Longing to Collaborate: Did “That Actress” Encourage Kuroki Hana’s Independence?

With the onset of the new fiscal year, a wave of departures is occurring among renowned actors, including Kuranosuke Sasaki (56), Ryuta Sato (44), Tetsushi Tanaka (58), Mikako Tabe (35), Wakana Sakai (43), and Asami Usuda (39). In the midst of this trend, Kuroki Hana (34) also announced on March 29th her departure from the talent agency “Papado” at the end of March, opting for independence.

 

Expressing gratitude towards her former agency, Kuroki commented, “I was a university student in Kyoto when I debuted, and for about 13 years, they provided me with numerous experiences and learning opportunities, allowing me to participate in various wonderful projects.”

Kuroki’s former agency, “Papado,” saw the departure of veteran actress Takako Matsu (46) in 2011 and actor Eita Nagayama (41) in 2021. Despite their exits, both continue to thrive in their careers. Now, it’s Kuroki’s turn to move on. Behind her significant decision lies the influence of a senior actress.

“Born in Osaka, Kuroki excelled as the ace of a prestigious drama club during high school and further honed her acting skills at university. She was discovered during a workshop by director Hideki Noda (68) and made her acting debut in 2010 on a NODA・MAP stage play.

She later gained attention as a promising newcomer in the theater world, appearing in productions directed by the late Yukio Ninagawa, among others. In 2012, she made her television drama debut in NHK’s Asadora ‘Jun to Ai,’ playing a colleague of the heroine portrayed by Natsu (34). It was during this time that she encountered a senior actress who would significantly impact her life,” shared a film industry insider.

That actress was none other than Yoshiyuki, who was not as well-known at the time. According to an interview article on the news site “ORICON NEWS” from January last year, although they had few scenes together in “Jun to Ai,” they exchanged contact information.

Following that, Kuroki made her debut in a film directed by Yoji Yamada, “The Little House,” released in 2014. Her performance in the film earned her the prestigious Silver Bear for Best Actress at the 64th Berlin International Film Festival, making her the fourth Japanese actress to achieve this honor. During that time, Yoshiyuki revealed the starting point of their friendship, saying, “I congratulated her via email, invited her out for a meal, and from there, we started going out for drinks occasionally.”

On the other hand, Kuroki also spoke about Yoshiyuki’s presence, saying, “She’s like an older sister, but her down-to-earth nature is irresistibly comfortable, making her a close and trusted friend. There’s a sense of being like family.” Additionally, in January last year, in the movie “Ichikei no Karasu,” starring Yutaka Takenouchi (53), the two actors appeared together for the first time. At that time, Kuroki commented, “I always want to be together with Yoshiyuki.”

“They seem to always be together in private, and they were even caught having a ‘Nakameguro date.’ It seems that Kuroki started seriously consulting Yoshiyuki about her independence around the time of filming ‘Ichikei no Karasu.’

Yoshiyuki was previously affiliated with the agency before her breakthrough, working closely with a female manager. However, for some reason, they parted ways, and Yoshiyuki left the agency at the end of 2018. She is currently active with her own personal agency. Given Yoshiyuki’s resilient approach to life, Kuroki reportedly asked her about various concerns regarding independence, and once those concerns were resolved, she decided to leave the agency and become independent,” shared a television industry insider.

While Kuroki has several upcoming projects, including the movie “Seishun 18 x 2: The Road Continuing to You,” set to be released on May 3rd, these were offers received during her time with her former agency. With Kuroki’s undeniable talent and status as an actress, the focus now shifts to what projects she will choose for her first assignments after becoming independent.

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