Japanese actress Juri Ueno didn't have a clue about classical music until she got the lead role as Megumi 'Nodame' Noda, a talented but eccentric pianist in Nodame Cantabile. But her experience in the new movie about the life and loves of group of music students has turned her into a fan.
Ueno, 23, was in Hong Kong recently to promote the film. An adaptation of a hit Japanese television series of the same name, it co-stars pop idol Hiroshi Tamaki, who plays a conductor - and Nodame's dream man.
Ueno says she has been lucky in her career. She rose to stardom after playing Nodame in the television series, which won her the 2006 best actress prize in Japan's Television Drama Academy Awards. The recognition opened many doors for her.
In 2008, she won Best Supporting Actress for playing a lesbian motocross racer in Last Friends. And this year, she is set to appear in her first historical role as the lead in Go, an NHK Taiga costume epic.
With Nodame Cantabile opening in Hong Kong this week, Ueno talks about her experience making the movie.
What does it take to bring the character to life? There were so many dramatic scenes involving Nodame that I often hurt myself when filming. I suffered aching muscles the whole time and even needed to undergo an MRI scan after I twisted my ankle. Lessons learned. After that we took extra safety precautions.
Was using a life-sized doll as a substitute for you in some scenes part of the safety measures? We filmed three versions of each scene - with the doll, a stand-in and me. We thought having the doll would add the comedy. Also some over-the-top scenes, such as Nodame rolling off the Eiffel Tower, couldn't possibly be done by a real person so we had to use the doll.