it to the final round for the first time in the waiting room. Honestly, I thought, "Wow, just making it this far with these amazing people is enough for me." So, when I was told by my agency six months later, "Congratulations! You got it!"... I was like, "Huh?" Humans really do create that "pause" when they panic. I realized that for the first time.

The role I got was the protagonist's best friend, and being bilingual in Japanese and English was a requirement for the actor. I wasn't exactly fluent in English, but since my grandmother was an English teacher who ran a cram school at home when I was little in Myanmar, it was ingrained in me.

Filming started in June 2016 and took place entirely in the UK. First came three weeks of rehearsals. Since it was set within a game, the motion capture filming process was meticulously planned. Then, during the roughly four months of principal photography, I always arrived at the studio earlier than anyone else. I watched everything from the stand-in checks before the actors arrived. I was really happy when Steven praised me for that. He said, "Win is always the first one here."

The biggest challenge on set was definitely communicating in English. At first, it was really hard to get my ideas across to the staff. Still, over those four months, I gradually got the hang of it. Towards the end of my stay, I even had my first dream in English!

There were five of us considered top-tier leads, including me. We came from all over the world—America, England, China—and they were incredibly inspiring. The lead actor was younger than me, but his acting completely blew me away the entire time. His performance truly lived up to being the lead. I want to gain experience and surpass that someday.

With the members of PrizmaX, the dance-vocal unit where I serve as main vocalist

After filming wrapped and I returned home, I reflected and realized, "Ah, I don't need to worry about unnecessary things." Before, I overthought things like, "If I do this, how might I be perceived?" I decided to approach things more freely and honestly. Without worrying about appearances, without hesitating to take on challenges.

This might sound incredibly cocky, but what I really feel now at 26 is that the foundation of both music and acting is the same. I want to aim to be an artist who moves people's hearts, regardless of the medium.

The movie release is still a year away, but since it's based on a popular source material, it already has fans worldwide and seems to be generating buzz online. Thinking about how my role might be received makes my heart race. But I'm truly grateful for this huge opportunity. I want to be in another Hollywood production! I'll never forget how Steven would cheerfully rally the crew at the start of each new scene, shouting, "Yeah! We're making a movie!"