Original subtitles

[man] Rumble thy bellyful.

Spit, fire.

Spout, rain.

[bright music playing]

Nor rain, wind, thunder, fire…

-[woman] Congrats on opening night. -[man] …are my daughters.

I tax not you,

you elements…

[woman] Scones suck all the moisture out of your mouth, don't they?

Shouldn't eat them before performing.

[man] I never gave you kingdom…

Did someone from Japan come to the dress rehearsal yesterday?

[woman] What? Oh.

The translator, Machioka, and Tashiro from Yomiuri's literary section.

[music stops]

[chuckles softly]

Did someone happen to mention me?

[narrator] Gen Takasegawa.

Everyone in Japan knows who he is.

[smooth jazz music playing]

His father was a film star during the Showa era.

They called him Yoroman,

or Yorozu Mantaro.

FATHER: YOROZU MANTARO (THEN 40 YEARS OLD)

At 17,

Gen Takasegawa made a sensational debut as a second-generation actor.

I've certainly never resented my father. [chuckles softly]

GEN TAKASEGAWA

Hm.

RENOWNED ACTOR UNKNOWN TO THE WORLD

It was hard at times,

to be compared to him relentlessly. [chuckles]

[narrator] He refused to ride his father's coattails,

so he went by his real name, Takasegawa.

His fans wanted him to follow in his father's footsteps,

but he tried to carve out his own path.

He rarely speaks about it publicly,

but it must have been difficult to manage.

Well, he basically hated the stage.

He said he couldn't do the same thing over and over.

So I did the opposite.

I decided that I was going to do just that, incessantly.

[narrator] He did a six-month run of Hamlet.

Macbeth for a year.

Fiddler on the Roof for seven years.

[elegant music playing]

Commercials for ham

for 30 years.

This is it.

The finest of aged meat.

Royal Ham.

So now, everywhere you go in Japan,

the actor Gen Takasegawa is a face everyone recognizes.

As his father's son, of course. [laughs]

It can't be undone.

You can't go back to not knowing.

[narrator] In 2024,

Gen Takasegawa took a gamble.

He stopped accepting acting roles in Japan,

and announced he was moving to London.

Gen Takasegawa is a dead man.

[cameras clicking rapidly]

He's gone.

Forget he exists.

To hit reset on everything

and jump into the world as a complete unknown,

with nothing but raw talent to your name…

Great actors would want that.

[narrator] However, media outlets started spreading rumors…

GEN'S THIRD AFFAIR!

NEW LOVER IS ROOKIE ACTRESS SATSUKI MINE

…that the reason he was escaping abroad

was because of his reputation with women.

So, when it comes to women…

he rarely speaks about it publicly.

-Let's stop the cameras. -[interviewer] Ah.

[Gen clears throat]

Hm.

Start rolling.

[laughs cheerily]

Okay,

so I need to clear up a few misconceptions.

So, Ms. A and I

we met once at a hotel just to go over some of our lines…

OK, stop for just one second.

[quirky music playing]

Go. I'm ready now.

[chuckles]

Uh,

due to COVID, we had to follow protocol…

[laughing] Okay, no, stop…

During COVID, that was a different woman!

[laughs] Thank you.

I'll send you a timeline of events later.

[interviewer] Yeah, okay.

Thank you.

Start rolling.

So, as you can see, my ex-wife, Yoko, still runs the agency.

With my second wife, Machiko, as well.

And we have a son who…

You know, uh…

Uh, sometimes, uh…

I get in to… in to…

We like to…

Stop filming.

[narrator] The theater capital, London.

-[optimistic music playing] -Gen Takasegawa was fired up.

-[all] Blow, winds! -[man] Again!

[narrator] He attended a workshop for a year,

hired a dialect coach for the British accent…

Singe.

Singe?

…and kept auditioning.

No…

[narrator] He failed time and time again,

but he learned from every failure and overcame them.

This triangle

shows the five stages of Maslow's hierarchy of needs.

[Gen] Look at this.

Maslow's

hierarchy of needs.

[narrator] King Lear,

one of Shakespeare's four great tragedies.

He performed Lear's first speech and made it to the final audition.

…our kingdom.

