When it comes to Japanese actress, Nanao, the first word most people think of is probably “bad girl.” While Nanao Arai is mostly known for her bad girl roles like in “First Class” or “Grasshopper”, she has started to slowly shift away from these roles, looking for a new breakthrough. In the last two years, her characters all have strong personalities. In her latest series, she will tackle a new role that she has never portrayed before.
Nanao will be starring alongside Japanese actor, Sota Fukushi, in the October TBS drama called, “Marigold in 4 Minutes”, based on the manga of the same name. The story talks about a paramedic, “Mikoto,” played by Sota Fukushi, and his forbidden romance with his older stepsister, “Sara”, played by Nanao, who has only has a year left to live. This time, Nanao will be playing an innocent and genuine manga artist. Her character is very gentle and lovable. This is also her first time playing a female lead in a romantic series.
Sota Fukushi’s character, “Mikoto”, lost his mom at a young age. Later on, his father remarried a woman who brought her three children to live together as a family. As they live together under one roof, he starts to have feelings for his stepsister, “Sara.” He also has the ability to see when a person dies by touching that person’s hands. All of a sudden, he discovers “Sara’s” death on her 28th birthday.
In an interview, Sota Fukushi mentioned, “Once I got the film contract, I quickly read the manga. Even though there are a lot of iconic romantic films, this series doesn’t lose out to the others. When I read the manga, I cried. When I read the script, I cried again. From the hand contact, you can see that life and death are fictional elements, but this love story is real and original. When the protagonist is defying against fate, it shows a part of the essence of human nature. I think it’s very interesting.”
As for Nanao, she expressed, “I’ve portrayed too many bad girls in the past. As for this character, who from the beginning to the end, doesn’t have any strong will, I was definitely a bit worried, but I am looking forward to it very much.”
Credit: Sina, Weibo, Nanao IG, Sota Fukushi IG