Before he turned 20 years old, animator Kenji Itoso got his start working under Hayao Miyazaki at Studio Ghibli.
Since I’ve loved that movie for a long time, I collect [Totoro] merchandise,’ Miyazaki said, ‘I see.
Miyazaki reportedly smiled pleasantly, and apparently, just one of the applicants got the job: Kenji Itoso.
According to Itoso, the reason why Miyazaki asked such a tricky question was that people who create entertainment should not swallow whole whatever they are told.