396 LBIA #23 Blue Sky Again

The weather in October Helsinki was changeable. Dim light in the morning was followed by grayish cloud and temporary rain, and then a cloudless clear night sky appeared. Spend time in autumn or winter in Northern countries, and you would surely realize the importance of sunlight. But I might be lucky. I was blessed with sunshine when I especially needed it, like I went a long way by walk or shot something which definitely require natural light. 

This time I had an outing by walk along the seashore with little knowledge of locations or routes. It was a very sunny and comfortable morning. A couple of hours walk took me to some high-grade residential area. The sky was thoroughly blue and flawless. Strong light gave clear outline of the buildings and color was dazzling. The contrast of blue and white was unforgettable.   

395 LBIA #22 Aalto

I had written about the time I visited Aalto House before. I think I wrote how I was excited then as I happened to be an only visitor at the afternoon so I enthusiastically monopolized the house for 2 hours. That moment was a treasure in my life and I don't reproduce that excitement. More than 2 years from then, I've just noticed why I was so attracted by the house from another point of view. I feel somewhat daunted to talk about it, because it seems so cheeky. But the truth is truth. When I look at these pictures at Aalto House I instantly remember my own home when I was in childhood. Image of one's house is one of the most important and earliest memories of childhood. It sometimes pops up suddenly when it gets some memory vehicle. I feel strong familiarity with these images.

By any change, is my family related to Scandinavian or Slav ancestors? 

394 LBIA #21 Iittala

My longtime strong favor for Scandinavian style/design from daily products, furnitures to architectures may be explained by using them for years. In childhood my parents had certain taste in using cutlery, plates or electric devices from nordic countries. When I left my parents' house and moved to my own place I chose Iittala for my kitchen gadget without hesitation. I know this is not a place to PR for the company but the great thing is this Finnish brand never disappoints me.

So during the stay in Helsinki I enjoyed so much to visit Iittala shops often, mostly just see the product and showcase design, feeling just the same as if I were a fashionista in Milan, a surfer in North Shore, or an epicurean in Southern France.  
  

393 LBIA #20 Animals

At Helsinki international airport I couldn't help smiling when I went out of the building and saw three small statues of sitting bears on the pedestrian pass. They were so humorous and too sweet for such a wild animal. And when I entered the center of the city I found the most unique fountain ever; there were four sea lions surrounding the maiden statue in the middle. In walking down the street I found several signboard or nameplates with lovely drawings of some animal. The general souvenir shops were of course full of stuffed animals or carved wooden ones. 

Obviously the land care for animals, at least symbolization of them. It's not just fun to watch as a design but also it seems they regard animals as equal members of those who living in the land of nature, land of forests and lakes, which I think is wonderful. 

392 LBIA #19 Port

One of the charms of Helsinki I think is the combination of sophisticated 
street and access to the sea. I was first surprised to find the major port is just close to the main street. You enjoy the city view and convenience and next moment you face the wide and calm openness of the Baltic Sea. Though life at waterfront may be hard sometimes in such northern nation I envied people here could enjoy the convenience of stylish modern city as well as this immediate spaciousness of nature. 

391 LBIA #18 Cozy

Inside the Helsinki Cathedral there were a group of musicians who seemed to be members of an orchestra. They were practising some classical tunes that I didn't know. Some tourists like me and the local citizens were there sitting on the bench or walking around quietly. Nobody cared who walked in and left, nobody paid attention if I sat on and listened to the music or to take some photos. The place was full of warmth and light and comfort which would allow people to drop in casually escaping from outside cold. On the other hand the cathedral never lost its own dignity. I loved the place so much.

390 LBIA #17 Could it be more blue?

This was shot in front of the Helsinki Cathedral at around 5pm on 9th October 2011. I've never seen such a true blue sky like this and even the photograph doesn't fully describe it. Is it because of the high latitude of the city? The color almost shocked me but at the same time it was conformable to see, or more precisely, to be bathed. When traveling, the color of the sky in the city you visit rules the way how the light to be shed on everything you see, so the impact should not be overlooked.    

