Actor Neru Nagahama will release her first new photo book in about eight years, "Neru Nagahama" (Kodansha), on July 15th. The book was produced at Nagahama's request to "have my favorite photographer take pictures of me at 25 years old in my favorite place," and is a book that exudes the innocence of a young girl and the sensuality of an adult. We asked Nagahama about the behind-the-scenes stories and the appeal of the book.
He chose Iceland and Finland as the filming locations, where he had traveled privately. He said he loves Scandinavia, and reflected, "You can enjoy scenery that is different from Japan, and on this trip, I was overwhelmed by the majestic nature, such as in glacial caves and fantastical forests that looked like something out of a science fiction movie."
All the staff who accompanied me on location, including photographer Yoko Takahashi, were women, and they showed their natural expressions as if they were traveling. The photobook also contains my first swimsuit shots since the photobook I released eight years ago, but I said, "It wasn't my intention to be in a swimsuit." "I wanted to create a context where it just happened naturally during the trip, like if I was going to go into the ocean, I'd wear a swimsuit."
The most memorable shot is her swimsuit shot taken at the Blue Lagoon, a spa facility in Iceland known as one of the world's largest open-air baths. Her innocent expression in the photo conveys a natural atmosphere. "Even when I travel, I try to enjoy the local experience as much as possible. I've been to the Blue Lagoon once on my own time, and I wanted to go again!"
One shot shows how much the cast has grown since the previous film, when they were teenagers, and was only possible because the film crew was all female. One shot, which has not yet been released as an advance cut, was taken on a coastline wearing only a shirt. "After taking a sauna bath at a lodge in Finland, the staff and I all jumped naked into the shallow ocean nearby (laughs). It wasn't a directed scene, but it was the last day of filming and I was feeling very open-minded, so I felt like I had really become friends with everyone."
Several preview cuts have already been released and are a hot topic, but there are still many more attractive photos to come. "It starts with a shot of me waking up, and flows like a journey, so it's a book I want you to look at all the way through. I don't think it's possible to fully convey the charm of the book with just the preview cuts, so I would be happy if you could pick it up," she said.
The photo book is A4 size and 160 pages long. The price is 3,300 yen. As a bonus, one of six postcards will be included at random.
