Nao will star in the Tuesday drama "Ano scum wo hitte yari nda" (TBS, Tuesdays at 10pm) which starts on October 8th. Sato Hokomi (Nao), whose boyfriend ran away on her wedding day, meets a mysterious blonde man, Kuzuya Kairi (Tamamori Yuta), at the lowest point in her life. She decides she doesn't want to be made to cry by scumbag men anymore and starts boxing to change herself. This is a romantic comedy with an entirely original story. Nao says that appearing in a romantic comedy is "very fun." We spoke to her.
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Nao plays Hokomi, a 29-year-old with a serious and straightforward personality. Her boyfriend runs away on her wedding day and they break up, and she finds out that he's cheating on her... At the lowest point in her life, she meets the kind and friendly Kuzuya Kairi. This encounter leads her to start boxing and aims to become a professional boxer.
Nao commented, "TBS's Tuesday dramas are known for their romantic comedies, so I was very honored to be asked to appear in such a charming time slot." During filming, she said she felt the unique appeal of a romantic comedy, saying, "The directors were very particular about how they shot and presented the scenes. I found it very refreshing and interesting that each scene had a clear goal of, 'This is the heart-fluttering scene.'"
Scenes with Kairi, played by Tamamori, were filmed through discussion. "Different people have different ideas about what makes them heart-flutter, so we had discussions about how to make it even more heart-fluttering. We all talked together while cherishing the feelings of Hokomi and Kairi as we made the character," she revealed.
She felt that Hokomi was "a very tenacious person."
"I think her strength is her tenacity. She doesn't give up when she feels like she should give up or break. She looks like she's broken once, but she gets back up again. I think that the tenacity of getting back up again and again is really cool, and I really want to emulate her, and that's what I like about Hokomi. I wish I could be like her."
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Nao had never played sports before. She started kickboxing as a hobby about a year ago, and realized the joy of moving your body. In order to play Hokomi, who aims to become a professional boxer, she practiced and restricted her diet. "I was surprised that my body changed as I did it, because it was the first time for me," she recalls.
While preparing for the match scenes, she sometimes felt anxious, wondering if she would be able to make it in time. "But as I did it, my body responded more and more. In that sense, I think I learned that the more you do, the more results you get."
In this production, Hokomi is portrayed as motivated, refusing to keep losing, but has Nao herself had a similar experience? "When I act, I still find it very difficult, and nothing has changed since I started, and there are so many things I don't understand. But I think that's also why I've been able to keep going," Nao begins.
"Now, when I put my hand on my heart and think about it, I've realized that it's probably because I don't understand, because I couldn't do it, because I don't want to keep losing, that I want to try again. After all, the things that just didn't go well are what connect me to the next me, so I think the things that didn't work out are what support me."
