Ken Naoko plays Yuriko Sakashita, a 75-year-old widow with terminal cancer seeking full-body plastic surgery, in the Netflix series Downtime. The series was set to stream worldwide on September 17, and scene photos released in September show her among the cast.
Ken Naoko's role in Downtime is a supporting part built around physical transformation. She plays Yuriko Sakashita, a 75-year-old widow who has terminal cancer and seeks full-body plastic surgery. The casting was announced through the September scene photos, which listed her among the series' performers alongside Mayu Matsuoka, Riisa Naka, Shotaro Mamiya, Minami Tanaka, Reiji Nakagawa, Koki, Hana Amano, Yumi Adachi, and Shunsuke Kazama.
By October, director Yuki Saito described what the role required. Filming was grueling, and Ken sometimes arrived around 3 a.m. for three hours of special makeup before shooting began. She stayed playful on set, keeping the mood light with jokes. Because Sakashita has terminal cancer, Saito told Ken to lower her voice and speak hoarsely. The special makeup was trial-and-errored to show the surgery's before-and-after; before the operation, her character looks so wrinkled that another character says, "You're all skin and bones."
The special makeup for patients was handled by a team led by Amazing JIRO, with custom-made prosthetics applied to each actor to reproduce the process from immediately after surgery through recovery to the final result. 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.
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Oct 3
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.
Sep 3
Netflix has released 10 scene photos from its upcoming series "Downtime," which stars Mayu Matsuoka and Riisa Naka in lead roles and depicts the light and shadow of the cosmetic surgery industry. The series is set to stream worldwide on September 17. The released photos show Matsuoka as plastic surgeon Fumi Numata and Naka as charismatic cosmetic surgeon Rin Toyama performing surgery, alongside appearances by Shotaro Mamiya, Minami Tanaka, Reiji Nakagawa, Kōki, Hana Amano, Yumi Adachi, Naoko Ken, and Shunsuke Kazama. The special makeup for patients is handled by a team led by Amazing JIRO, known for work on the Netflix series "I'll Fall into Hell." Custom-made prosthetics applied to each actor reproduce the process from immediately after surgery through the recovery period to the final result. The production is supervised by Takasu Clinic, with detailed fact-checking and guidance conducted for all cosmetic surgery depictions. Director Yuki Saito, known for "Unmet: A Neurosurgeon's Diary," teams with screenwriter Junya Ikegami, who worked on "The Blood of Wolves" and "The Queen of Villains." Producers include Harue Miyake of "Tokyo Swindlers" and Katsuhito Motegi, who directed "The Queen of Villains." The series also published a keyword list explaining industry terms such as "Chokubi" and "Shadow Doctor."