No one cared that he was Japanese.

DIRECTOR CHARLES ROTTON

He had the passion, the madness, the sorrow.

There simply wasn't a King Lear

in British theater who could match Gen Takasegawa.

Charlie said that?

About me? That's what he said?

Huh.

Is that right? [chuckles]

He did?

He said madness and sorrow?

[laughs] That's nice, right?

[narrator] As they were about to start this interview by the Thames river,

his cellphone rang.

Thank you.

[exhales]

[sighs]

[narrator] They told him they loved his work.

-[Gen cheers] -He'd landed the role of King Lear.

[Gen shouts] Blow, wind!

At the Globe Theater.

In 400 years, not one Japanese actor has ever walked on to that stage.

-Not one. -[Yoko] They have.

-Huh? -[Yoko] They have.

Really? Who was it?

[Yoko] Iwamatsu.

So… not the first.

Was he a bit-part?

[Yoko inhales]

I'm King Lear, come on.

[majestic orchestral music playing]

[wind whistling]

[Gen] I've wondered what it's like

to live in a world where no one knows Gen Takasegawa.

It might be kinda nice, after all.

I envy them.

The British people are going to watch

Gen Takasegawa, the great actor,

and get to know him for his work.

[music fades]

Blow, winds…

British know Gen Takasegawa now!

Blow, winds!

And crack your cheeks!

Rage!

-Blow! -[repeated clanging]

[wind whistling]

You cataracts and hurricanoes,

spout!

Till you have drenched our steeples,

drown'd the cocks!

[laughs heartily]

You sulfurous and thought-executing fires,

singe my white head!

And thou,

all-shaking thunder,

strike flat

the thick rotundity o' the world!

O Nuncle!

[Charlie] Stop!

All the greats have done battle with the storm scene.

Use them as your starting point,

but give me your version.

Right, let's go! [clicks fingers]

[Gen laughs heartily]

Rumble thy bellyful!

No! That's Anthony Hopkins!

Spit fire, spout rain!

Ian McKellen did that already!

Nor rain,

wind, thunder, fire are my daughters.

I tax not you, you elements, with unkindness.

I never gave you kingdom, called you children.

You owe me no subscription.

Why then,

let fall your horrible pleasure.

[thunder rumbling]

Here I stand, your slave…

[solemn music playing]

A poor…

infirm…

weak…

and despised old man.

[laughs wildly]

But yet I call you servile ministers.

That will with two pernicious daughters join.

Your high-engendered battles against a head

so old and white as this!

O!

O!

[music peaks, then stops]

'Tis foul!

[thunder rumbling]

[audience cheering]

[cheering and whistling]

[cheering and whistling continues]

[cheering intensifies]

[vibrant music playing]

DID SOMEONE HAPPEN TO MENTION ME?

[music continues]

NO RESULTS FOUND FOR #KING LEAR TAKASEGAWA

[Gen] Still too early?

ACT 1: A RENOWNED ACTOR BECOMES A NOBODY

Japanese audiences post like crazy as soon as they reach the lobby.

[Gen sighs]

Not surprising for the UK.

They have proper manners.

[knocking at door]

Yeah?

Sorry to interrupt your egosearching. I'm heading back to Tokyo.

-[music ends] -Already?

We just opened.

I need to go secure more contracts.

I rep other actors too.

I need you, though.

You'll be just fine. I know that you've got this.

You were even better than expected.

The critics won't be able to write anything bad about you.

You were great.

They'll love you everywhere you go.

[Gen chuckles warmly]

Ema should have been here to see it too.

You're serious?

[man] You know,

I heard there's a daughter of a celebrity here somewhere!

You're looking at her.

Oh my gosh! Who is it?

Oh, I don't think you'd know.

Yes, they would. You know, Royal Ham?

[gasps] No way! "The finest of aged meats."

"Royal Ham." No way!

Is that the only sort of thing your father does?

Well, yeah.

[woman] What else, besides ham?

[man] Not that nice!

Ham, of course, but he also has affairs…

-[all] Not that nice! -[laughing]

-My king! -Charlie!

[Charlie laughs]

How do you say "incredible" in Japanese?

Hm…

"Subarashii"?

