Toshiko Sato is one of the more reserved characters on Torchwood, but she's starting to open up -- and the actor who plays her, Naoko Mori, isn't shy about the journey her character is on, and the fun she gets to have playing her along the way, on and off camera.
I've gotten a chance to see up through "Adam" [episode 5 of season 2], and the thing that strikes me so far is that Toshiko is having quite the checkered love life this season.
[laughs] Yes, absolutely. I mean, you know she was the geek of the team and the shy, private person, but someone actually pointed out that out of all the characters she's actually getting it the most.
It does seem that way this season. Do you think they started writing season 2 saying, "Let's make sure Tosh gets some serious romance"?
[laughing] That was my idea! I told them, "Give me all love-based stories so I can snog people!" [more seriously] I guess it's one of her things. I think you'll find that usually with academic people who've been concentrating on their academics that their social and love life tends to go on the way-side, doesn't it. And it's like she's been neglecting that side for a while, so she's a bit of a late bloomer. So it kind of goes hand-in-hand with her character, I think. And she's certainly learning, hopefully, and becoming wiser about how to conduct her personal life.
So this is like the next stage in her gradual social development.
Yeah, I think so. Because I think she feels she's got a lot more potential. She knows that she's got more inside her, and as we do in life she's getting to know herself a bit more. Certainly in the first season she came a little bit out of her shell, and in this season she's gaining a little bit more confidence about herself. It's like she's beginning to feel more like a woman, and wanting to feel more like a woman.
It doesn't hurt the sort of men that she's had lined up for her -- three beaux in a row, starting with the very handsome young Tommy [2x03, "Last Man Standing"]. I think Jack was even jealous of Toshiko that time.
[laughs] But she does have a tendency to go for the unavailable, or the otherwise unsuitable.
And the other thing I liked about "Last Man Standing" was we get to see Toshiko's apartment, which is very, very nice.
Yes! Yes, I know, and it was a beautiful house as well. What was strange was, as with anything that is intimate or things of a sexual nature it tends to be a closed set, but because it was kind of open plan, there were all these crew guys -- there were like 60 people right in the room, which is always kind of weird to do.
I've heard that performing intimate acts on television is like the least romantic thing you can do.
Yes, absolutely! And you know there are certain things I don't think you should see of yourself. Unless you're into the kind of kinkier side of things.
Well, that could be the next phase for her.
Torchwood, the Porn Movie!
But then in "Meat" [2x04] she had totally forgotten about Tommy, and was starting to moon over Owen.
Oh, I know. She is a little bit desperate.
Was the overt crush on Owen something that you saw coming, or did it just crop up recently?
Well she's always had a crush on Owen, I think, which certainly was there a bit in the first series. I think she's always had a soft spot there. And in a way it's probably less of a romantic thing -- well, she probably thinks it's less of a romantic thing. She really wants someone to connect with, as we all do. As a colleague and a friend I think she really does care for him. And he does for her.
But I think she's definitely got a kind of crush on him. And it comes and goes. She's a very logical person, so she's probably thinking, "Oh no, this can't be right, it probably won't work" -- they're very different personalities -- but at the same time she feels like they would be perfect for each other. Who else can she share her life with, who understands Torchwood?
And there's something under Owen's bluff exterior, I think, that maybe only Toshiko can see.
Yes, absolutely. And he's not a bad guy, and she recognizes that, and it's almost like she holds onto that. He can be sort of gritty. But I think as a whole everyone's getting on much better this season as far as the characters are concerned. It's a lot warmer and friendlier, whereas the first season we were so catty with each other. But that's normal too, because if you're with someone 24/7, like family, you are going to go through that. You can argue and disagree and have a bad time with these people because you're close and love and care for each other.
Though family fights don't always end with the head of the team being shot in the head.
[laughs] No.
But the reconciliations after that at the end of last season [1x13, "End of Days"] were really amazing, with each one of you -- that was one of the most touching moments, when Jack came back and interacted with everybody on the team.
Yeah. And I think that's one of the nice things -- I think Captain Jack has a very different relationship with each and every one of us. I think he has a different history with each one of us. There's a really cracking, brilliant episode coming up toward the end of the season where you get to find out a lot more about how we came to be in Torchwood. I think that's one of the great things about this season, there is so much happening, and there's so much coming up still. You get to know more about each character, and certainly a lot more about Captain Jack, who's always been sort of shrouded in mystery.
In this next episode ["Adam"] we get to see his home and his family, which shocked me, that that much would be revealed.
Right, right.
And of course there's the third beau: right after "Meat" we see her deep in this relationship with Adam -- though Tosh does have an excuse for that one.
[laughs] And actually, you know, he's done us a favor, I think. Especially with Owen and Tosh, Adam has been kind of letting them play their alter egos. Certainly for Tosh, I think that's the Tosh she aspires to be.