389 LBIA #16 Starts Again Here

In 2011 October I started traveling around after 5 years of trip-less, uneasy restless era, mostly because of the Financial Crisis and upheaval of my work life that followed. Year 2011 was also not at all peaceful of course due to the disastrous earthquake and economical unsteadiness, but I felt I should go anyway beyond the boundary to regenerate the once knocked down spirit.

So I choose Helsinki, Finland where I had been longing to visit. After 9 hours comfortable flight this beautiful northern sky, breathtaking gradation from ultramarine to horizon blue, welcomed me and started again my wanderlust.

388 LBIA #15 Still Life

At Orsay I found lots of Paul Cezanne's paintings including his famous still life works. Ever since I got to know his paintings I've been fascinated and curious about what makes people draw these things and makes them worthy to be appreciated. Seriously, what's the matter with apples, pears, vase, table and basket? If I would have studied art history more closely the answer might have be easily found. Or not. I'm still not sure why these normal, ordinary things could emit such deep mythic magnetism.

387 LBIA #14 Arc de Triomphe

Paris has such a many attraction for tourists from the world. Only a couple days of stay would never be enough for the legendary city. So I did go to Louvre, Orsay and Rive Gauche but never to Montmartre nor Eiffle Tower. But I was lucky to decide to stay at Argentine, very close to Champs-Elysees, so I could see the Arc, one of the most famous icons in Paris, every day and night without effort. 

When I first saw the Arc it attracted me and wowed me. There's something indescribable that fascinated me so much to make me do nothing but staring it for a while. The more I looked at it the stronger it held me captivate. It's beautiful? yes of course, magnificent? yes, historically important? yes. But there was more. Maybe this is what they call the "Golden Rule" stability.  

386 LBIA #13 Villa Savoye

The biggest objective of my visit to Paris was to see Villa Savoye created by Le Corbusier. As one of the students who adore the modern architectures of the early 20th century, surely he was my idol, and Villa Savoye was definite destination. 

That afternoon was a perfect happiness for me. What I saw was a ultra-idealistic yet with hands-on touch of human work of art.

"A machine to live": the famous words lead us the images of functionalism or only mechanical side of the maison (the true meaning, not the literal, of the words when Le Corbusier stated them is still on argument, though). But I saw in the machine was a group of many students of all ages and races who sketched, walked casually around the villa and talked with fellows sitting on the LC chair. It was somewhat a heartwarming scene to me. I felt like I was just one of them, and moreover, felt everyone in the room shared the same joy and satisfaction to be in the work. We didn't actually talk each other but we could have been able to be friends with anytime if we wanted. We didn't even have to ask "You studying architecture?" "You like Le Corbusier?", as we all knew it. We kept the bonds in silence. 

385 LBIA #12 Nike, the Winged Victory

At Louvre I wasn't particularly eager to see so many things, except this Nike. I had been fascinated by the image since I saw it in the art textbook when I was in elementary school. The real sculpture was exactly I imagined. It was located in the center of large landings just under the skylight. It was divine. It looked like as if the goddess had flown down from the sky on the ship. I cannot believe that mankind could create such a purely beautiful thing. If I ever had a spiritual moment in my life, I think this is it. When I feel like I am battling against something this goddess image bestows me strength.

I spent a whole hour to see, feel and photograph the masterpiece from every perspectives.   
  
But whatever I was inspired especially by the statue I'm sure I might look like just the same with other tourist who happily rushed for the Nike, the Venus and the Mona Lisa. Of course I was one of them too. I think every male and female, young or old, gets happy when they see beautiful women, and it is very nice to join the pleasure.

