Netflix Drama Downtime Reveals Behind-the-Scenes Of Ken Naoko's Full-Body Surgery Role
Saito's comments point to a production model where streaming schedules and long prep windows, not broadcast deadlines, allow the extensive special makeup that makes Downtime's transformations possible.
Key Facts
- Netflix's Downtime stars Mayu Matsuoka as plastic surgeon Fumi Numata and Riisa Naka as cosmetic surgeon Rin Toyama.
- Ken Naoko plays Yuriko Sakashita, a 75-year-old woman seeking full-body plastic surgery, in Downtime.
- Ken Naoko sometimes arrived around 3 a.m. for three hours of special makeup before filming Downtime, according to director Yuki Saito.
- Rin Furukawa, who was 15 during filming, plays elementary school YouTuber Moenon in episode 4 of Downtime.
- Director Yuki Saito said a year was spent on preparation for the special makeup in Downtime.
Reporting from 1 source: Cinema Today.
Netflix's Downtime, starring Mayu Matsuoka and Riisa Naka, depicts the cosmetic surgery industry's hopes and conflicts. Ken Naoko plays Yuriko Sakashita, a 75-year-old widow seeking full-body plastic surgery. Director Yuki Saito said filming was grueling: Ken sometimes arrived around 3 a.m. for three hours of special makeup before shooting began. Ken stayed playful on set, keeping the mood light with jokes. Sakashita also has terminal cancer, so Saito told Ken to lower her voice and speak hoarsely. Special makeup was trial-and-errored to show the surgery's before-and-after. Before the operation, she looks so wrinkled that a character says, "You're all skin and bones." Cast members including Hana Amano and Yumi Adachi underwent transformations without dubbing. Saito said a year of preparation made the special makeup possible, something he called difficult for terrestrial TV dramas.
Saito also discussed the casting and direction of Rin Furukawa, who plays Moenon in episode 4, an elementary school YouTuber who undergoes kids' plastic surgery. Furukawa was 15 during filming and had previously worked with Saito on Liaison: Children's Mental Clinic in 2023. Saito said Furukawa's audition was stunning enough to settle the role, and that because the episode handles plastic surgery and lookism, the two had repeated one-on-one discussions about Moenon's forced smile and true feelings.
For Ken, the transformation was built layer by layer. Special makeup made her skin look wrinkled despite what Saito described as beautiful, glossy skin. When Ken saw herself in the mirror during a pre-filming test, she touched her nose and said she did not look like herself. Saito asked her to hold onto that reaction. In the story, Ken's character brings a memorial portrait to a photo studio, and Saito used the relieved expression after the cut was called for that smile.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.
Sources
- Cinema Today 「ダウンタイム」キッズ整形に臨む小学生役の古川凛が圧巻の演技！Yuki Saito監督が裏側明かす