This is Fresh Air. I'm Tanya Mosley. When Brendan Fraser first read the script for rental family,

he recognized a world he'd never seen shown in film before. It follows an American actor,

adrift in Tokyo, barely scraping by until he stumbles into a job with a rental family agency.

It's based on a real phenomenon in Japan, companies where

you can hire someone to fill a gap in your life, a father to walk you down the aisle, a mourner at a

funeral, or simply a companion for dinner. Brendan Fraser's character is a struggling performer

who's suddenly given a new kind of role to play.

In this scene, he's speaking with the head of the rental family agency who's explaining what they do and why they think he might be a good fit.

Takahiro Hirah speaks first.

So, what do you think we do?

You, if I have to guess, you, um, you sell people. No.

No.

We sell emotion.

Oh, how?

We play roles in the client's lives.

But you, you can't just replace someone in your life.

Yes, no.

But people are willing to take a leap.

The actor, the surrogate.

You don't have to be that person.

You just have to help clients connect to what's missing.

Like what?

...