Actor Wakana Matsumoto was selected as the winner of the Newcomer Award at the 2025 Elan d'or Awards, which recognizes actors and producers who have been active in movies and TV dramas, and attended the awards ceremony held in Tokyo on February 6th. Matsumoto, who won the Newcomer Award at the age of 40, commented, "When I heard that I had won the Newcomer Award, I thought that I could start a new life as an actor again. I'm looking forward to what's to come."
The Elan d'or Award for Newcomers is given to actors who have "shown outstanding performance and are expected to make great strides in the future." Last year, Matsumoto appeared in the dramas "Saionji-san Doesn't Do Housework" (TBS), "My Precious" and "Because You Ga Kokoro Ga Kureta Kara" (both Fuji TV).
Matsumoto smiled and said, "When I heard I had won the Newcomer Award, I thought, 'Is it really okay, at this age?' But when I heard the details, I thought it was a great honor. I'm glad I continued working as an actor. January 28th marked my 18th year (since my debut), and I also turned 40, a milestone year, so I'm happy that something so memorable has happened."
When asked how she feels about her late breakthrough, she said, "To be honest, it's not quite what I'm feeling yet, but when I'm filming in town, more and more people say, 'That's Wakana Matsumoto!' and it makes me feel like they know me as a person, not just my character's name.I've always approached things with the attitude of not rushing, being arrogant, and being careful, so I want to keep that feeling in mind this year as well."
On this day, Kei Tanaka, who co-starred with Matsumoto in "My Takaramono," came to congratulate her and praised her, saying, "Wakana-chan has a lot going for her, including her personality, acting ability, and beauty."
The Elan d'or Awards are an award system that began in 1956. This year, the Newcomer Award went to Matsumoto, Takahashi Fumiya, Yuumi Kawai, Mizukami Koji, Shuri, and Wakaba Ryuya.
