Haru and Rina Kawaei:Co-starring in the October Friday drama "Fake Mommy" - a story of a former career woman and a former delinquent CEO "impersonating a mother"

It has been revealed that actors Haru and Rina Kawaei will be co-starring in the October TBS Friday drama "Fake Mummy" (Fridays at 10pm). The "family crime entertainment" story centers around a former career woman who is currently job hunting and pretends to be the mother of a single mother who is a former delinquent company president.

"Fake Mommy" by Sonomura Hikaru, winner of the first TBS NEXT WRITERS CHALLENGE screenplay competition, has been adapted into a TV drama. After suddenly quitting her job and struggling to find a new one, Hanamura Kaoru (Haru) interviews for a venture company called "RAINBOWLAB," where she meets the company president and single mother, Hidaka Mamie (Kawaei). She is asked to act as a substitute for her daughter as she takes the entrance exam for a prestigious private elementary school.

This will be Haru's first lead role in a TBS drama since "You and I on the G String" (2019), and her first lead role in a Friday drama. She plays Kaoru, a girl who graduated from the University of Tokyo and was on the fast track to becoming an elite, working for a major company, until she suddenly quit her job and is struggling to find a new one. Exhausted by her daily pursuit of her dream job, Kaoru is offered a well-paid position as a private tutor for Makie's daughter, Iroha, who is taking the elementary school entrance exam. She impulsively accepts. Furthermore, Makie, impressed by Kaoru's impressive academic ability and intelligence, makes a surprising suggestion: "On the day of the entrance exam, I want you to take the interview in my place as her mother." Of course, if she were found out, she could face criminal penalties, and Kaoru declines, considering what will happen after she enters school...

This is Kawaei's first lead role in a TBS drama. Although she dropped out of high school, she is well-liked thanks to the exceptional communication skills she developed during her time as a delinquent. She is a talented president who has become a poster girl for her company's products, creating a huge buzz for them. However, she is also a single mother raising her undisclosed daughter, Iroha, on her own. Iroha wants to attend the prestigious private Ryuwa Gakuen Elementary School, which values discipline and tradition and has high expectations of parents, making it impossible for Mamie to balance her work and studies. Furthermore, the entrance exam places importance on both a written test and a parent-child interview, so she proposes the forbidden "fake Mummy" plan to Kaoru...

This will be Haru and Kawaei's first co-starring role in five years since "#Remote Love: Ordinary Love is a Heresy" (NTV). Both actresses have played heroines in NHK's morning drama series, and are also former program members of "A-Studio+" (TBS), but this time they will play women living completely opposite lives. The production will be directed by Jung Eun-hee, known for "The Beginning of the Sea" and "My Favorite Flower" (both Fuji TV), Shimada Hirono, known for "Caster" and "Mikami Sensei," and Miyazaki Moeka, known for "The Ring Finger for the King."

◇Haru as the lead role of Hanamura Kaoru The character I play, Hanamura Kaoru, is good at studying and working, but I think she's a bit clumsy. Kaoru has trouble changing jobs because she expects the same ideals and high quality from the people and environment around her that she expects from herself. I think she's a little similar to me in that she's strict with herself and also expects a lot from those around her.

When I read the script, I thought it was a truly original story that was touching, entertaining, and thrilling, while also carefully depicting family love. I'm really excited to have such a reliable cast. Filming has yet to begin, so there are parts I'm really looking forward to and parts I'm nervous about, but I'll do my best to be a supportive partner to Mamie-san and Iroha-chan, even though they're "fake" - just like a real family member, so please be sure to watch!

◇Starring: Kawaei Rina as Rina Kawaei

I play Hidaka Mamie, a former delinquent who dropped out of high school because she was not good at studying, but is now the president of the venture company "RAINBOWLAB." She is also a single mother raising her daughter, Iroha, and my role is to ask Kaoru to interview her daughter for the elementary school entrance exam on her behalf.

When I read the script, I felt it was a perfect fit for the current era, and the love of family is also portrayed very cherished, so I'm looking forward to acting. I'm also a mother of a 6-year-old child in real life, so I think I'll be able to use that in the role, and I'd love for working mothers to watch this film too!

I hope to deepen my bonds with the cast and staff, and create this work while cherishing how the audience will receive it. Please be sure to check it out!

◇Scriptwriter: Sonomura Mitsuru

What kind of bond will an adult and a child who meet as strangers build through their relationship as a fake mother and daughter? In the process, there will be joy, sadness, anger, conflict, and hope.

This story was born out of my life raising two children, and I wrote it in the hope that it would empathize with all those who were once children. I would be delighted if you could relate even a little to the upright way in which these two "mothers" lived their lives. I hope you will watch until the very end.

◇Produced by Han Cheol

"Fake Mommy," which won the grand prize in the "TBS NEXT WRITERS CHALLENGE," a project held by TBS for the first time in six years to discover new screenwriters, will be made into a serial drama in the traditional Friday drama. Many judges praised it as "a work that needs to be written now, and the script is unique and full of humor," and it was unanimously selected for the grand prize.

I feel that it is truly ideal and a luxury that Haru and Rina Kawaei will be playing the lead roles in this work. When we all read through the script, Haru and Kawaei were even more like Hanamura Kaoru and Hidaka Mamie than I had imagined. I am confident that these two will show us a form of "parent-child love" never before seen. The cast and staff will come together to bring you an original drama that will make you laugh, thrill you, and keep you hooked on Friday nights. Please look forward to it.

◇Produced by Mao Nakanishi

I hope this drama will be able to suggest a kinder way of life, where you don't have to give up something in exchange for something else, and you don't have to feel guilty if you can't do everything perfectly.

Haru exudes an air of intelligence and exudes charm in every powerful line she delivers. And Kawaei, despite her lively and cheerful acting, captures people's hearts with her sincere and sensitive lines. I felt that the two actresses possess contrasting charms that allow them to accurately portray the uneven relationship between the two women who are the main characters of this story. I am truly honored that they accepted the offer to appear in this drama, and I can't wait to see how they interact with each other.

Based on the original ideas of scriptwriter Sonomura, many unique and lovable characters have been born. We bring you a cheerful drama that will make you laugh off all sorts of troubles on Friday nights!