384 LBIA #11 Good Morning

Good morning, and Merry Christmas to you all! This is Paris in November so almost nothing here is related to Christmas day, but I'd just like to say hi to dear readers with one of my favorite moments in Paris. This was a really shiny good morning, and wish you all have wonderful Christmas morning!

383 LBIA #10 The City of Light

In 2006 I first went to Paris. Since then I think of the city as the most beautiful city of all. Of course I don't know other charming cities all around world and I love some cities more than Paris, still, the City of Light has overwhelming and  magnetic power to make people feel that they are at the center of something called beauty. It's like the citizens in Paris has a special 6th sense to feel what is beautiful, like we can sense what it is like to taste, see, hear, touch, and smell. It's probably a natural gift those who living with L'air de Paris can get.    

382 LBIA #9 Holy Christmas

I'm kind of not good at shooting religious architectures. The reasons are like I'm not sure where to pick up and focus on my photo as these churches and temples are usually so large and have so many architectural and/or religious features to look at. Plus, if I sense an aura of divinity I think I might not be able to catch it and record on photo. Also I feel awkward to take camera to the place where people pray. So I seldom shoot them.

But one day in Copenhagen I happend to enter into a beautiful church at the center of the city. It was awesome. There I saw white and neat space surrounded with cozy and warm atmosphere. They made some christmas decoration around the isle and altar as simple as possible. Ray of light came from the high window and skylight. There were just peace and quiet. 

The calm satisfaction made me take some photo without any pressure or uneasiness. Then I hoped I would be able to come back to visit there again in some future.

381 LBIA #8 Warehouse Christmas

On sunny Christmas day in Copenhagen I took a long walk across the city all day in chilly wind. Surely by the evening time I was so tired of walking and searched for warm place to rest. Then I was in front of Copenhagen Admiral hotel, which looked nice and was really marvelous. It was an uniquely and beautifully renovated historical warehouse with charm so unforgettable. Characterized by its large wooden pillars and beams, the lobby had mixed sense of dynamics, stability and coziness. On the comfortable arm chair I took a good rest in warm room as much as I wished and admired the classic christmas tree decoration in the quietness. 

380 LBIA #7 White Christmas

Copenhagen in December was chilly and snowy (sometimes with rain). It was not ideal for most people to spend their vacation. Actually several local people I met asked why I chose the city on that cold season. I might be a minority but to me the meanings of vacation is not just sunlight, warm sea and laid-back holidays (of course I know those are very wonderful). Vacations give me superb and new experience in my life and I enjoy them most in my travel. So when I happened to discover this lovely public ice skate link in the middle of the city of Copenhagen with lots of people having fun in the falling snow, I felt so happy to see it and thanked the opportunity.     

379 LBIA #6 Coffee Christmas

On Christmas 2005 I visited Copenhagen for the first time and it opened my eyes to whole new experience; since then I really got to love travels. I chose Denmark just because I had strong interest in Scandinavian design and architectures. I only booked flights and hotel and took off with a guidebook, and it was enough. To me travel means freedom. I know the importance of itinerary to use as much time as possible, but I think once you get to the destination you can count on tourist information or hotel concierge anytime. 

So I got to Copenhagen and walked around as I liked. Christmas was almost
there and every cafe, restaurant, streets and store showcase around the corner was decorated beautifully. I had lots of fun time spending walking down these streets whose name I didn't get at all (as they were not written in English but it was okay) and sitting in cozy cafes. The whole travel was like celebration of free time. That was one of the most amazing christmas ever.  

378 LBIA #5 Red

One thing I noticed walking in the streets in London was that the way of adopting certain color was striking, especially red. Red, which is sometimes very loud and too much standing out among all, turned to be the clearest and purest color in London. It was not only because the modest color tone of the street, but I felt also the invisible effect of the air that made red appear as bright and cheerful as possible. Red looked happy in London.      

