Yuna Takeshita made a guest appearance in the fourth episode (broadcast on May 4th) of the TBS Sunday Theatre drama " Caster ," starring Hiroshi Abe , which aired its final episode on June 15th. We spoke to the 15-year-old high school freshman who also works as an exclusive model for teen media "Seventeen" (Shueisha). In the drama, she plays Kaiba's ( Takashi Okabe) daughter, Akari, and has attracted attention with comments such as "She's so cute" and "We have high hopes for her in the future." What is Takeshita's "true face"?
◇ With Hiroshi Abe from the very first day! "I was really excited and nervous"
Takeshita was born on January 14, 2010 in Tokyo. After working as a regular model for the elementary school fashion magazine "Nico☆Puchi" (Shinchosha), she was selected as "Miss Seventeen 2023" in August 2023, and as mentioned above, she has been active as a Seventeen model.
The role of Akari in "Caster" was one she won through an audition, and she would wait in front of the TV about 10 minutes before the episode she was appearing in started, and watch it in real time.
"My mother helped me a little with reading the script, so she seemed a little relieved when the show aired. The person who was most happy was my grandmother. She loves dramas, and I often watched dramas and movies with her, so I was very happy to see her so happy."
He said that from the very first day of filming, there was a scene where he met Abe, who played the main character, Shindo, and he recalled, "I was really excited and nervous."
"But on the set, Director Kanai (Hiroshi) kindly and carefully instructed me on my acting, and although there were many parts where I felt frustrated that I didn't do well, thanks to Director Kanai I was able to act in a fun way and he created a very comfortable environment for me."
Also, on set, Takeshita expressed his gratitude to Okabe, who played his father, saying, "He spoke to me kindly."
"During the scenes with my family, Okabe-san really made the conversation lively, so I think I was able to go into the actual shoot without feeling nervous. But the scene where Akari gets scolded was really scary."
◇ I was scouted to enter the entertainment industry, and I hope I can continue to be a good grandparent to my grandma.
For Takeshita, who started high school this spring, appearing on "Caster" has also been an opportunity to make more friends.
"The show aired during Golden Week, so after the holidays some of my friends at school told me they saw it, and even kids who didn't know much about my work spoke to me. I was really happy to be able to appear in a show that so many people watched."
Takeshita, who is usually a "cheerful, playful character" at school, also has a side to her that is very much a "grandma's boy."
"In my private time, I often read manga at home, but I also like to spend time at my grandma's house lounging around with my cat and reading my favorite manga. The reason I started to like manga in the first place is because my grandma took me to a manga cafe and I got hooked there. I get along well with my grandma, and I hope to continue to be a good daughter to her in the future."
She first entered the entertainment industry after being scouted on Takeshita Street in Harajuku, Tokyo.
"When I was little, I didn't watch many TV dramas or movies, but I got hooked on 'The Disastrous Life of Saiki K' at a manga cafe, and when it was made into a live-action movie, I went to see it at the cinema. The lead actor was Kento Yamazaki, and I thought, 'It's amazing that the world of manga can be expressed like this,' and I was scouted right after. It was the same agency as Yamazaki, so I thought, 'Wow!' I also wanted to enter the world of manga, I wanted to act, so I jumped into this world."
She started her entertainment career as a model, and is currently active in "Seventeen", which produces a succession of heroines for Asadora(NHK morning drama series). "I want to work hard enough to be on the cover," she said enthusiastically.
While aware that he "still has a long way to go" as an actor, Takeshita's eyes sparkle as he says, "I'd like to appear in a Asadora one day, which is an incredibly big goal."
"I want to be able to play a leading role in a drama, and I also love reading romance manga, so I would like to appear in a live-action adaptation of a romance manga one day."
