On December 2nd, 2023, I was fortunate to exclusively interview Godzilla Minus One writer/director/VFX artist Takashi Yamazaki. I hope you enjoy reading!

Takashi Yamazaki Interview #1
Recorded December 2nd, 2023
Interview conducted by Chris Mirjahangir
Questions by Chris Mirjahangir, Jeremy Williams, Jacob Haas, and Brian Elston
Transcription edited by Noah Percival
Additional editing by Chris Mirjahangir for flow and clarity
Very special thanks to Jonah Keel

Chris:
I want to say congratulations on the film’s success financially and critically in both Japan and the United States! How are you feeling right now?

Yamazaki:
Thank you very much. Yeah, I’m really looking forward to it. But honestly, it’s been one of my dreams to be able to premiere one of my films in North America. You know, it’s a very Japan specific movie, so I had been wondering how folks outside of Japan would take it, and at the L.A. premiere, you know, I had such a warm reception, and everyone really enjoyed it. So that was definitely the moment when I could feel that I have truly achieved one of my dreams. So I’m really looking forward to just the larger audience watching it and what their reaction is.

Chris:
So for this film, what was the theme or themes that you were trying to convey?

Yamazaki:
Yes, so definitely my themes were… I definitely tackled with themes of war and also nuclear weapons, nuclear war as well, because I think with where the world is going lately, that we’re in a place that we should reflect on these themes and what their consequences are. And even nuclear war, it’s been a continual problem since 1954 when the first Godzilla came out. And you can almost even say nothing has changed, nothing has changed at least dramatically. So, I think through Godzilla manifesting these themes, I think it’s a good time through Godzilla to think about these – about war, nuclear weaponry, and those kinds of things.

Chris:
Godzilla has kind of represented different things over the years. In the seventies, he went to environmental themes and stuff. What does Godzilla symbolize to you in this film?

Yamazaki:
Yeah, the Godzilla of Godzilla Minus One, it’s definitely a manifestation of both war and nuclear weaponry as one and so it’s the war, nuclear weapon being embodied in the monster so that is my Godzilla.

Chris:
Was the film always a solo Godzilla film from the start?

Translator:
Oh, as opposed to like versus King Kong?

Chris:
Well, yeah. I mean, just because like it’s another… The previous film, Shin Godzilla was a solo Godzilla film, this one is a solo Godzilla film, and also, like, who came up with the idea first? Was it you? Or was it already kind of pre-conceived by Toho?

Yamazaki:
Yes, I’ve always intended to have our solo Godzilla movie for my Godzilla movie. And actually, even before Shin Godzilla, I had actually been in talks with Toho about a Godzilla movie, but I kept asking them to wait until the technology, the digital technology could be where I wanted it to be at. So, my Godzilla was always going to be a solo Godzilla movie with the setting in a postwar setting. And everyone has to just scrape together their leftover weapons to try to battle Godzilla.

Chris:
Should there be a sequel, and if another monster be introduced, would you choose an existing Toho monster and who, or an existing creation, or a new creation for the next film?

Yamazaki:
I haven’t thought that far. If I were to have a second Godzilla Minus One movie, I would yeah, I would want to bring in some sort of diva superstar kaiju that already exists. But, of course, my take on it would be using the digital technology we have today. But the biggest challenge in telling a story where there’s two kaiju battling, is that the human story gets lost because the main thing that everyone wants to watch is the battle. I think that’s actually the biggest challenge for me is, is the script. Of trying to balance a very solid human story, but there’s a battle. So, I would have to work on that script really, really well and hard.