Oh, uh, "Arienai"?

Oh, "Egetsunai"!

Egetsunai!

Gen, you were

egetsunai!

[laughing]

See you later.

I should get back to the hotel and get ready to go.

-Tabuchi, you too? -Yeah.

Oh, come on.

You should continue to film until we close!

I've got plenty of footage, and I need to edit it.

Let's take the show to Tokyo, Gen.

Really?

You hear that?

-Tabuchi, shoot this! -Okay!

Uh, in two years,

all the main cast will be available.

I'll book the theater too.

You have my word.

[Yoko chuckles]

Well, we'll keep our schedule open.

[laughing]

-Any notes, Charlie? -None.

You were "igitsunai."

[laughing]

Egetsunai!

[upbeat music playing]

You were brilliant.

[Gen chuckles]

Your Lear had both grace

and sorrow.

Thank you.

Arigato.

[chuckles softly]

[hums happily]

Here it is!

[music ends]

"Still,

the decision to cast a Japanese actor seemed

unnecessary"?

Why unnecessary?

Huh?

"Takesagawa tries his best, but…"

Who the hell is Takesagawa? How dare they? They know nothing!

[scoffs and grumbles]

[man] Hey!

You throwing that out?

If you are, give it here.

Not that.

Here.

ONE MONTH LATER

[phone ringing]

[Yoko] How are you?

Did you get the validation you wanted?

That's not funny.

[Yoko laughs]

We're making progress on your show here.

And the theater's excited about it.

Got a flight to Haneda, lands two days from now, okay?

You shouldn't come back yet.

What's going on?

You don't know?

Are you kidding right now?

A pandemic.

[cheering on TV]

[newsreader] Breaking news.

The deadly new virus is now spreading rapidly across Asia.

Amid growing concerns,

the Japanese government announced it's considering a lockdown…

A lockdown?

[Yoko] It's spreading fast. It's much stronger than COVID.

All flights to Japan have been canceled.

[newsreader] The World Health Organization issued a statement…

[reporter 1] The Japanese government has banned entry for overseas travelers…

The WHO has identified the virus…

[reporter 2] The advisory committee convened

and will declare a state of emergency…

[man] This time, Japan will lead global efforts.

Nichiyo Pharmaceuticals will develop the vaccine.

Emergency approval is expected very soon.

As early as the end of this month

or, at the latest, by the end of June,

everyone will receive a vaccination ticket.

[yelps]

[dramatic music playing]

SIX MONTHS AFTER THE LOCKDOWN

[music ends]

AUGUST 1ST, 2026

[phone ringing out]

[Gen] Their star actor has returned for the first time in two years,

and they can't pick him up or answer the phone.

What's going on?

[Yoko] Morning.

-Good morning. -Good morning.

[Yoko] Three days and it still stings.

The vaccine, yeah?

The second one hurt worse, right?

[Yoko] Can you believe we can't enter the building

without a vaccination card?

-[man] Oh, by the way… -[phone buzzes]

[buzzing continues]

INCOMING CALL GEN TAKASEGAWA

-[phone clicks] -[buzzing stops]

Go ahead. What's up?

[machine beeps sharply]

[man] Hold on.

I'm sorry, but it looks like your card expired last month, sir.

[Gen] Really?

[Gen groans]

Excuse me.

You know…

I'm Takasegawa.

[Gen chuckles]

You know, the actor,

Gen Takasegawa.

So, do you watch TV much?

I love TV. I don't know you.

Okay, then.

Well, lately I have put my focus on to the stage, hm?

Uh, actually,

I just flew in from a gig I was doing over in London, and…

This is your house, right? Is anyone home?

[doorbell chimes]

[woman] Hello?

Hi there.

[woman] Who am I speaking with?

[Gen laughs]

Cut it out, will you?

Can you bring your wallet?

I'm keeping a taxi waiting.

I don't have my new card yet.

Oh, are you still mad?

Where's Tsutomu at?

Get him to say hi.

[horn beeps]

Hold for a second.

[call disconnects]

[keypad beeps]

[doorbell chimes]

[doorbell chimes repeatedly]

[woman] A £50 note is 9,758 yen.

[Gen] Thanks.

