■ “I never thought I’d be able to work with my senior, Kimura-san, at this age, so I was very happy.” (Ae! group Masakado Yoshinori)
Ae! group’s Masakado Ryoki has been announced as the second new cast member for the film version of “Grand Maison Paris” (to be released in winter 2024), a hit drama starring Kimura Takuya.
The role of Tasuku Kogure, who works as a komi (apprentice) at Grand Maison Paris, is played by Masakado Yoshinori of the notable Ae! group, who made his CD debut in May. This will be his first time acting alongside his senior at the agency, Kimura Takuya.
Ae! group, who was based in Kansai until their debut, held a solo event at Kyocera Dome in March, which was extremely unusual for a group before their debut. Their debut single “《A》BEGINNING” was released in May and topped the charts with first week sales of 625,000 copies, marking a spectacular debut.
Shomon himself had been active even before his debut, and at the unprecedented 43 solo concerts held at the Shochikuza in Osaka, he set a new record for the most solo performances at the venue. While he has been attracting attention for his musical activities, such as playing the guitar, he made his acting debut in the drama “Koi no Byou to Yarogumi” (2019) and played the role of the heroine’s younger sister’s lover in the NHK morning drama “Scarlet” (2019). Since then, he has participated in many works such as “DIVER – Special Undercover Team -” (2020) and “The Men of the Wada Family” (2021), and has been a solo lead in the stage play “Vincent in Brixton” (2022), building up his track record as an actor. In addition, from October 2023, Masakado Yoshinori will be appearing regularly on “Saturday Plus” (MBS Mainichi Broadcasting), and is a multi-talented actor who has expanded his field of activities. In this work, he will play the beloved character Tasuku Kogure, also known as “Gre-chan,” who is good friends with the staff of Grand Maison Paris.
While Kogure often goes out to buy ingredients with Obana Natsuki (played by Kimura) and Aizawa Binto (played by Oikawa Mitsuhiro), he realizes how difficult it is for an unknown Japanese restaurant staff member to buy ingredients in a foreign land. While he respects Obana’s passion for cooking, he worries about the future of Grand Maison Paris due to the reckless promises Obana makes.
In the drama series, the co-starring of Kimura and Tamamori Yuta, who are senior and junior in the agency, was also a hot topic. In the movie version, attention is focused not only on the co-starring of Kimura, an unconventional French chef, and the charming comic, Shomon, but also on his acting in this film, which was Shomon’s last solo job before his debut (as a junior).
Comment from Yoshinori Masakado (role of Tasuku Kogure)
We shot in a kitchen set in Tokyo, then took a break of about two weeks and shot in Paris for two days. It was so nice to see everyone again after such a long time, but it ended so quickly that I honestly feel lonely.
I never thought I’d be able to work with my senior, Mr. Kimura, at this age, so I was very happy, and it was a truly luxurious time to be able to work with all these wonderful veterans. There are things I wish I could have done differently, but I want to treasure it as an experience and a lesson. I will treasure what I learned here for the rest of my life, and I want to work hard to grow even bigger so that I can work with you all again.
I’m very attached to the characters I’ve played, so I hope to shine a unique light among the many unique characters!
During the shoot in Paris, the shopping scene was very stimulating. I had heard that it was a place like Tsukiji, and there were all kinds of things being sold on a vast site, and I felt that the sight of meat hanging just like that would make for an impactful scene.
When I first saw the TV drama version, I thought it was a bit of an adult story, but I remember being moved by the exhilarating feeling of winning, like a boy’s manga. I’m honored to have been able to participate in such a work, and I’m looking forward to seeing the finished product. It’s a work full of excitement, so I hope that everyone will enjoy the beauty of the food and the scenery of Paris and have a luxurious time.
Movie Information
“Grand Maison Paris”
Winter 2024: Toho cinemas nationwide
Cast: Takuya Kimura, Kyoka Suzuki, Ok Taecyeon, Yoshinori Masakado / Yuta Tamamori, Kanichiro, Ayako Yoshitani, Anne Nakamura / Ai Tominaga, Mitsuhiro Oikawa, Ikki Sawamura and others
Director: Ayuko Tsukahara
Screenplay: Tsutomu Kuroiwa
Distributor: Toho, Sony Pictures Entertainment
(C) 2024 “Grand Maison Paris” Film Production Committee
Movie “Grand Maison Paris” website
https://grandmaison-project.jp/
Ae! group OFFICIAL SITE
https://starto.jp/s/p/artist/157
https://www.universal-music.co.jp/aegroup/
