The 19-year-old who also appeared in "UNBOUND" is a "Yamato Nadeshiko"? The youth horror film "Tore!" starring her is released

Nakajima Runa is an actor and exclusive model for the teen media magazine "Seventeen" (Shueisha). Her first lead role in a feature film, the coming-of-age horror film "Tore!", was released on January 16th. Nakajima, who also appeared in the NHK Taiga drama "UNBOUND : Tsutaju Eiga no Yumebanashi" last year, is a "Yamato Nadeshiko" who has been familiar with "Japanese things" since she was a child. We spoke to her about this.

◇At the time of filming, he was a third-year high school student, just like his character. Were there any spiritual things happening on set?

"Tore!" marks the feature film directorial debut of Koichi, a popular video creator on the YouTube channel "kouichitv." Misaki (Nakajima), a third-year high school student, and her best friend Satsuki (Maikichi) post a video on a video sharing site in the hopes of making a quick fortune, but when a ghost-like object accidentally appears in the video, it quickly goes viral. However, as the video gains advertising revenue from the buzz, the two's videos escalate. They end up being possessed by a "god" dressed in traditional Japanese clothing and with a mask-like face... This is the story.

Nakajima had the impression that Misaki, the character she played in "Tore!", was a "realistic girl."

"Misaki is one of the high school students who was given a new lease on life through video production. She has also found a goal beyond that, and although she is very realistic, I think she has the strength to push forward like a high school student."

At the time of filming, Nakajima was a third-year high school student, just like Misaki.

"When I met the director, he told me that he had written some parts of Misaki that were a little bit like me, so I felt very close to her. I was also taking my university entrance exams at the time, so I was able to act with the same feelings as the character."

As it was a horror film, Nakajima also had the experience of acting against "things with no will of their own." "It was a great challenge, and I learned a lot," he said, expressing his gratitude to director Koichi, saying, "He was able to put into words things that would normally be difficult to understand."

"The director is very frank with people of our generation. During filming he used words that were easy to understand, and his intentions were clearly conveyed, such as 'I want you to do it like this,' so it was very easy to act."

When asked about other memories from filming, Nakajima said, "During the scene with Wada Masanari, who played the psychic, and Maiki-chan, there was a moment where I felt like, 'Something a little dangerous is going on.'"

"It was a rare experience to be able to work with two people who have a sense of the spiritual on a horror set, and the thing that left the biggest impression on me was the various conversations the three of us had about 'that.'"

◇Since childhood, she has been involved in tea ceremony and flower arranging, and started archery in the sixth grade of elementary school.

Nakajima is currently 19 years old. In addition to her acting career, she also works as a Seventeen model, and is one of the promising young talents who was selected last year in the teen category of the 21st Clarino Beautiful Legs Awards 2025.

She was born and raised in Kumamoto, where there were swordsmiths nearby, dye shops, and Japanese sweets shops all over town. Perhaps due to this environment, she has been familiar with Japanese things since she was a child, making her a "Yamato Nadeshiko."

"I learned tea ceremony and flower arranging from a young age. I started Kyudo in the sixth grade of elementary school, and after moving to Tokyo, I also learned Japanese dance. Kyudo in particular made me love 'things Japanese' even more, and it had a positive influence on my future career path, so I'm glad I discovered Kyudo at that time."

Nakajima recalls that when she appeared in "UNBOUND," her teachers told her they had seen her, which made her "really happy." In "UNBOUND," Nakajima played the roles of "Chidori," a prostitute living in the lowest class of Yoshiwara, and "Hama," who becomes the proprietress of a respectable brothel in the latter half of the story.

"That was the first time I played a character older than me, when I reappeared. The director told me that I had to exude dignity, or rather, the presence of a proprietress who is properly supporting the restaurant. Through the role, this production made me realize that I need to properly play the role of an adult."

Based on the experience of "UNBOUND," some things have become clear.

"I'm sure that in the future I'll be offered roles that aren't life-sized, so I want to be able to fully understand them and act them out. I also want to become an actor who can act with my own emotions, even in stories that are set in worlds that would never exist in real life."