-Okay. -[man] Mm-hm.

Nine thousand…

two hundred…

and fifty yen exactly.

-[Gen] Yep. -Your receipt.

Here's your suitcase.

-No apology? -Hm?

For the stress you caused.

[Gen hesitates]

A man of your age? You should be ashamed.

Takasegawa. [chuckles]

Gen Takasegawa.

Thanks so much, sir.

[Gen] This can't be…

[mysterious music playing]

I'm Takasegawa, the actor, you know?

Takasegawa, hi.

"The finest aged meat, Royal Ham."

Gen Takasegawa?

[quirky music playing]

[Gen] What's happening?

-[Gen, aloud] Takasegawa. -And why?

-Hi. -No one knows who I am.

Royal… Roy… Royal Ham.

Wait a second.

What's going on?

-I know I was in London for a while… -Bonjour.

…but the ham commercial should have been airing.

-Hello. -Come on!

The "Actors I Want as My Boss" poll ranked me third for three years straight.

Hey! It's me!

Gen Takasegawa!

[guard] You can't come in without a pass and vaccination card.

-I don't have those! -[guard sighs]

I mean, I didn't need those before.

My face was all I needed.

[guard] I know, but…

SAUNA PROSECUTOR: SEIICHI TOTONOI

-[guard] One second… -[Gen] Daiya Mibu…

Still taking work from the bottom of the barrel.

[scoffs]

Yoko!

Not answering your phone today? I messaged you, come on.

Sorry, have we met?

Huh?

Are you messing with me?

-You know that I'm Takasegawa. -Excuse me…

Did you forget one of your own actors?

Sorry, but I think that you're mistaken.

We don't rep any Takasegawas.

Oh, come on! I'm on your website!

-Stay there! -[alarm beeping]

I've been with T&G for over 30 years, and you know that.

Those initials are Takasegawa Gen! You know that! You're acting insane!

Please don't raise your voice.

I'll talk as loud as I want! You'll listen if I yell!

I know that you know me. Come on.

Sorry, I don't recognize your face.

-Shall I call the police? -But you saw the show!

You saw King Lear! London! Did you forget?

London, yes, I was there.

And I went to see King Lear.

However… Sorry, were you in it?

I stole the show!

I was the show! I was King Lear!

I don't know who you are!

-I'll call the police. -No, no!

Listen to me, Yoko.

I know who you are. You used to have a husband, right?

[curious music playing]

Remember him?

[man hums a tune]

-[Yoko] Mibu! -Yoko.

[Yoko] Good morning.

Thanks. What's going on? Are you good?

Oh, yeah. Yeah. How was the fitting?

Well, it's the usual three-piece suit, so no big deal.

Uh… Sure you're good?

Oh, yeah… [chuckles nervously]

-Ah, some good news. -Oh yeah?

You were voted number one in the "Actors I Want as My Boss" poll again.

[Yoko chuckles]

-What else is new? -[laughs] Oh, you!

[Mibu] Well, took you long enough.

Is this what fame is? Nah, useless!

-[Yoko] Popularity's through the roof. -[Mibu] Shows people are paying attention.

-[narrator] Gen Takasegawa… -[soft music playing]

A man who loves acting to a fault…

RENOWNED ACTOR UNKNOWN TO THE WORLD

…who captivated London with his performance,

is not done yet.

[music stops]

[Tabuchi] We got it.

Wait one second, please.

What do you think?

Well, I'm thinking it could stand to be more powerful.

-You know? -Yeah.

Also, and maybe it's just me, I was wondering, though…

Yeah, what is it?

[woman] Do you know who this is?

You don't know?

Takasegawa, you said, yeah?

So he's some well-known actor?

[Tabuchi inhales sharply]

I don't know…

-"Don't know"? -Huh?

Really?

Wait, hold on. What are you saying?

Uh, yeah, so the pandemic was going on

and we stopped editing, right?

[nervously] After watching what we filmed,

I don't… [sighs]

…remember any of it.

Uh…

Sounds like you don't know who he is either?

What should we do? Wanna start from scratch?

We should watch it from the beginning, right?

-If that's okay? -[man] Yeah.

[narrator] Gen Takasegawa.