377 LBIA #4 Majestic

So this is famous Palace of Westminster. I'm not sure why we decided to see it in the evening, not in the day sunlight, but it was probably because at first we regarded it as one of the ordinary sightseeing spots and we were seeking for some cool travel experience which might suit cool kids (like us, as we used to think). We didn't much care about famous historical places so we judged that we didn't have to rush for them and possibly could see them in passing. But it was, of course, far much worth than that and fortunately the timing was perfect because the occasional rain had just stopped before we reached the site and we could see the magnificent light reflected on the surface of the River Thames. It was no doubt breathtaking moment.  

376 LBIA #3 Clover Over Dover

In the middle of our stay in London, the idea hit us out of whim, to visit Paris from London (just a curiosity and adventurous spirit of youngsters). We went to the tourist info and asked the price of flight or Eurostar train. In fact the ambition was in vain, as the price was far beyond expectation, supposedly due to the fashion season in Paris. So we discussed over coffee again how to put our spirit in more realistic way, then we decided to at least go and see the boarder between UK and France. We headed for Dover.

We admired the famous White Cliffs of Dover and the old castle, but what really excited us was beautiful and pastoral scenery toward Kent and peaceful seashore at Straits of Dover. The water was so calm and there were some local families walking around the coast or listening to the radio. We stared at the ferry which seemed come over from Pas de Calais making quietly its way into the harbor, and finally felt so satisfied.

375 LBIA #2 Not Rainy

My impression in London was "sunny" which must be a really odd expression. But as long as it was true, I cannot say it in different way. It was March. Not too cold, we were walking around all day in shirt and leather jackets. During our 4-days stay I'd seen rain only once or twice. And it wasn't uncomfortable at all, as we found why so many people in London didn't open the umbrella; because it wasn't necessary. When you got wet, you'd be just dry soon (although this was probably due to a certain level of dry climate in a certain season, it was surprising and fun to us.) 

I liked so much the bank of the River Thames, and this shot was the late afternoon on the day before leaving London. It was sunny and I had mixed sense of warm wind and fresh smell of grass. There's a kind of tenderness around the place as if it congratulated our finest travel experience under the rare good weather.

374 LBIA #1 Souvenir

I visited London in March 1999 as my first trip to abroad. The little adventure totally fascinated me and my friend. We were really just kids who loved Brit rock and got excited about everything. The tube, British Museum, Tower Bridge, Camden Market, Big Ben, Bond Street, Green Park, London Taxis, Sandwiches, Architectures, Canary Wharf, Design Museum, and musics. Even the combination of museum brochures and couple of souvenir postcards stirred me to take photo of them. Though it was a childish excitement I still remember how I felt happy and thrilled by the days full of things to see, draw, listen and experience.

373 Look Back in Anchor

Given the situation I'll soon get involved in a brand-new mission at very new department it seems I cannot take vacation for a while. Almost every year I've spent busy months through summer to autumn and after that I took 1 week off from work to travel. This year I still don't see my schedule at this early November. I miss travelling. 

But anyway, I find a way to make up for. I can always take a look at pictures I shot in a city I visited, and remember everything I felt at the moment. Here I think of trying to write a little chronicle of travels in London, Copenhagen, Paris, Helsinki, Zurich, and my own hometown.   

372 Born Slippy Nuxx

1つの曲が誰かの人生を変えることはなくても、ある世代の、少なくともある期間の人生には影響を与えることはあり得るはずで、Underworldの"Born Slippy Nuxx"はその一つです。何とも表現できない唯一無二の音の世界は、その冒頭から、“ある世代”に属する人ならすぐに分かるフィーリングを、1990年代半ばの記憶と空気とともに思い出すことでしょう。大げさな言いかたですが、これは本当にそういう存在の曲です。

漂うようなボーカルに、たたみかけるドライな疾走感。まさに全力で駆けているときの鼓動のように活き活きとした、それでいてクールで正確なビートに、何か特別な予感を思わせる美しい音調が重なり、今でも色褪せないテクノの傑作のひとつです。

