Star (short story)

"Star" was written either during or shortly after Mishima acted in the film Afraid to Die (1960), a Yakuza film directed by Yasuzo Masumura. In the film, Mishima played a young gangster recently released from prison, where he served time for avenging the murder of his mobster boss father.[5][9][2] It was his first starring role in a film.[2] The process was physically and mentally draining for Mishima. Masumura was unsatisfied Mishima's acting skills, and demanded many retakes as a result. Production of the film was further marred when, on 1 March 1960, Mishima fell down an escalator and injured his head. He was hospitalized for nine days. Filming concluded on 15 March 1960, and Mishima told reporters the next day he "had had his fill of appearing in films."[10]

"Star" has been described as being "mostly forgotten" now in Japan and overshadowed by Mishima's other works.[1][2]

In Bett's translation, he changed the protagonist's original name, Yutaka, to Rikio, in part to help English-language readers "access the symbolism" of the story but also due to the phonetic similarity between Rikio and the name Takeo, the name of Mishima's character in Afraid to Die.[2]

The story centers on Rikio "Richie" Mizuno, a twenty-three-year-old actor disillusioned with fame and the film industry. He acts in a series of films where he plays a tough and hardened Yakuza gangster. Rikio prides himself for his appearance and physical build, and is adored by crowds of obsessive fans. However, in the story, Rikio is dominated by an anxiety about himself and he repeatedly expresses both fear and excitation over the inevitability of his aging. He finds emotional and sexual release through his relationship with Kayo, his personal assistant and lover. She is an unattractive women, but Rikio is drawn to her authenticity. She is honest in her characterizations of herself, including her physical appearance and her age, especially when compared to the youthful Rikio. She often mocks Rikio to his face about his body, his flamboyant and flirtatious lifestyle, stardom, copious letters of fan mail as well as the starlets he acts alongside in films. Her authenticity contrasts with Rikio's inauthenticity, with the masks he wears as an actor daily and the false public persona and bravado he has carefully cultivated for his fans and the media. In one scene, an aspiring actress ambushes Rikio while his filming on set. She succeeds in persuading the director of the film to write a role for her into the script. However, her charm wears off on the director as she messes up the part and reveals herself rather unskilled in acting. After being cut from the script, she escapes to the dressing and attempts suicide. In the dramatic scene, everyone on the set witnesses as she is saved by a doctor who she repeatedly attempts to push away to stop interfering with her suicide attempt. The studio's public relations team spins the story as Rikio intervening to save the woman's life. Kayo and Rikio later laugh about the incident, with Kayo mocking the actresses dramatic flailing and protestations.