After graduating from the idol group Nogizaka46 in June this year, Nakamura Reno has embarked on a new chapter. She has opened her first fan club and will be holding an event to celebrate its launch on December 27th. After a six-month recharge period, she will be fully resuming her activities. While still a member of the group, she was active in numerous stage productions, and made her presence known as a stage actress, playing the heroine in the musical series Endless SHOCK starring Domoto Koichi. We spoke to her about her current feelings as she makes a fresh start with stage and musicals as her focus.
◇ The MC at the event was all by himself, "I was honestly nervous"
Her reason for graduating from the group she had been with for about eight and a half years was clear. "The main reason was that I felt I had done enough as an idol." She was also encouraged by her desire to "fully pursue acting." "I started thinking about acting about four or five years ago. I had been thinking about it since I started appearing in musicals."
After graduating, he deliberately spent the next six months not working. "I spent all day sleeping, I took spontaneous trips to Canada and Korea, and every day felt like a summer vacation, during which I was thinking about my future."
Although he hadn't decided when he would resume his activities, he thought, "If I'm going to appear in public for the first time, I want to do it in front of my fans first, not on stage." With that in mind, he opened a fan club. "I wanted to continue to have a place to interact with my fans even while I was working solo."
The fan club has a variety of plans in mind. "I'd like to do something like a flea market for female fans, and even a sticker exchange!" The first will be an event to be held in Tokyo on December 27th, and she said with a smile, "I'd like to ask everyone directly what they want to do."
She said that she will also be the sole MC at the event, and commented enthusiastically, "It's my first time, so I'm honestly nervous (laughs). But there were so many people who applied, and I was reminded that there are people who were waiting for me. I want to make this an event that will end the year in a good way!"
◇ "There are still areas that cannot be reached with just feelings"
Although she has had fewer opportunities to meet with members and alumni since graduating from Nogizaka46, she continues to keep in touch with them. She still has a strong connection with her fellow third-generation members, and revealed, "Even after graduating, I still keep in touch with Sakaguchi Tamami and hang out often."
The third-generation members expressed their special feelings towards them, saying, "They've been with us longer than our families." "We even have a LINE group for the third-generation members, and on the day they were formed we would say 'congratulations' to each other. I think our relationship will continue forever."
In the future, she plans to broaden the scope of her activities while focusing on stage and musicals. "I would like to actively take on work outside of the stage that I have not been able to try before. I am particularly interested in the world of film, as I have little experience there."
When asked about the appeal of musicals, she passionately stated, "The sense of realism created by the live orchestral performance is the best! It's a dreamlike space where you can enter that world." She also expressed her unwavering passion, saying, "I love the whole process of facing the role and rehearsing over and over again. It's a place I love and I want to continue performing in."
On the other hand, he calmly looks at where he is now. "There are still areas that cannot be reached with just feelings. From now on, I think I need to face acting with the same enthusiasm as if I were starting from scratch."
Drawing on her time as an idol, she steps onto a new stage as an artist. "Nakamura Urano's second chapter" has begun.
◇Profile
Nakamura Reno was born on September 27, 2001 in Tokyo. She joined Nogizaka46 as a third-generation member in September 2016. While still a member of the group, she continued to appear in stage productions as a solo artist, playing heroine roles at major theaters across the country, including the Imperial Theater, and has appeared in a wide range of genres. She has built a career as a stage actress. Her major appearances include the stage series "Ace Attorney," the musical series "Endless SHOCK," and "Dance of the Vampires."