この曲は1996年の映画"Trainspotting"に使用された曲として有名です。皆がこのきわどくエッジの利いた映画に憧れはしなかったとしても、この曲が"ある世代"に呼び覚ます記憶は確かにこの時代の空気と結びついていて、曲を聴きながら街を歩けば周りは映画のシーンのように見えるのです。

1990年代、80年代、70年代、60年代には必ずそうした時代を代表する曲がありました。不思議なことに2000年代、2010年代にはそんな音楽が生まれているようには思えません。おそらくこれは我々が音楽が人生の一部を占めていた世代に属しているのかどうかということであって、ミュージシャンの才能の問題でもなく、時代の善し悪しの問題でもないのです。

371 Reindeer

クリスマスの話題にはまだ少し早いのですが、このblogのタイトルにもなっているトナカイはサンタクロースの橇を曳く動物として知らない子供はいないでしょう（サンタクロースと空飛ぶトナカイと靴下とプレゼントとクリスマスツリーとひいらぎがいったいどうやって世界中に広まったのかは分かりませんが、このイメージが国や人種を超えて大変なポピュラリティを獲得していることは間違いなく感嘆すべきことです）。

ところで現実のトナカイはシカの一種で、写真の通り何よりも大きくて立派な角が特徴です。まるで木の枝です。クリスマスの夜空には赤い鼻が行く手を照らすようですが、この立派な角が歌われることなく、代わりにコミカルな赤い鼻がつけられたのはなぜなのでしょうか。

トナカイはシカ科では唯一雄雌ともに角を持ちます。角は雄同士の闘争のためだけでなく、雪を掘り起こして食物を獲得するための大事な道具だそうです。それを知らなくても、この姿を見るだけでトナカイを象徴するのは角なのだと思いいたります。

クリスマスカードにユーモラスに描かれるトナカイはよく真っ赤な大きな鼻をつけています。

これはこれで可愛らしいのですが、角のシルエットを強調するだけでぐっとそれらしくなります。

美しくデフォルメされていても、やはり肝心なのは角の部分です。

中にはこんなトナカイもいますが…

赤い鼻がつこうがつくまいが、やはりポイントはこの立派な角なのでしょう。

370 Leaving IBD

I spent about 10 years in Investment Banking or related business division, but to my real surprise, I'm going to be transferred to one of the headquarters division, HR. The upcoming change and new assignment are to be seen, but now I just feel sad to leave IBD where I grew up as a professional and had so many experiences including the hardest credit crisis as well as the recovery from it. I will miss it for a while. 

Although, I always stay being a professional no matter where I go and I don't have to rewrite my profile here---"Working in financial industry", not "IBD".  

369 Statue

Paris, November 2006

We see tons of statues in the squares, streets, parks, in all cities. Personally I don't especially feel interested in these monuments, aside from all due honor for them, maybe because they usually represent a certain historical, cultural or political memory (and I have not so much a historical/political interest as an aesthetic one.) 

But the other day I took a walk around my old school and I found a statue of a British professor who pioneered the early age of architectural education there. The bronze gentleman was putting one hand in a pocket, holding a cigar in the other, and seemed relaxed, comfortable on the pedestal with elegant carvings. Unintentionally I sat on the pedestal and felt kind of nice. Sitting at the statue's feet was much better to look up him from a distance. This may be a good way to get familiar with a statue--- to be a part of it. 

368 Change of A Season

Autumn is time to change.  Usually the changing climate and new-born air are much more obvious in spring after winter, but autumn is also for awesome change in colors everywhere and the golden harvest at the end of the year.

367 Friends

I've got break down from illness twice this year and both time one thing I really needed besides doctor and medicine was laugh and fun. Both time I turned to "FRIENDS" series. 

One; Sitcom is best for the purpose because it's long enough to watch several seasons all day long, as well as it's always short enough to stop at the end of any story. 

