TOKYO, JAPAN — Searchlight Pictures’ “Rental Family” looks at the real-life business of rental family agencies in Japan.
The film stars Brendan Fraser, Shannon Gorman, Mari Yamamoto, Takehiro Hira and Akira Emoto and is directed by Hikari.
To make a film about Japan feel authentic and real, Hikari filmed in Tokyo and surrounding areas.
“A lot of people may have come to Tokyo before, but I wanted to kind of push a little bit,” Hikari told On The Red Carpet. “It really had to represent our culture.”
On The Red Carpet traveled to Tokyo to speak with Hikari and the cast and we got to see some of the locations where the movie was filmed. We walked the Sumida Riverwalk, where Fraser’s character Phillip filmed a scene. We also walked the streets, including one that was a backdrop for the cat festival that Fraser’s character Phillip and Gorman’s character Mia attend.
“I wanted it to feel how people have been living through, walking through (the city),” she said. “It’s a massive city, Tokyo is, so just kind of find the right place for people around the world and have that experience.”
One of the coolest experiences was teamLab Borderless, a digital art museum located in the Azabudai Hills section of Tokyo. It features multiple rooms of interactive artwork, including a sketch ocean room, where Fraser and Gorman filmed. It was an experience they raved about when we talked to them in Tokyo.
“It’s such a cool space. I live in Japan but I never went there…when I (was) reading the script, I was like ‘I get to go to teamLab,'” Gorman exclaimed. “It’s different atmosphere, each room. And sometimes it could be really beautiful. And then after like five minutes, it turns into like, sad, emotional and it’s just really cool.”
“It’s a perfect location that represents their relationship at that point in the story because Phillip’s trying so hard and he’s confused. And Mia is wondering, really, who is this guy?,” Fraser said. “It’s a perfect setting for an expression of the inner lives that those two characters are feeling in an atmosphere around them that’s blooming and beautiful and changing and unique.”
Even Yamamoto and Hira, who were not part of that shoot, were excited about teamLab.
“Images are like flying at you and you can stay there forever,” Hira said with a smile.
“It’s just super trippy but also, I think it’s one of those rare spaces where grown-ups get to be kids again,” Yamamoto added.
And we visited Asakusa/Sometaro, the restaurant where Phillip and Emoto’s character Kikou shared a pivotal scene.
“That place, I believe it’s over 100 years old, and it’s the oldest okonomiyaki restaurant in Tokyo. And I come from Osaka, and the food is actually okonomiyaki is originally from the West, so I wanted to mix up the culture from west, west meets east,” Hikari explained.
Fraser added, “I mean if Akira Emoto-san was a restaurant he would be that restaurant! They’re all characters in a play for a very specific reason.”
Brendan Fraser and the cast of “Rental Family” talk about hope, heart and the need for human connection. The film is streaming now on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+.
“Rental Family” gave Brendan Fraser an opportunity to live out a lifelong dream of making a film in a country he loves.
“It fulfills my aspiration for doing this in the first place,” he said. “People have always been welcoming, they’ve always been enthusiastic about filmmaking in a way that’s unique to Japan.”
The cast all bonded quickly.
“We just enjoyed, aside from work, you know, we experienced the whole journey together,” said Hira.
“We just felt like we experienced the beauty of Japan in all like the two, three months that we were here,” added Yamamoto.
“Rental Family” is now streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+.
The Walt Disney Company is the parent company of Searchlight Pictures, Hulu and this ABC station.
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