Jun Nishiyama Says Kumagai's Reply to Nogi Was Ad-Libbed on VIVANT
Nishiyama's account shows the Bohan's "strongest" image was built from deliberate restraint on set, with discomfort kept inside instead of played out, which is the choice that makes the group's blank faces read as resolve on screen.
Reporting from 1 source: Cinema Today.
Jun Nishiyama, who plays Bohan member Kazuki Kumagai in the TBS drama VIVANT, says his reply to Nogi in the cell scene was ad-libbed. He told Cinema Today he prepared by holding in the stress of the role rather than playing blank: the heavy special makeup, the shackles, and the barefoot cell all fed the part of a Bohan member who shows no weakness under torture.
Nishiyama learned of the second season around fall 2024, after hearing rumors. He says a shared calendar with his manager carried the flag of Azerbaijan for about three weeks in October 2025, which turned out to be the shoot.
The brief he got was a story about a Bohan member being kidnapped and rescued. He also heard there would be torture scenes and special makeup, and expected the work to be hard. In the role he chose stress over blankness: he let the makeup, the shackles, and the barefoot cell weigh on him and kept the reaction inside. He watched the rescue episode live and cried at the moment the Bohan members drop their expressionless faces.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.
Sources
- Cinema Today 「VIVANT」“熊谷”西山潤、アドリブだった乃木への返事 自分にストレスを与え続けた別班員の役づくり