Shota Watanabe of “Snow Man” was an “inconspicuous presence”…The “surprising path” to getting the lead role in a stage production.

Filming for the drama series “Uso Komei” (Fuji Television) was taking place near Shinbashi Station in the sweltering summer heat. Surrounded by a large number of staff members, Shota Watanabe (30) of “Snow Man” was about to shoot a scene in which he helps children take a balloon that had gotten caught on a tree branch. When the cut was made, the scene was applauded and the filming ended in harmony.

Next to the drama is the stage. On September 9, without a break, the stage “DREAM BOYS,” in which Watanabe plays the lead role, opened at the Imperial Theatre. Since its premiere in 2004, this stage has starred Hideaki Takizawa (41), Kazuya Kamenashi (37), Yuta Tamamori (33), Yuta Kishi (27), and Fuma Kikuchi (28), and is a traditional “career stage.

Watanabe was in “DREAM BOYS” when he was a member of Johnny’s Jr. He was not sure if he was capable of acting as the leader of the troupe, so he turned down an offer from Koichi Domoto (44), the director of the show, at least once. However, Domoto pushed him to go ahead with the show, saying, “Watanabe should be the chairperson,” and he decided to go ahead with it.

Watanabe is a member of “Snow Man,” one of the most popular Japanese groups, but he has come a long way since his early days.

Watanabe joined the group in 2005. Snow Man’ was formed in ’12, but ‘Sexy Zone’ preceded him in his debut, and in ’16 he appeared as a back dancer in the solo concert of ‘Sexy Zone’s’ Kento Nakajima (29). Nakajima joined the group in 2008 and was younger than all the members of “Snow Man” at that time. He must have felt quite frustrated.

While the group was going through a difficult period, Watanabe himself had his own “unfavorable” time in the group. A TV magazine reporter continues.

When he was a member of Johnny’s Jr., he did not seem to be pushed very hard by the office. While Teru Iwamoto (30), who was competing for the top position, was highly regarded for his performance as the center of the group, and Tatsuya Fukasawa (31) was the MC, Watanabe did not have any special characteristics and may have lacked a strong presence. He was not a prominent member of the group, which must have been difficult for him.

Today, Watanabe is active in variety shows and fashion magazines as one of the most popular “beauty guys” in Johnny’s. As mentioned above, he is also increasing his presence as an actor. As mentioned above, he is also making his presence felt as an actor. We will keep an eye on this late-blooming man as he continues to make great strides.