Advertising is a relay race toward the goal. Takumi Saitō × Kotaro Abe

Planning, casting, shooting, editing... advertisements are created by connecting the efforts of many people to reach completion.

What drives them from start to finish? What stories unfold along the way?

Driven by a desire to understand the thoughts and feelings entrusted to advertisements, copywriter Kotaro Abe interviews performers and creators at Dentsu Inc. Casting & Entertainment's serialized project, " Advertising Tasuki."

Continuing from last time, we present a conversation with actor and film director Takumi Saito.

By repeatedly shifting between subjectivity and objectivity, you can free yourself from the images others hold.

Abe: My impression of you, Mr. Saito, is that you have this overwhelmingly mainstream image—everyone knows your face—yet I also sense a certain minority presence about you. There's something elusive about you.

Saito: Maybe it's because I was a backpacker traveling the world in my teens, inspired by Midnight Express. Overseas world maps center on Britain, right? Japan is just a tiny island nation in the Far East. Seeing that flipped my perception—what I thought was the majority turned out to be the minority. It gave me this strange sense of acceptance, like "It's probably okay to be an outsider."

Abe: I see. Hearing that makes perfect sense. By repeatedly shifting between subjective and bird's-eye views, you've acquired multiple image constructs. Ultimately, that frees you from anyone else's preconceived image.

Saito: That might be it. To never forget that experience of shifting perspective, I still have a world map centered on Britain hanging in my house.

Abe: Have you had other experiences where you switched between being a minority and a majority?

Saito: Auditions, for example. I started feeling confident in auditions when I realized everyone being judged was stretching themselves. That desire to "show your best side" is actually a majority mindset. Of course, I was like that at first too (laughs).

Abe: So everyone approaches auditions with this intense drive, right?

Saito: Exactly. But from the judges' perspective, watching that constantly must be a bit of a grind. Judges are looking for collaborators to create work with. So, when I started auditioning as my authentic self instead of trying to be someone I'm not, I started getting cast surprisingly often.

Abe: Judges must surely sense the stance of those who come to audition. By staying calm and having the perspective to see the whole picture, you ask yourself, "What should I do?" By consciously going against the crowd, you end up with the appropriate demeanor.

Saito: As long as you're thinking, "This way, I probably won't be disliked," you're just part of the majority, blending in with everyone else. But if you can instead bring out your own unique, obsessive aspects without fear, you can become part of the minority. That's the lesson I learned from the countless auditions I've failed.

Does that sense of the unknown fuel your creative inspiration?

Abe: I'd also like to ask a bit about this year's talked-about film, Shin Ultraman.

Saito: I thought, "That's typical Higuchi and Anno," seeing how they updated the universally known Ultraman into that form. I believe the very concept of 'Ultraman' includes the perspective of questioning whether humans are truly necessary when viewed from outside Earth. It's an existence straddling the line between humans and extraterrestrial beings, and I think that element is firmly depicted in the film.

Abe: And you, Saito-san, are starring in it.

Saito: Director Higuchi told me this: I was involved in Shin Godzilla, and apparently, when Mr. Anno saw me then, it really accelerated the development of his project. It's not exactly the "unfathomable quality" you mentioned earlier, but if something about me sparked inspiration for his work back then, that would be a tremendous honor.

Abe: What I wanted to ask is, is there anything you consciously do to keep getting called for roles?

Saito: Like the audition story I mentioned earlier, I think just continuing as an actor is surprisingly important. In my twenties, you could throw a stone and hit someone my age. But gradually, more people chose paths outside acting, and my peers dwindled. That's when your own value starts to rise.

Advertising will end someday. That's why I want to make this time intense.

Abe: I watched the Netflix drama "Hiyama Kentaro's Pregnancy." I binge-watched it because I was so hooked on what happened next. The protagonist you played works at an advertising agency. What was it like to actually portray that role?

Saito: Since it's a comedy about a man getting pregnant, the key was portraying it with a light touch. Still, I think it was crafted quite realistically. Especially the feeling of someone in a socially minority position, like an ad agency employee, flipping the script and becoming the majority – that was really compelling to watch.

Abe: I also think advertising work is a job where you get caught in the middle. But in the story, when the protagonist Hiyama realizes he holds the fate of the situation in his hands and starts acting proactively, that's when I felt the dynamism of the work.

Saito: Advertising work is tough, isn't it? It really is caught between two sides. But if you step back and look at the bigger picture, contractual relationships don't last forever. Just like a drama series, there's a season, and eventually, it ends. You pass the baton, and the product you handled moves on to the next person. I've experienced that many times. It can't be helped, right?

Abe: Advertising is about carrying the torch, running with it, and passing it on to the next person.

Saito: When I take on a new advertising project, the first thing I think about is that it will end someday. It's not exactly "Memento Mori," but I believe being conscious of the end makes the present moment feel more intense.

Abe: Finally, I'd like to ask you, Saito-san, as someone involved in casting, what kind of approach makes you happy? As someone involved in advertising, I'm really curious about this.

Saito: What makes me happiest is when, even after failing an audition I was introduced to, the same casting director invites me to another audition. Actors do get hurt when they fail. But thinking, "This person still sees potential in me," gives me renewed energy. It's incredibly reassuring to know that advertising professionals, on equal footing—not just parents, agencies, or passionate fans—continue to recognize my value.

Abe: Being someone who speaks for the appeal of that person or product is incredibly important. I feel that's precisely the role of advertising.

Saito: Even if it doesn't lead to results, I'm happy to have had teammates who ran alongside me, even just one or two steps. I know this from my own experience—when things aren't going well for a while, it gets tough. But if someone reaches out, I can push through just a little longer. We actors simply can't exist without an audience. Advertising is the work that shines a light on us and creates that value. For us, people in the advertising industry are like magicians.

Dentsu Casting & Entertainment is a Dentsu Group company that handles casting for advertising, film, and events, working with talents, influencers, cultural figures, celebrities, and more.

 

Photographer: Naoya Fujikawa Writer: Sho Sasaki

If you enjoyed this article, you might also like these
・The Challenge of CEO SKY-HI: The Essence of Work Revealed Through Conviction
・What We Can Learn from FamilyMart's PR Strategy: What's Needed to Keep Generating Buzz
・Special Discussion: "Japan's Advertising Expenditures in 2021" The Era of DX and Advertising's Social Responsibility