On April 28th, actor Abe Hiroshi (47) and actress Ueto Aya (26) attended an opening event for their movie ‘Thermae Romae‘ at TOHO Cinemas Roppongi Hills in Tokyo.

This film featured many “strong faced” actors such as Abe, Ichimura Masachika (63), Kitamura Kazuki (42), and Shishido Kai (45) and in commemoration, they held an event titled, ‘Japan’s Most Strong Faced Actor Deciding Match’ at this event.

Among these four actors, Kitamura was chosen for this title and commented, “It’s a weird feeling [to win this title]. It may be true that my face is strong, but Abe’s strong face gives a ‘pressure’ and it’s amazing that I actually feel the pain from the [pressure of his face].”

In response, Abe stated, “For 20 years, I have been called a ‘sauce face [strong face]’ but now I feel refreshed [for not winning this award],” and expressed his relief. Ueto, who made the decisive judgment for this competition, said, “I think it would be great if everyone in Japan can watch this movie and get some energy out of it,” and concluded this event.

Check out photos from this event below!