Tokyo Weekender - September 2017

GACKT
THE MUSICIAN AND ACTOR ON HIS NEW FILM,
WHICH IS SET FOR RELEASE THIS MONTH;
WHY PEOPLE ARE SO DISCONNECTED THESE
DAYS; AND WHY HE REFUSES TO PLACE
HIMSELF IN A BOX
Words by Matthew Hernon
ove or loathe him,
there's no denying
Gackt has a real presence
when he walks
into a room. A huge
name in the entertainment industry
who has had more consecutive top
10 hits than any solo male artist in
Japanese history, he strolls in for our
interview in Okinawa with a swagger,
then demands quiet from his management
team, before sitting down to
field questions about his latest film
Karanukan.
It's his first starring role since
Moon Child (a movie Gackt also wrote)
back in 2003. He has focused more on
his music since then, yet doesn't see
this as some kind of comeback.
"I never quit acting," he tells us.
"I've been in a number of films and
dramas in recent years, just not as
the lead. I've had offers, but because
of music commitments I had to turn
them down. Filming for Karanukan
was right after I finished a tour so it
was timed to perfection."
Directed by Yasuhiro Hamano,
it is a mysterious and spiritual story
set on the idyllic island of Yaeyama in
Okinawa. Gackt plays an internationally
acclaimed photographer named
Hikaru Ooyama who has moved away
from Tokyo to be closer to nature
and find something more meaningful
in life. On the island, he becomes
enchanted by a young girl named
Maumi (Suzuka Kimura). While taking
her photograph, he is struck down by
a beam of light and she disappears. As
Hikaru searches the island for her, his
infatuation grows stronger.
"I wouldn't say I’m similar to my
character, but I can understand his
way of thinking," Gackt tells us. "He
has succeeded in his profession, yet
become tired of his surroundings.
Like him I also don't like big cities,
though I wouldn't go as far as to
suddenly move out to the country.
I'm quite a calm and settled person,
whereas he is lost and restless. He