Two; Laughter makes people away from worried thoughts about illness and I guess that's the greatest way to get over illness.

Three; "FRIENDS" is still one of the most wonderful and warmhearted shows of all time and it's my generation. 

366 Jelly means

I surely hesitate to talk about this, because I'm such a grown-up person, but one thing that always have troubled me since I was a kid is, swallowing pills.

Anybody else?

But of course to cure the illness I have to manage it. It's not impossible. But it requires tons of water, needless tense(fear of making failures), and making failures. If the tablets are able to be crushed, and the capsules can be opened if I want to, I definitely try them. 

This time I'm facing a challenge to swallow 2cm-long  2 tablets after every meal. Those who have no difficulty taking pills might not understand, but to whom not, this is really a tough work. 

The truth is I found a great product to ease my task. "Aid-jelly", lools just like fruit jelly, basically for babies and children who naturally hate medicine, which is to wrap tablets or capsules and deliver them to the throat just like gulping a jelly, finally helps me to get this done very easily. Wondeful! 

Swallowing this aid-jelly means actually swallowing much larger volume than the medicine itself. But the texture makes it possible without any effort. 

365 Maintenance

So many things happen to me this year. But ironic thing is the illness is not totally unpredictable. Now I've got a disease, but not wishing to talk about it. I just feel my illness is kind of a maintenance. (Well I might just be trying to see the good side.) I feel myself like an aircraft in a hanger, waiting to be fixed and repaired. During the maintenance it cannot fly at all, but when it's properly finished, it's again qualified to be ready to take off. 

This is how I imagine healing process and how human mechanism probably works as accurately as high-tech aviation.

364 Night Out

 Almost full moon. 

Moonlight is so much different from sunlight,

it's like a mirror to reflect sunlight, 

but sometimes

it shines so strongly and brilliantly too!

363 Personal Space

パーソナルスぺースとは、米国の文化人類学者Edward Hallが定義したとされます。大学に入りたてのころ文化人類学の講義でこの話を聴いて、正直なところ、そんな当たり前の感覚をことさら学問にする必要があるのだろうか、と感じたものです。もちろん今は、その知識が何の役に立つのかなどとは思わず、むしろその知識を学問を越えて常識に導き、誰もが当然にわきまえて行動できるようにならないものか、と考えています。

intimate distance/personal distance/social distance/public distanceの4種類に定義されるパーソナルスペースは、当然のことながら国や地域、人種、性別によっても異なるとされています。何となくですが、自分自身は周りの人よりもパーソナルスペースが広い、つまり本能的なプライバシー空間の意識が鮮明なように思います。広々として開放的な地方都市で、人混みもないところで育ったためかもしれません。背高のため手足の置きどころに人よりもスペースを要するからかもしれません。しかし何より、自分と違って他の多くの人がパーソナルスペースの侵害を受けても割合と平気なように思えるからです。人混みや地下鉄の中で、自分が見知らぬ人にある一定程度を超えて接近されたときに本能的に芽生える警戒感や不安定さを、その相手はまるで持たぬように見えるのです（相手から見れば、こちらも見知らぬ他人であるのに）。

ある意味、パーソナルスぺ―スを狭くすること、持ちすぎないことは大都会で平穏に生活する術なのかもしれません。しかし人間も動物である以上、生まれつき備わっている動物的本能は、とりわけこうした身を護るための感覚は大事にこそすべきで、鈍らせてはいけないように思います。

パーソナルスペースの意識が強いと生活しにくいのは事実です。ただ悪いことばかりではありません。intimate/personal/social...の仕切りがより明確に意識されているということですから、見知らぬ人の接近に対する警戒感は、家族や家族同然の相手に対する親しみや安心の度合いもそれだけ大きい、ということではないでしょうか？

362 Olympics 2020

Tokyo will host 2020 Olympics. I should get interested in the news in many ways--- welcoming top of top athletes, local business opportunities and economic impact, intercultural-international event, and so on But so far the only one thing gets my attention; the new national stadium designed by Zaha Hadid, shown above. First impression is purely amazing. Surely, a big stadium is usually a landmark and stands out, but this is beyond. This is stunning and striking. Though I'm not yet sure about the architectural concept, I'm already excited, while I do remember what I saw and felt in Zaha's real work at Vitra in Basel last year. At least I'm quite sure sometimes great architectures arise strong sensitivity of human mind, like great natural landscape.

