Italiano【Part 2】Special Interview with GACKT for Movie 『Kong: Skull Island』 「It’ll be great if you talk to your friends about all sorts of things after watching it.」
The movie 『Kong: Skull Island』 will be released on March 25. As per the movie’s catchphrase 「Humans are the weakest on this island」, it is an action blockbuster that depicts the humans’ struggles among the gigantic beasts all around them. Also, as this movie is about the birth and origin of King Kong, it has also gathered a lot of attention from fans of the yesteryears as well. This time, we will be interviewing GACKT, who will be lending his voice for the dub of the male protagonist James Conrad. GACKT talks about the movie from his point of view, sharing about the highlights of it, and how it is not just your usual adventure blockbuster movie with it’s deep casting.
＜Part 1 of the interview, here＞
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–Speaking of imaging technology, when I saw the scene where he touched Brie Larson’s character’s (Mason Weaver) nose, I thought that it was so realistic that it couldn’t have been CG, and it looked like he was really there, and the footage of the creatures are also exceptionally realistic. Among all of them, which creature does GACKT-san like?
GACKT: Hm… in terms of visual beauty, the one that I thought was beautiful was the scene when they were walking in the bamboo grove thinking they were bamboo, but instead they were legs and when they looked up, they were stabbed by spikes. I felt that it was brutal yet beautiful, and I got the feeling that such a bug would actually exist. That said, in the first place that wasn’t a place where humans should’ve entered.
–That’s true. It’s the domain of god that can’t be touched.
GACKT: That’s right. There are many domains where humans can’t enter, and a lot of things that you can’t risk in but we want to uncover everything. I understand that we have an inquiring mind but we’re destroying too many things. With our nuclear problems, earthquakes, and other natural disasters, hasn’t it been weird recently.
–There has indeed been a lot.
GACKT: Don’t you think that the number one reason for the earth becoming weird is because humans are destroying all kinds of things? We should have a sense of crisis to begin with.
-That’s true, in terms of the weather, even though it’s already mid March, it’s still as cold as midwinter.
GACKT: Yes, like snow suddenly falling around mid April. In the past, this was unthinkable.
–It seems that until now, 『Godzilla』 has been raising questions about our environmental problems. Along with that meaning, I thought that it was meaningful that this movie is being released in our current era.
GACKT: I suppose because it’s this era, it’ll resound in people’s hearts. Using the same techniques, this wouldn’t have been so at all 20 years ago. It’s the fact that precisely because of our present point in time, we have to think about things after watching this movie. One reason for movies to be made is for entertainment but we also have to accept the problems in us through entertainment too.
–I believe that the main attraction of the movie is Kong and the creatures but, the human story was split into 2 groups as it progreses. What points should we focus on on the human side of things?
GACKT: Tom Hiddleston’s James Conrad and Samuel L. Jackson’s Colonel Preston Packard are portrayed as 「soldiers of soldiers」 but this phrase is constant until the end of the movie. Their motivations are simple, 「I was attacked, so I retaliate」.
–It refers to people under them right.
GACKT: It means 「If someone attacks my subordinates, I’ll retaliate. Because you were hired with money anyway」. In the first place, that way of thinking is how all conflicts start. Because each word in that phrase is meaningful, I would like people to feel it.
–I see, listening to GACKT-san’s words, I would like to watch it from that perspective next time.
GACKT: In terms of the way of thinking of people who start wars, it’s not about which side is good or bad. It is simply 「If you attack me, I’ll retaliate」 or 「If I’m given the orders, I will make a move」. Nothing will be resolved just by doing that.
–Since the movie is set in the time after the Vietnam war, I suppose such an element will appear as well.
GACKT: In our long history, despite knowing that there will definitely be nothing good left after a war, it doesn’t end. I feel that our era is not one that is defined by the egos of major powers or big events but, it is one where individuals can get their acts together. Also, the world is filled with a lot of problems. What’s important is not to talk about what’s right or wrong, but whether everyone can see those problems or not.
–We should not remain in the sidelines, and should have the awareness that we are involved in it as well right.
GACKT: That’s right.
–Well then, lastly, please end off with a message for our readers.
GACKT: This is a movie that a lot of people can enjoy for a variety of reasons. Children of all ages can enjoy it too. Nevertheless, the themes are profound, there are many things that will interest you in its film, and I think that there will also be people who truly understand the issues that were raised. It’ll be great if you talk to your friends about all sorts of things after watching it.
Source: billboard-japan.com
Translation: GACKT ITALIA Team
Translation © GACKT ITALIA