The Queen of Villains tells the unknown story of Dump Matsumoto (Yuriyan Retriever), a professional wrestler who spurred the women’s professional wrestling boom with her cult-like popularity and took Japan by storm in the 1980s. Nagayo Chigusa (Karata Erika) and Lioness Asuka (Goriki Ayame) are the members of Crush Gals, a Japanese pro-wrestling tag-team duo who became the pop icon by dominating the television bringing the social phenomenon. The Queen of Villains premieres on Netflix on September 19, 2024.
The following question and answer session, with Yuriyan Retriever (Dump Matsumoto), Erika Karata (Chigusa Nagayo) and Ayame Goriki (Lioness Asuka), was provided by Netflix and the people behind The Queen of Villains.
Q: I heard that none of you had any prior connection to pro wrestling. What made you want to appear in The Queen of Villains?
Yuriyan: I heard from my manager that there was an audition to play Dump Matsumoto in a Netflix series about her life, and that it would be directed by Directo Shiraishi. I was interested in working with him and also in appearing in a Netflix series, since I want to become an international comedian. At the time, I had lost around 45 kilograms of weight (approximately 100 pounds), so to be true to the role I would have to work hard on my physique. Despite that, I was absolutely certain I wanted to do it.
Karata: When I learned more about Nagayo and the Crush Gals, I felt like she and I had something in common, so I was determined to play her. During the audition, I didn’t know which role I would end up getting, but from the start, I went in with the role of Chigusa Nagayo in mind.
Goriki: For me, I simply wanted to work with Director Shiraishi. I also heard that the shoot would begin the same year I would turn 30, so for a milestone like that I wanted to try something I had never done before. I had never experienced putting on weight or physical training as part of developing a character, so I felt it was worth taking on that challenge.
Q: To Ms. Karata, what did you feel you had in common with Nagayo?
Karata: I read an interview with her and got a real sense of her determination to win no matter what, and also a kind of strength that came from isolation. I thought I could take all the emotions I felt in my past experiences and project them onto this role.
Goriki: I have met Asuka several times, and I thought she was so open-hearted and cool! When I read her book, I realized that she’s not the type that likes to be in groups, although it seemed like the older wrestlers doted on her. Still, she became increasingly solitary as she delved deeper into her own thoughts. I also like to concentrate and think about things on my own, so I felt that Asuka and I are similar in that way. I think it’s amazing that everyone resembles their roles, down to their attitudes.
Yuriyan: I agree, everyone resembles the people they play on the inside.
Q: What did you do to prepare or train for the shoot?
Yuriyan: I auditioned in the fall of 2020, and filming began in July 2022, so it took about two years. We started with body-building. You can’t have the body of a pro wrestler without building up your muscles, so under the guidance of a trainer, we started by developing muscle to gain strength before working on actually getting bigger. But this is unhealthy if you do it too quickly, so while doing it steadily, I read Dump’s book, watched her videos, listened to her songs, and visualized myself as her. Then, I would eat until my stomach hurt. It was the first time in my life I thought that eating could be exhausting. I gained 40 kilograms from the audition up until the
shoot. We all started pro wrestling training at the same time, learning from Nagayo and everyone from Marvelous. Every day felt like going to a school sports club.
Goriki: We auditioned in the fall of 2021 and began training at the start of 2022. First, I worked with a nutritionist to gain weight through dieting, and then I did strength training. Eating is really tough for me; when everyone was getting seconds of their boxed lunches, I was still trying to finish a single serving. I really struggled with it, but in the end I gained around 10 kilograms (approximately 22 pounds). The first month of training was the basics, like forward and backward somersaults. It started like a gym class. We slowly got used to things as the wrestlers taught us things like their stretch routines.
Karata: Goriki is very athletic, but at first I couldn’t even do a backward somersault, and I panicked that I was going to lag behind everyone. But when I was finally able to do one, everyone was so happy with tears for me.
Yuriyan: It was funny how Erika always screamed “Yeeeeeah!” when she did a forward roll at first. But after a certain point, she stopped saying anything (laughs). It felt like she was the most determined. She actually got super strong. It was like she really became Chigusa!
Goriki: Partway through, she started doing backward breakfalls with ease. In that sense, Erika is similar to Chigusa, in that she started at the bottom but ended up being the most popular.
Karata: Nagayo does karate, and her kicks are her specialty, so I practiced kickboxing. I even gradually started walking like a wrestler during the shoot. I think my speech and gestures also got more forceful.
Yuriyan: I still can’t stop walking like a wrestler. I used to always walk hunched over, but now I walk with an upright posture. This was my first time being part of a long shoot, so rather than simply act as Dump Matsumoto, I really felt my emotions and thoughts overlap with hers and felt like she was also me. Also, since Erika and I play rivals, we decided not to talk to each other when we weren’t filming. During that time, painful feelings of isolation and irritation started to creep in, but I imagined that was how Dump felt at the time.