Everyone in Japan knows who he is.

[women] Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Except, I don't know who that is.

So sorry.

I spent a whole year

interviewing a man I don't know.

[man] Who is this old man?

I have no idea.

No one in here knows who he is?

-So I'm not crazy. -What is going on here?

Who would pull a prank like this? Let's delete it now.

[woman] Excuse me…

You should see this.

[Yoko] No way…

Terrifying!

[gasps] What?

What is going on?

-All the way to December! -Well, it is a calendar.

[woman] And look… there's a ton of them!

-[all gasping] -[man] No way!

[Yoko] This is so scary.

We never made these!

-Throw them away! Get rid of them! -[man] Right.

[Gen tuts] I've lost so many followers.

But why?

What happened?

[clicks fingers]

-One more, please. -The number on your key?

Seventy-two. Thank you for that.

[Gen sighs]

What the heck am I doing?

I'm running out of money.

[sighs heavily]

Let's think about this.

I get why the cabbie and the bank teller might not recognize me.

That's understandable.

But what about my wife, Machiko, and Yoko?

Even Daiya Mibu.

They've all forgotten me.

-[glass thuds] -[Gen gasps]

[host groans quietly]

-Whoa! -I'm sorry.

[host exhales heavily]

[Gen groans]

Six months ago, in the old Globe dressing room…

You were even better than expected.

[Gen] She had praise for my performance, but today…

Sorry, were you in it?

[Gen] Just cut the crap, Yoko!

[sighs]

What happened in the last six months?

[reporter] Six months have passed since the terrible pandemic struck Japan.

[man] You think it's amnesia?

[Yoko] That's the only explanation.

I mean, look at all of this.

A bunch of merchandise for some old guy we don't know.

[curious music playing]

If what he's saying is true, that means something's wrong with me, right?

Yeah, but amnesia affects just a single person, doesn't it?

Huh?

In movies and TV shows,

usually it's just one person that gets it, you know?

-Wait, so what are you saying? -[man] She's right.

If you have amnesia, Yoko,

that must mean we all have it.

You know, none of us remember him.

Right, Funaki? Right, Omori?

[music stops]

That's right, yeah.

[Yoko sighs]

So weird.

Yeah, I guess there's no way all of us would get it.

Hey, so I heard there's a celebrity's daughter working here!

Hi! Yes, it's me. [giggles]

What is it that your dad does again?

Oh, my real dad?

I honestly don't really remember. When I was young, he was gone a lot.

-Wait, do you have a sugar daddy? -[laughing]

It came out wrong. I meant my dad.

-Are you sure? -No sugar daddy.

[reporter] According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare,

99% of the population has received the first dose of the vaccine.

88% has received the second dose.

These are much higher vaccination rates compared to the COVID pandemic.

Wow, a vaccine?

As for potential side effects, aside from the limited number of people

who reported decreased concentration or memory loss…

[Gen] "Memory loss"?

[reporter] …as effective as the COVID vaccine.

VACCINE

[reporter] Side effects vary from person to person……

MEMORY LOSS

[Gen] It can't be.

Due to a vaccine's side effect,

the memory of Gen Takasegawa has been erased

from the minds of the Japanese people.

Mass memory loss!

Wait, no.

What are you saying? A vaccine like that--

-[glass thuds] -[gasps] Hey!

Sorry, sir.

[inhales sharply]

I can barely lift my arm now.

Chijimi, can I go?

[Chijimi speaking Korean]

[in English] Come on, tonight you are working the heat wave.

No way I can work the heat wave.

I got the vaccine earlier. I have to avoid anything strenuous.

I'll tell the boss on you.

Does this belong to 72?

So what if it does?

That guy looks so familiar.

I think he's a famous actor?

Ma Dong-seok? Hwang Jung-min? Song Kang-ho?

He's Japanese. I think it's…

Taka…

Taka…

Takasegawa!

Gen Takasegawa!

Did you get the vaccine?

So what if I did?

Do you know who this is? It was 14 years ago.

[man] Oh, Daiya Mibu.

And the guy next to him? His co-star?

Yoroman?

No!

Wait, are you Yorozu Mantaro?

