Lee Sang-il, Stars Detail Grueling Kabuki Journey on Cannes Film ‘Kokuho’: ‘I Could Not Hear Anything Except My Own Heartbeats and Breath’

Director Lee Sang-il‘s Kabuki drama “Kokuho,” screening at Cannes Directors’ Fortnight, represents the culmination of a 15-year creative journey, bringing to life a sweeping tale of artistry, rivalry and tradition spanning five decades of Japanese theater.

Set initially in 1964 Nagasaki, the film follows 14-year-old Kikuo who, after his yakuza father’s death, finds himself taken under the wing of a famous Kabuki actor. Alongside the actor’s son Shunsuke, Kikuo dedicates himself to the centuries-old theatrical tradition, with their relationship evolving through decades of performances — from acting school to prestigious stages — against a backdrop of “scandals and glory, brotherhood and betrayals.”

“After the release of my film ‘Villain,’ I started the idea of a film about Kabuki. However, it took 15 years to come out as a film,” Lee tells Variety. The director, known for his 2013 remake of Clint Eastwood’s “Unforgiven” that screened at Venice, credits author Shuichi Yoshida with creating the novel that serves as the film’s foundation.

The director is unequivocal about what ultimately made the production possible: the casting of rising star Ryō Yoshizawa as Kikuo. “The point if I could make this novel into film or not depended on who could play Kikuo,” Lee explains. “It was the existence of Ryō Yoshizawa that made this film into life.”

The physical demands placed on the actors were extraordinary. Both Yoshizawa and Ryusei Yokohama, who plays Shunsuke, underwent over a year of intensive Kabuki training without relying on performance doubles for the film’s elaborate stage sequences.

“A real Kabuki actor starts practicing for performances since when they are children, even before they have memories,” Lee notes. “They grow up as human being as they grow as actors. I knew it was impossible for non-Kabuki actors to be exactly as real Kabuki actors.”

Instead, the training began with fundamentals. “They started just like how the children of Kabuki family start the training by how to walk, how to stand and such,” says Lee. “They partook training for over a year, to gain the silhouette of Kabuki actors.”

The film’s screenplay carefully balances theatrical performances with the evolving off-stage relationship between the two leads. “I tried to make the best balance between the play on stage and the scene outside the stage. I wanted the audience to see the two scene as seamlessly as possible,” Lee says.

While “Kokuho” chronicles 50 years in a Kabuki actor’s life, Lee emphasizes that the central relationship carries deeper significance: “The relationship between Kikuo and Shunsuke implies the underlining theme of the film — blood or talent.”

For Yoshizawa, the immersion in Kabuki’s traditions required exceptional commitment. “I knew it was not enough to be able to come on the feet of the real Kabuki actors but I tried my best to spend a year and a half to practice to live as a Kabuki actor,” he says. “I now feel that the commitment to the challenge, and somehow the conviction, were in the end important for this film.”

The actor found personal resonance with Kikuo’s artistic journey: “I believe Kikuo to be someone who was mesmerized by the world of art, and devoted his life, everything of his life, into the pursuit of the art. More and more he performed on stage, less and less his personal life looses interest, that’s what I captured as Kikuo.”

The physical challenges of the production pushed Yoshizawa to extremes. “When I was dancing ‘The Heron Maiden,’ I was as high in concentration as that I could not hear anything except my own heartbeats and breath,” he recalls. “My stubbornness to fulfil my commitment enabled me to finish this role.”

Co-star Yokohama, who plays Shunsuke, describes how their year-long training period naturally developed the bond necessary for their on-screen relationship: “It was not too close but not too far, a very good distance. We were able to bond without words but hearts.”

For his character, Yokohama found complexity beneath the surface: “Shunsuke is a sloppy character who is easy on himself. But the reality was harsh for him. His future was supposed to be promised success but suddenly shut down because of his best friend.”

The cast is rounded out by international star Ken Watanabe, who plays Hanjiro. Despite lacking strong master-apprentice relationships in his own career, Watanabe connected with the character through decades of professional experience.

“When the director asked me to bring out the kind of emotional sediment that builds up over 40 years in the entertainment industry — with all its hardships, joys, and struggles — I felt I could finally connect with the character,” Watanabe explains.

Coming from theater himself, Watanabe drew on personal observations for his role: “I could relate to the fear and exhilaration of stepping onto the stage. I also have a few acquaintances in the world of Kabuki, and I drew inspiration from observing how they interact with people offstage in their daily lives.”