‘Icicles Formed In Our Ears’: Golden Kamuy Live-Action Film Actors Share Harsh Filming Conditions

The highly anticipated live-action adaptation of Satoru Noda’s Golden Kamuy had its opening day stage greeting on Jan 19, 2024, at TOHO Cinemas Roppongi Hills in Tokyo.

The cast, including Hiroshi Tamaki, Asuka Kudo, Shuntaro Yanagi, and Ryohei Otani shared their behind-the-scenes experiences and shed light on the challenges encountered during filming.

Since Golden Kamuy is set in the late Meiji era in Hokkaido, revolving around a battle for a substantial Ainu treasure, the filmmakers took on the challenge of capturing the authentic winter atmosphere of Hokkaido, leading to extreme conditions during the shoot.

Yanagi revealed the harsh conditions, stating, “It was a tough shoot; we even had icicles forming in our ears. We used to check with each other, wondering, ‘Are our ears frozen?‘”. Asuka Kudo too added to this, highlighting the persistence of the icy challenge, especially during extended takes.

“With scenes that couldn’t be wrapped up in a single take, icicles would persistently form in our ears throughout the shoot.”

Echoing these statement, Yanagi stated, “Even when we thought they finally melted, it was a repeated process of them forming again.“

Ryohei Otani, who had a skiing sequence in the film, shed light on the difficulties encountered with handmade skis.

“The edges didn’t work at all. Stopping was difficult, and even when instructed to halt, it was a tough feat. I tried to endure it by instinct, but I kept getting carried away,” shared Otani.

Golden Kamuy live-action film is set to release on Jan 19, 2024.

Cast members include:

• Kento Yamazaki as Saichi Sugimoto
• Anna Yamada as Asirpa
• Gordon Maeda as Hyakunosuke Ogata
• Yuma Yamoto as Yoshitake Shiraishi
• Asuka Kudo as Hajime Tsukishima
• Shuntarō Yanagi as Yōhei/Kōhei Nikaido
• Ryōhei Ōtani as Genjirō Tanigaki
• Katsuya as Tatsuma Ushiyama
• Katsumi Kiba as Shinpachi Nagakura
• Hisako Okata as Huci
• Makita Sports as Takechiyo Goto
• Debo Akibe as Asirpa’s great uncle
• Hiroshi Tamaki as Tokushiro Tsurumi
• Hiroshi Tachi as Toshizo Hijikata
• Mitsuki Takahata as Umeko
• Yuki Izumisawa as Toraji

CREDEUS is in charge of the film’s production. Shigeaki Kubo will serve as the director, with Tsutomu Kuroiwa handling the script. Yutaka Yamada will compose the music for the film.

 Japanese rock band ACIDMAN performed the theme song “Kagayakerumono”.

Golden Kamuy is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Satoru Noda. It was serialized in Shueisha’s seinen manga magazine Weekly Young Jump from August 2014 to April 2022, with its chapters collected in thirty-one tankōbon volumes.

An anime television series adaptation produced by Geno Studio aired with two seasons from April to December 2018. A third season aired from October to December 2020. A fourth season produced by Brain’s Base aired from October 2022 to June 2023. A fifth season adapting the manga’s final arc has been announced.

Source: Livedoor News, Comic Natalie