That was my father. He's been dead for 40 years.

What's my name? Do you know?

[slowly] No…

[Gen] What's wrong, Takasegawa?

Isn't this the world you always wanted to live in?

I've wondered what it's like

to live in a world where no one knows Gen Takasegawa.

[laughs]

It might be kinda nice, after all.

It's lonely,

not being recognized by anyone.

[host] Come on, what's his name?

Taka… Taka…

The "Taka" part is right.

Taka… something-or-other.

[Gen] In this moment,

I'm a renowned actor that's become a nobody.

[host] Takahashi?

No, Takashima?

[Gen] No, I'm not even an actor.

[host] Takamine?

Takasu? No, that's a clinic.

[Gen] My manager and my co-stars…

[host] "Taka"… Jeez, what is it? He could be…

[Gen] All of my friends and family. Even my fans have forgotten me.

[host] Taka Guadalcanal?

No…

Taka Kato?

Gen Takasegawa is a dead man.

He's gone.

Forget he exists.

I really shouldn't have said that.

[host] Oh! I got it! It's Takaoji!

Kin'ya Takaoji!

Is that it?

Yeah, that's it! It has to be!

Oh, man, I finally got it.

I'll get his autograph later.

[Gen] I am not looking at an actor.

It's just some old man.

Sixty-six years old.

I have nothing to be proud of.

All I have

is a worthless imposing face,

a worthless loud voice,

a smartphone, a little bit of cash,

and an expired credit card.

SAUNA SHIRAKABA

[Gen] And yet…

…I ate and drank so much in there.

TOTAL: 12,860 YEN

[machine beeps sharply]

Hey, your card was declined.

It's 12,860, and it's cash only.

Hey, let's go.

Don't have it? What's wrong with you?

Well…

What is it? Has my beauty caused you to fall in love?

[coins clatter]

[Gen sighs]

Please, I've already spoken to the boss about leaving for the rest of the day.

[Chijimi speaking Korean]

[in English] I don't recall the boss saying you could leave early.

So basically that means no.

It's an important audition.

If I book it, I can quit my job here.

[Gen] Is this young man an actor?

Quit your job? Well, that's the first I've heard of it.

There's no way the boss and I can cover your shifts.

Only if I get it, which I probably won't.

Great, so you don't need to go.

Come on, Shizumi. Let me go, yeah?

It's Chijimi, okay? Not Shizumi!

You're Shizumi, right? That's how you write your name.

You're Japanese. You're not fooling anyone.

Hey, should I go?

Huh?

Instead of you, to the audition.

[quirky music playing]

-Sorry, what are you saying? -Good idea. Let him go instead.

What? No way.

You're an actor too, aren't you?

I look familiar to you?

I don't know who you are, but Okamoto…

Right? You saw him on a show?

-No. -Stop lying. You said that.

You said Number 72 was a famous actor.

[music stops]

You know, I can't remember.

[quirky music resumes]

Tell me, did you get the vaccine?

Yesterday, got my second one.

[groans] And you?

I did not. It's a conspiracy for sure.

Ah!

The one percent! I finally found you!

You've seen my shows, I know it.

Come on. You must know.

Look, sir, I only watch Korean dramas, okay?

I'm not interested in Japanese actors, so I don't recognize any.

No way…

Just pay up and get out of here already.

I'm broke. Sorry.

Oh, jeez, I knew it.

Find a way to get the cash!

No, don't worry. I promise, I'll pay you back later.

Just shut your mouth!

You're a liar! Anyone who says that never returns.

I will!

That role will be mine. I guarantee you that.

And I'll pay you back.

I'm Gen Takasegawa!

Can I just call the police?

-What's the role? -It doesn't involve you.

Just get your cash, okay?

Tell him, Okamoto.

What's the role? You playing a secret love child?

It's for a judge.

Oh.

Then he is an obvious choice.

-Chijimi, I-- -You won't get the role.

You know, you'd be a witness, maybe.

Let him take your place.

Your suitcase stays with me. Come back when you book it.

I won't fail you!

What the hell?

How am I worse than that geezer?

-He's more believable. -[music ends]

AUDITION WAITING ROOM

[man] Good morning, everyone!