Karata: My performance involved a lot of breakfalls, so I often worried about whether I could do them properly in whatever scenes we were shooting that day, and I was a little apprehensive about the techniques. But once I stepped into the ring, I felt more motivated and confident that it would be okay. There was a long period where I didn’t speak with Yuriyan, but when we faced each other in the ring and our eyes met, I could feel something very real, so I’m glad we did that.
Q: Nagayo was in charge of the pro wrestling training to the shoot, right?
Karata: She and the people from Marvelous also taught us the process of how wrestling matches play out. We practiced that and then performed it during the actual shoot.
Goriki: We also perform matches that really happened, so it was touching to hear Nagayo share things like what she was thinking at certain times, or what other people may have been thinking. In particular, she knew the real Asuka, so I was grateful that she taught me all sorts of things. At first, I was nervous that the real person was there right in front of me. When Nagayo arrived, I almost jumped in surprise! (laughs)
Karata: I was worried that Nagayo would think that I wasn’t similar to her at all, but I knew I had to put those thoughts aside and not be afraid. Still, when I saw her feet from under the half-closed shutter door, I instantly stood up straight.
Yuriyan: Even the people in Marvelous got nervous when she arrived. They’d say, “The boss is here!” (laughs) Toward the end of the shoot, when we watched the footage of the match scenes, there were times when I couldn’t tell if it was us or the real people.
Q: Were there any specific things you were mindful of in your performances?
Goriki: We all watched a lot of the videos from those days.
Karata: The costumes and hairstyles were recreated in such great detail, so on set I felt immersed in the setting. It didn’t really feel like acting, in a good way. It felt like becoming the character naturally. Our conversations also got completely wrestling-focused, like we’d say “I have a match in a few days so I need to get ready for that.”
Yuriyan: Even when Dump came to the set, she didn’t say much. “Do your best. Be scary. Don’t hold back.” But she taught me how to swing the bamboo kendo sword to make it look bigger. She praised my gait and how I tossed my hair. She told me, “You did your research. It looks exactly the same.” It was truly an honor and a great joy when she said “I’m glad that it’s you who is playing me.”
Goriki: When I watched the actual videos of Asuka, it felt like she was always following and protecting Chigusa, so that inspired me to keep the perspective of watching over them in mind.
Karata: I tried to base my physical movements on my emotions as much as I could. I did my best to live without holding back any joy, anger or regret, even in my private life.
Yuriyan: In playing Dump, I felt it was important to let out all the emotions that spring up from inside me, including frustration, irritation, sadness and jealousy. As a comedian, I don’t expose my emotions, surprisingly. For the first time, I really let them out without a care and I felt my shell crack open, so to speak. Being a part of this series helped me stop being afraid to let my emotions out, and now I want to express them as honestly as I can.
Q: Do you think there was a connection between your role in this series and the comedy you’ve done so far?
Yuriyan: Yes, there was. Dump was frustrated after seeing her peers Chigusa and Asuka make their debuts before her, so she was determined to work hard. Fortunately, among my comedian peers, I was one of the early ones to appear on TV and become a regular member at theaters, so at first, I thought maybe I’d had the opposite experience from her. I even wondered if maybe that was how my peers must have felt watching me perform. But once I started playing this role, I realized that it wasn’t the opposite, but in fact it was exactly the same as me. It was the frustration of being unable to do well despite trying hard, and the isolation of being left behind. Dump was criticized and hated by everyone in Japan, but she accepted it and used it as a weapon. I think that’s similar to comedy. In any case, it felt like I was able to deconstruct everything that I’ve done as a comedian and everything I have been unable to do until now.
Q: Do you have any final message for everyone who will watch The Queen of Villains?
Goriki: In a sense, this is a story about rebelling against the times. I think it’s so meaningful to make this series during a time when women struggle and are going through all sorts of things. I think the fans of that era will be able to simply enjoy the pro wrestling scenes, and I hope that even people who aren’t familiar with it will see that pro wrestling is actually very deep and fun. It’s different from today’s pro wrestling, but I hope they are surprised to see such an exciting time and become interested in current pro wrestling. As a story, the lives of each character are depicted authentically, so I hope viewers will enjoy the story from their own perspectives.
Karata: The other actors playing the wrestlers alongside the three of us also took on the same challenges wholeheartedly, lived in their roles, and had great passion for the whole series. I’m incredibly happy to be part of this project. I truly think there is something in it that will resonate with everyone, and I’m confident that belief is reflected in my performance.
Yuriyan: I want people to know that there was a time here in Japan when such incredible individuals existed and created a nationwide frenzy. During filming, Nagayo even shed tears and said, “It’s truly just as it was.” I believe this work will also touch the hearts of fans from that era!
TOP PHOTO: Yuriyan Retriever as Kaoru “Dump” Matsumoto with referee Shiro Abe and The Extreme Evil Alliance (Bull Nakano, Condor Saito, and Bison Kimura) in The Queen of Villains. Netflix photo
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