Zaha's arena clearly seems to feature the most futuristic design ever. The actual impact is of course remained to be seen, but I'd congratulate and continue to be curious how this is realized, and how it keeps amazing us. 

Tadao Ando, chairman of the competition selection panel reportedly said;
'I believe this stadium will become a shrine for world sport for the next 100 years.'

361 Skyscraper

Now every large cities and business areas have its skyscrapers. It's not so uncommon to see them in rather unknown town. When looked up from the street, skyscrapers don't seem to be that special, because they're so familiar with the city sight. This is just a sight. But when you look at them from inside of the neighboring (and as much high as them) building, there is something you cannot help admiring and appreciating those masterpieces.

Say, you're on the 35th floor of one building and you see 40-stories curtain wall made of steel and glass (and usually with people in it) in front of you. This is quite a strange feeling. You and the the building you see are both far separated from the ground, you and the people you see are standing not on earth but the carefully manufactured structure made by human, assuring people safety and stability. Just the fact is amazing enough but today's skyscrapers have to deal with so many things; highly elaborated IT system, saving both energy and emission of CO2, strong resistance to fire, wind or earthquakes, finest concord with environment both in design and ecology, aesthetics, being a landmark and intelligent piece in the business world, sustainability, offering lots of jobs to the community, and of course a whole success to the developer, architecture, constructor, property management firm and all concerned.

And that's why skyscrapers attract people and always will be one of symbols of human's respectable spirit of challenge.

360 The Loan Ranger

往年の西部劇を現代版で描いた"The Loan Ranger"はいわゆるブロックバスター映画で、夏休みに丁度良い冒険活劇といったところです。少々、ダークな味付けもされていますが、全体としては大人も子供も楽しめる笑えて爽快なアクション映画の趣でした。

主役コンビの一人となる奇妙なインディアンを演じるジョニー・デップは、大ヒットした海賊映画のジャック・スパロウと雰囲気が似たような役だとか、素顔がわからない変なメイキャップで風変わりな主役を演じるのが多すぎるとか、そんな批評も受けているようですが、俳優が「似たような役を続けていて、変わり映えがしない」と苦言を呈されるのは、ややアンフェアな気がします。ひとつには、その役者の長いキャリアを通してみれば実に多様な幅広い役を演じてきていること、もうひとつには、観客に人気を得られる得意なタイプの役を演じてばかりいたとしても、それがその役者の才能を活かす最善の方法であれば、一体何の問題があるのかということです。

ジョニー・デップの映画は数えるほどしか観ていませんが、近年の出演作がステレオタイプだと批判するのが合わないと思われるのは、前者の理由です。変な風貌でおかしな主人公をコミカルに演じるようになるずっと前、ジョニー・デップは"What's Eating Gilbert Grape"に主演していました。この映画はブロックバスターでもアクションでもコメディでもなく、繊細かつ断固とした若者の精神を田舎の家族の中で捉えた、非常に優れたドラマです。その主人公を演じた俳優が、飄々としておかしなインディアンのコメディ・リリーフを演じたのと同じ人物とは俄かに信じがたいほどの違いがあります。俳優が何をもって役を選ぶのか観客には知るよしもありませんが、ともかく「似たような役」に没頭する期間が長いか短いか、キャリアの前半なのか最盛期なのか、それは俳優自身の価値観であり、傍から見ていて判断できるものでもなく、文句をつけるようなものでもないように思います。