-Good morning! -Good morning!

-Please pass these down. -Understood.

We'll have you come in groups of five and read this line.

-[man 2] Okay. -Five at once?

[man 1] It's a busy day for the director, so be sure to slate quickly.

Let's begin!

[Gen] The audacity of this audition!

The Globe auditioned for nearly 1,000 actors,

but they took their time with each of them.

Let's take the show to Tokyo, Gen.

Uh, in two years, all the main cast will be available.

[Gen] He said two years.

It's been six months,

so a year and a half from now.

[sighs]

[actors muttering lines]

[man 3] …sentence the defendant…

[man 4] …the defendant to 15 years in prison.

FINAL VERDICT: I HEREBY SENTENCE THE DEFENDANT TO 15 YEARS IN PRISON

[Gen tuts]

So I have to start all over again?

[poignant music playing]

From here, King Lear feels light-years away.

Perhaps everyone's memories will return in a year and a half?

[man 1] Mr. Okamoto!

[Gen] Or maybe I have to start my career over again

and claw my way back to the top?

[man 1] Mr. Okamoto?

[Gen] In just a year and a half,

become so famous, all of Japan recognizes me.

Is that the only way?

[music fades]

To hit reset on everything

and jump into the world as a complete unknown,

with nothing but raw talent to your name…

Great actors would want that.

Come on.

-I can do this. -[rousing music playing]

I'm Gen Takasegawa.

-I must do this! -[man 1] Mr. Okamoto!

[Gen] I still remember how to act.

No, it's in my blood!

In a year and a half,

I will walk on to a stage

as King Lear!

[man 1] Mr. Tetsu Okamoto!

[music peaks, then stops]

Oh, here we go.

[man 1] Hi, I'm Tasaka from Hustle Entertainment.

Thank you.

[man 2] Okay, go ahead.

Okay.

And so,

I sentence the defendant to 15 years. He's guilty.

Your last project was with Shiraishi, right?

-[Tasaka] Yes. -I see.

Next, please.

[inhales noisily]

And so… [exhales heavily]

…I sentence the defendant to 15 years. He's guilty.

Thank you.

Next actor, please.

And so, I sentence the defendant to 15 years. He's guilty.

Okay, thank you.

Next actor, go.

And so,

I sentence the defendant

to 15 years. He is guilty.

[upbeat music playing]

Slate?

Oh.

The Whiskey Bonbon Theater Company. Tetsu Okamoto.

Uh, run it again.

And so,

I sentence the defendant

to 15 years. He is guilty.

That voice is refined.

[Gen] Of course it is.

I'm Gen Takasegawa.

I will now offer an explanation.

The crime committed by the defendant is clearly unforgivable.

In regards to his mental state,

he is of sound mind and bears criminal responsibility.

However,

given the defendant's rough upbringing, extenuating--

[man 3] Wait, wait, hold on.

What's this? Are you improv-ing?

It's so good, I just let you go.

-Yeah, that was almost too good. -Yeah.

[Gen] Well, I am Gen Takasegawa.

It says you're 36 years old. That can't be right?

I'm 66.

[chuckles] You've spent all this time in a theater company?

[Gen] I've always been the genius Takasegawa.

[man 2] This headshot here, it's not you.

-You can't use someone else's photo-- -Uh…

You don't have many credits listed here. What have you been doing?

[Gen] I have been wandering through storms and playing fiddles on rooftops.

And I have been waiting for Godot.

You guys clearly don't watch theater, so you wouldn't know.

Can you give me another, yeah?

This time, with more emotion.

[music ends]

And so,

I sentence the defendant

to 15 years. He is guilty.

Good work, everyone.

Mr. Tadokoro, Mr. Fujii, Mr. Saeki,

please stick around for another read of the sides.

Everyone else is done for today. Thank you for your time!

[men] Thank you.

-No Okamoto? -Huh?

I want to talk to the director. I should've gotten the part.

-[rock music playing] -Stop! Hold on, you can't! No!

-Hey, let me go! -You can't go in!

-Get off! -Stop it!

Stop, Mr. Okamoto, what are you doing?

You just weren't what we were looking for.

Not what you're looking for?

You didn't tell us what you're looking for so how should any of us know?

