Ólafur Jóhann Ólafsson’s novel Touch tells a story of love, longing, and loss. Bending space and time, Touch follows the passionate love story between Kristófer, a young, idealistic Icelandic man living in London, and Miko, a young Japanese woman who immigrated to Japan as a child with her father.
We watch Kristófer and Miko fall in love and live in their young romance filled with hope and optimism. Their relationship continues to blossom until one day Miko and her father leave London without a word as to why.
The story vacillates between their love affair in the 1960s and the early 2020s at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now a widow, an aged and poorly Kristófer decides to leave Iceland and heads to London and then Tokyo to find his first love.
Alongside director Baltasar Kormákur, Ólafsson served as co-writer on his book’s film adaptation starring Egill Ólafsson as Kristófer in present-day, Palmi Kormakur as Kristófer in the ‘60s, Kōki as Miko in the 1960s, and renowned actor, Masahiro Motoki as her father, Takahashi-san.
Only her second film role, Kōki began her career in Japan as a model, songwriter, and singer. Her feature film debut was 2022’s Ox-Head Village, a Japanese horror film directed by Takashi Shimizu with Kōki in the lead role.
Over Zoom, The Asian Cut caught up with Kōki at home in Japan to discuss what drew her to Touch, working with Motoki, and how her parents, the iconic actor Takuya Kimura and acclaimed singer Shizuka Kudo, influenced her career decisions to date.
This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
The Asian Cut: Looking at your career so far, I’m really interested in the choices you’ve made so far, including Touch. You did a horror movie in Japan, Touch in Iceland, and I understand you’re working on a British film with John Maclean. What’s driving your decision making right now regarding which projects you pick?
Kōki: I’m interested by the script and for Touch, I completely fell in love with the story. Miko was a character that really touched deep inside me, and it’s very rare nowadays to find such a beautiful love story. [It’s a] story that really makes you think about the beauty of falling in love with someone, and having these precious emotions. I think that part made me decide that I really want to challenge myself and participate in this film. It’s the story that really pulled me into it.
How about your other films, Ox-Head Village and Tornado? I don’t think these are typical choices for someone in your position to take on as your first films. Most people would go a safer route with a superhero movie or something like that, but you’ve chosen films that lean a little more arthouse which I think is pretty amazing.
The first film that I was able to participate in was Ox-Head Village. It was the first film that I was offered and it [just happened] to be a horror film. So it’s not like I chose a horror film for my first movie [laughs]. It’s weird to say that I have luck, but I feel like I’m really lucky to be able to meet with these special stories and films that came across in my life. The choices were kind of — I didn’t specially pick them up, I think I just really fell in love with the story and the team.
I understand your parents are quite successful entertainers in their own right. How have they influenced your career or decision making?
I mean, I feel really privileged that I grew up having people I can look up to so close to me. For example, I [have been] watching my dad’s films since I was small [and] I think I was influenced a lot because I want to become someone who can make people feel this type of emotion. I really loved how watching my dad, who’s acting as another character, making me feel another way or making me cry, conveying such deep emotions. I thought, I want to become someone like my dad who can really make the audience feel a certain way or deliver a certain message. My parents had a very big influence in me.
Was it strange as a kid watching your dad be somebody completely different?
Well actually, when I was really small, like four years old or something, my dad had a kissing scene. I remember calling my dad saying, “Who are you kissing on the TV??” [laughs] I asked my dad to [give me] some explanations and after that I was able to actually understand that it’s another story, he’s acting. But before that, I was like, “Who are you kissing on the TV?! My mom’s watching!”
Were they supportive of you joining the entertainment industry?
They’ve always supported me in my decisions. Throughout the film as well, I would ask them for tips and advice. I would call them every single day. So I think they have always really supported me from behind and have my back.
Let’s talk about the film. The primary storyline in Touch is the love story between Kristófer and Miko, but then the film (and book) turns into a historical discussion about the impact of WWII in Hiroshima. As a Japanese person, what was it like reading this aspect of the script written from a Western point of view?
The Hiroshima part, I think the plot is not based on that part of the story. But I think it’s a very important [part in] making Miko’s character, and how she built a wall inside herself — like a really hard shell — that Kristófer gradually breaks through. That allows Miko to really be herself, and show her true lovely, delicate side. So I think that is an important fabric in her character.
I was captivated by the book because I think it’s easily one of the best and my most favourite books that I’ve read. I was really mesmerized by how touching the book was, and how it portrayed the love and the emotions between Miko and Kristófer.
How was working with Masahiro Motoki? He’s done some incredible work over his career.
I felt really honoured being able to witness his acting in such a close distance. I was able to learn so much from him, his thoughts on acting and the moment he [turns the] switch on. He was such a lovely person as well. I didn’t feel like we had such a huge age gap. He supported me so much in the acting scenes.
Did he offer you any advice about acting or the film industry as a whole?
Those kinds of conversations I didn’t have [with him], but actually I [have known] him since I was small. Our families know each other, so I’d see him on New Years and stuff like that. It was a new experience to be able to work with him because I only knew him as my parents’ friends and stuff like that.
Looking ahead in your career, are you hoping to continue to split your time between working in Japan and Europe and the West, or are you more focused on one over the other?
I would love to work around the world and then work with different teams and cultures. And I would really love to continue challenging myself in different roles, in different characters. I think I’d love to continue challenging myself and doing new things and new characters and new skills.
