Interview with MY NEIGHBOUR TOTORO's Ami Okumura Jones and Victoria Chen

What was it about My Neighbour Totoro that made you want to be involved in the stage adaptation?

Ami: I mean, it’s one of the most iconic films of all time. Who wouldn’t? Going back to 2022, who wouldn’t want to be at the Barbican Centre in an RSC production, playing Satsuki. But there was also something fascinating at the time, or the sheer audacity of adapting such a beloved, yet also such a fantastical, film into a stage production.

Victoria: It was a no-brainer for me because I’d already seen the show at the Barbican with Ami, and a few other cast members are still with us today. I knew what I was getting myself into.. They had won all these awards, and it was so much fun to see them on stage. It was so clear the actors were enjoying themselves, and it’s a well-known story, especially in Asia, and I grew up with that story, so it was a dream come true to get offered this role.

You play two sisters in the show. How did you reconnect with your younger selves in order to play Mei and Satsuki?

Victoria: I don’t think I ever really grew up. The rehearsal dynamic naturally fell into me being a younger sister and learning from Ami because she had done the show twice before and knew everything inside and out. I was so new and fresh, so naturally you depend on the wiser one with the knowledge and more experience.

Ami: I always felt a lot of resonance and connection with the character of Satsuki, even when I watched the film countless times as a kid, because I have a little sister in real life, who also happens to be exactly six years younger than me. So that feeling, you know, that cocktail of emotions you have as a sister; of a protected nurse, fierce love, irritation, that always stays with you. And actually, in some ways, it was very easy to access that. I’m still very close to my little sister.

What has been the favourite part of working on My Neighbour Totoro?

Ami: My favourite thing is that this show, despite being a big West End production, has a very cheeky spirit and every night things are not quite the same. And moment to moment, little things are different and I think it's that spirit of playfulness that works so well with playing a child. And I think that's something I enjoy the most.

Victoria: The best thing for me about this production is being able to receive in real time how the audiences are responding to the show. When you hear the audience reacting to things that are playing out in the show, you know you’re honouring the story and the work that has gone into the production.

My Neighbour Totoro production image. Photo by Manuel Harlan

The film has a huge fanbase. How do you manage the pressure of bringing those beloved characters to life?

Ami: I think there is a trap in that these characters are so beloved and so iconic and the film is so readily available to watch so I wanted to create some space for the films. I avoided watching it when we first made the show because it was clear to me that you could capture the essence of these characters without necessarily mimicking them. And if all you create is a mimicry anyway, then what is the point of asking people to come to the theatre if all it is a copy of the film? So I was able to kind of hold on to the essence of who these characters are, but then make it your own and, you know, over weeks and weeks of rehearsals and months of performances, you kind of watch it flourish and grow into its own thing. And I think that's the only way to deal with the pressure, really, and then the audience has the rest of the work. It's amazing how much you can watch the audience's imagination filling in what they remember from the films. So there is that kind of coming together as well.

Vic: I placed a lot of trust in everyone else and that made it so much easier right? Because you don’t do this alone, you have a whole team working with you on stage, backstage, the creative and production team. You have to trust what they’re saying as they’ve done the show multiple times and won awards for it.

This stage adaptation is known for its incredible puppetry - how does it influence your performance?

Ami: The funny answer is it doesn’t. By which I mean you very quickly forget that they are puppets, and they become very real to you. So in my mind every night I don’t share the stage with a puppet, I share the stage with Totoro. I’m there making eye contact with Totoro, I’m playing with Totoro.

Victoria: The puppeteers are really good at what they do. They’re really good at working as one, to handle all of these magnificent creatures so they make our job so easy and bind us to the reality of this world.

Ami: I think also there’s the magic of theatre and puppetry. Even when you rationally know that this is not a living creature, you can see the puppeteers manipulating it. That’s the magic of it right?

My Neighbour Totoro production image. Photo by Manuel Harlan

Have you encountered any particular challenges working with the puppets during the rehearsal or performance process?

Ami: Some of these puppets are operated by large numbers of people. The synchronicity, the team one, the ensemble work it takes, is astonishing. And you know, they make you look easy and in some ways, it has become second nature to these guys because they're so good at what they do. But it takes a lot of work and a lot of trial and error to get there, for sure. A lot of blood, sweat and tears.

What do you admire most about your character? Are there any traits of Mei or Satsuki that you personally relate to?

Victoria: I admire Mei’s fearlessness. She's not afraid of doing and committing to what she believes in. I was a very terrified child. Nothing like Mae. And I think we're very similar in that we always look up at things, like literally look up at things, because I've been short my whole life. And being able to find that physicality was sort of a lot easier than I expected because everyone was just taller than me, and I guess that sells the illusion really well.

Ami: I love the bossiness of Satsuki. I love her infinite capacity to care and responsibility. And I love that she occupies that twilight zone between childhood and adulthood and between believing and being not quite sure if you're still young enough to believe. And that's a really lovely place to occupy every night in that little twilight zone.

What is your favourite moment in the show and why?

Ami: My favourite moment is always the moment when something unexpected happens. Or even God forbid, when things don't quite go as you expected it. When things may go slightly wrong and someone's made a fresh offer. Because, then it's real, then it's alive. It's not a carbon copy happening night after night for night. This is real, and the real human beings up there who were sweating and working and who are fallible. And I think there is something genuinely, really magical about those moments. It's just so delicious. That's my favourite moment.

Victoria: Yeah, every moment in mine is a favourite. But I really had to choose the first, the opening number of the show. If you can call it that. Just delightful and the curtain call.

Finally, what do you hope audiences take away from watching My Neighbour Totoro on stage?

Ami: I think there is something about witnessing these magical creatures come to life in the presence of a thousand other human beings and there is nothing quite like it and how that reignites your capacity for wonder, your capacity for belief. And just that moment you believe there are spirits of the forest all around you. You could, you know, one day turn a corner and maybe meet Totoro yourself. I think that's the magic of the show.

Victoria: I hope they go away believing and understanding that it is okay to want to slow down. It is okay if your journey is different. It is okay if you're unsure of what's about to happen but you are definitely not alone.

My Neighbour Totoro continues to play at the Gillian Lynne Theatre until 30 August 2026.