Hiyama Arisu is garnering attention for her role as Sone Marie, a high school girl who is hospitalized at the Osaka Shin-Yodogawa Memorial Hospital where Yui (Hashimoto) works, in the NHK Asadora drama series "Omusubi ," starring Kanna Hashimoto . Currently a 17-year-old second-year high school student, this is her first time appearing in a Asadora, let alone a TV drama. We spoke to Hiyama, who exudes a fresh charm, about what motivated her to enter the entertainment industry and her future goals.
◇What made you decide to pursue a career in entertainment?
Hiyama was born on September 20, 2007 in Fukushima Prefecture and lives in Sendai. When she was in the second grade of elementary school, she won the grand prize in a model audition for the monthly magazine for girls, "Pucchigumi" (Shogakukan), and began her career in showbiz. After that, she worked as an exclusive model for the elementary school fashion magazine, "Nico☆Puchi" (Shinchosha).
When asked what inspired her to start modeling, Hiyama recalls, "Before I started modeling for Pucchigumi, my mother applied to be a child model for their catalogue. I only participated in one shoot, but I had so much fun that I thought, 'I want to do this more!' and so I applied for the Pucchigumi audition."
"My mother was always a big fan of fashion and entertainment, and when I was in kindergarten she showed me a video of the Tokyo Girls Collection. The models in the video were so dazzling, I was really drawn to them, and that's what sparked my interest in a career in entertainment."
After working as a model, she has been active in a wide range of fields, including corporate advertisements, music videos, and stage performances. Last year, she played the heroine in the drama "Saijaku Muhai no Tenkousei" which is being distributed on the short drama app "SWIPEDRAMA", but "Omusubi" will be her first time appearing in a TV drama.
"My first TV drama was a morning Asadora, and while I was happy, I was also really nervous and wondered, 'What should I do?' But my co-stars were very kind and taught me all sorts of things, so I was able to perform as I wanted."
Hiyama plays Marie, a high school student who, after going on an extreme diet in an effort to look cute, is forced to be hospitalized for tests due to malnutrition, hypoglycemia, and low blood pressure. She said she was conscious of expressing complex emotions, and confessed, "I really felt like I was being crushed by the pressure."
On the other hand, she revealed, "Mari-chan actually loves to eat, but the character is holding back. I love to eat too, so I could really relate to that," and recalled, "Before filming began, I had heard that the food used in the filming of Asadora was delicious, so I was secretly looking forward to it (laughs). I actually ate it during filming, and was surprised at how delicious it was."
◇The actors she admires are "Kiyohara Kaya and Yuki Sakurai"
Hiyama-san flashes a bright smile as she looks back on the shooting scene of "Omusubi". As she herself says, "My charm point is my upturned mouth corners," her refreshing smile leaves a strong impression.
"People often tell me that the corners of my mouth are turned up even when I'm not smiling, and I like that about myself. I think it's one of my charming points. I'm also very happy when people compliment me on my smile."
When asked about his future goals, he said emphatically, "I want to become an actor who captivates people." When he named "Kiyohara Kaya and Yuki Sakurai" as actors he admires, he said, "Both of them have really wonderful acting, I'm drawn to them. They have the freedom to act naturally, and change their impression depending on the role, and I want to become an actor who is as charming as them." His eyes sparkle.
"I still have little experience, so I would like to gain more experience by appearing in dramas and movies. I'm currently a high school student, so I know what school life is like in reality, and I would like to make use of that in a "school drama." Also, I want to improve my acting skills, so I would like to take on a slightly twisted, spiteful role, or a difficult role that isn't easy to handle."
When asked what jobs outside of acting he would be interested in, he revealed, "I love eating, so someday I'd like to try my hand at gourmet work or a spicy food project," but added enthusiastically, "I originally started out in entertainment as a model, so I'd like to do modeling work as well, and I'd like to work in commercials someday. But I also want to work hard so I can do more acting work, so first I want to work hard at acting."
