Thoughts of voice actor Yuki Kaji, who played the lead role in the Japanese dubbed version of "Stonewall," a mini-theater movie made by a Hollywood director.

Christopher Street in Greenwich Village, a corner of New York City. Danny comes to Greenwich Village from a small town in rural Indiana, where his father has accused him of being gay. It is a town where young people of sexual minorities live together. At a time when laws against sexual minorities were unreasonable, Danny finds a group of friends who are determined to live strong and speak out against discrimination and persecution.

Based on the Stonewall Affair, the first LGBT rights movement that took place in 1969, "Stonewall" is a small but powerful film that will be released in Japan. The film is directed by Roland Emmerich, a German director who specializes in Hollywood science fiction films such as "Independence Day" and "2012. In addition to the subtitled version, a Japanese dubbed version will also be screened in Japan, albeit on a smaller scale. The main character Danny is played by popular voice actor Hiroki Kaji. Mr. Kaji, who is also a movie buff, shared his thoughts on the film with us.

A theme that cannot be played half-heartedly

─ It is rare for a mini-theater movie to be released in a dubbed Japanese-language version, and I was surprised to hear that you would be playing the main character, Danny.

Kaji: Actually, this is the first time I've dubbed the main character in a live-action movie (to be released in theaters). That's why I was very happy to hear about "Stonewall" this time. I myself love movies and often go to the theater, and dubbed movies have been a part of my life since I was a child. When I go to the cinema, my voice will be heard, so I am as happy as if I were a newcomer (laughs). On the other hand, "Stonewall" is a film with a very deep theme, based on a true story of people who stood up against gender discrimination. I felt that I could not play the role with a half-hearted attitude. The "Stonewall Incident" actually happened, so I made sure to do my research about it. However, the main character is a fictional young man named Danny, so in order to make it dramatic, I thought it would be a good idea to focus on his personal growth and love life.


─ I thought that Danny, the main character played by you, is a kind-hearted young man.

Kaji: There are many different types of characters in the film, but Danny doesn't have much of a presence at first. But when he comes to Greenwich Village in New York, where gay people gather, he experiences many things and changes. Danny is a young man who is really pure and straightforward, which makes him vulnerable. And that is why he has to leave his own city. I got the impression that although his body is already an adult, he actually has the heart of a boy.

─ Your voice for Danny has a low tone. Some people may be surprised at how different it is from your usual image of Kaji. How did you go about creating your voice for the play?

Kaji: Danny is a high school student, so he is much younger than me, but Jeremy Irvine, who plays him, is a Western actor, so he is very fit. I wanted to make sure that when the audience saw the dubbed version, there would be no discrepancy between my appearance and my voice. But I also wanted to make sure that I could play the role with a good range without being too tied down by that. Danny does not look like a woman like Ray and the others. I thought the message of this film was that it does not matter whether you are a man or a woman when it comes to liking someone. A young man who knows nothing about anything jumps into a new world, is shocked by various things, falls in love, and hits a wall. I played the role of Danny, thinking that the only difference is whether the object of his love is the same sex or the opposite sex, and that there is no difference in what I should perceive in him.