I wasn't given time to prepare for the role!

How is any actor supposed to work like that?

I was embarrassed!

What's your deal?

We can't spend time on some minor role that doesn't have a name

and isn't a lead on the show.

Oh, that's awful!

Do you know who you're talking to?

-Mr. Okamoto! -Quit it!

The main character is a lawyer in this play!

We don't even see the judge's face!

[music ends]

[doorbell chimes]

[doorbell chimes]

Shouldn't you answer that?

It's me.

I'm sorry it's late.

I just have one question.

Did you get… the vaccine?

I think you must be confusing me for someone else--

I'm not confused.

You just forgot that I was your husband, that's all.

Huh?

For me, this is all terrible.

Though I guess it's

good for you, maybe.

Yeah. For you, it might be nice.

-Did you get the vaccine? -Yes.

You've had both shots?

Tsutomu as well?

I made sure of it.

[Gen sighs softly]

Okay.

You won't believe me,

but I'm your husband,

and Tsutomu's father.

Right.

You do believe me?

Tell me more, please.

[Gen] Thank you.

Um…

You know, I…

I did something terrible to you.

Of course, I wish I hadn't.

[poignant music playing]

It was a moment of weakness,

but it doesn't change the fact

that what I did hurt you, and I'm sorry.

And then,

I just left Japan right away.

No apology. I just sent you money.

You got it, right?

I tried to absolve my sins with money.

So I'm paying for them now.

At least, it looks that way.

You still there, Machiko?

You know, it's okay.

You don't have to forgive me.

I just…

I just need one thing.

Some time this morning, a new credit card should have come for me.

I didn't know whose it was, so I sent it back to the company.

-[Gen groans] -[man] What's going on?

What are you doing here?

ID, please?

I'm Takasegawa.

[Machiko] He's lying.

We got a report of someone suspicious from a resident here.

[Machiko] He's scamming me. Officers, please arrest him.

We're going to the station. Come with us.

Hey, let go!

Do you know me? Do you know who I am?

Lower your voice.

-Stay quiet. -That hurts!

Oh, I can finally lift my arm.

Still no Takasegawa.

Yeah, but it looks like he went to the audition.

My theater called me.

Didn't get the part, so he cussed them out and left.

[shouts in Korean]

[traffic rumbles overhead]

-[Gen groans] -[water splashes]

[sighs]

So hungry.

Ah.

Hm, did anyone

happen to mention me?

Did anyone happen to mention me?

ACCOUNT DELETED

The Gen Takasegawa account has gone.

Wikipedia too.

How nice. It looks like somebody went ahead and deleted them.

Oh man.

Am I just going to disappear?

Here I stand,

your slave…

a poor,

infirm,

weak…

and despised old man.

[scoffs quietly]

[footsteps approaching]

[man sighs]

[stomach rumbles]

That looks so good.

Come on, is that all I have?

Have you heard of this?

Maslow's hierarchy of needs.

[vibrant music playing]

You know? You know?

[laughs] You don't know it?

At the very bottom level

is physiological needs.

The need to eat and sleep.

You know, what we require to stay alive.

And once those needs are met,

then we need safety.

The desire for a normal human life.

We want to be healthy, we want income that's stable.

Next, we have

our social needs.

The desire to get married and have a family,

desire for community.

And then, you see, only after all of those needs are met,

the need for esteem emerges.

PHYSIOLOGICAL, SAFETY, SOCIAL, ESTEEM

So, for me, the role of King Lear

is the final test for me to satisfy that need.

PHYSIOLOGICAL, SAFETY, SOCIAL, ESTEEM, SELF-ACTUALIZATION

Given my current state,

I am

all the way at the bottom of the triangle.

PHYSIOLOGICAL

[man slurps]

Can I climb back up, all the way from the bottom,

and be Gen Takasegawa again?

You throwing that out?

[music stops]

If you are, give it here.

Stay away!

I'm gonna keep it so I can add rice balls and then I'm gonna eat it for dinner.

You want it?

You don't want it?

I want it! Please!

I'm begging you, please!

[vibrant music resumes]

-[music fades] -[Gen sighs]

[smooth jazz music playing]