Sara Kozawa, who has been an actress for a year and a half, reveals the secret to memorizing long lines: “It’s easiest to remember when I’m doing sit-ups.

She says, “Then, the powers that be can do whatever they want!　How much more do you want!”

The drama “JK to Rokuho Zensho” (TV Asahi) in the April season drew attention for the long lines in Aomori dialect delivered by Miyabi Sakuragi, the main character, a high school girl lawyer. Sara Kozawa, 18, who played the role of Miyabi, who dared to stand up to the powerful and called her lawyer buddy “OYG (old man),” recalls, “I was an energetic protagonist, completely different from my usual self.

For example, when I was surprised, I would have said, “What? (laughs). (Laughs.) Because our energy levels are so different, I had to be aware that I had to turn up my performance by about three gears. My mother, who knows me well as I am, told me that I did a great job in this drama.

Shunsuke Daito (38), who played her “buddy” lawyer, praised Kozawa at a press conference for the film, saying, “I never saw her falter, even when she had to deliver ridiculously long lines.

Miyabi’s hometown Aomori accent comes out when she gets emotional, and that was the hardest part for me. Before filming, I received a sample of the lines from a dialect instructor, so I listened to it while traveling and before going to bed.

I had to speak and act in the Aomori dialect, so I repeated it over and over again until I could speak it without thinking. I received advice from the director and co-stars, my mother helped me practice the script, and I was able to successfully complete the role thanks to the support of many people.

This is Kozawa’s second drama in which she plays the lead role. After filming, he says his thoughts on acting have deepened even further.

Daito-san’s advice made me think more carefully about the meaning of my lines,” he said. In the fifth episode, Miyabi defends a woman who committed a crime in order to repay a scholarship, and there is a scene where she asks the teacher who recommended the scholarship, ‘You are the one who put the child in debt. I was conscious of the fact that there is a problem not only with the teacher but also with the entire system that results in young people being driven into a corner, and I played the role with all my heart, with the intention of conveying this to the people on the other side of the television screen.

After staring straight at the FRIDAY reporter and saying this, the 18-year-old’s true face suddenly peeked out. When we asked him how he learned the long lines, he replied, “I found a trick in this film.

He said, “I found a trick with this film. You can memorize them while doing muscle training (laughs). I push myself with muscle training so that I can get the lines out in any difficult situation, and I try to memorize the lines when I am out of breath and not thinking straight. I do sit-ups, squats, and back training with my own body weight. At first it was very hard, but as I practice more and more, the number of times I can do it increases and I feel a sense of accomplishment. I think I can remember the lines best when I’m doing sit-ups.”

Kozawa’s explosive performance made us forget that she is only in her second year of acting. In 2010, with no experience in the entertainment industry, Kozawa entered the open audition program “The Day I Become an Actress” Season 2 and was selected as the grand prix winner out of 5,500 applicants. During the six-month audition process, a change happened to her that led her to become an actress.

I actually entered the audition to give up my dream of becoming an actress,” she said. So even though I passed the screening, I was always anxious, wondering if it was okay for me to be like this. I was able to change because I made friends. At first, I didn’t interact much with the girls I auditioned with because of rivalry, but when we were divided into groups to do a mini-drama, for the first time I felt positive that we would work hard together and that I would do even better. I think that was the turning point when I became motivated to work harder.

She says that her idol is Ai Iinuma (20), who won the Grand Prix in Season 1 of the program.

She said, “Seeing Ms. Iinuma win the grand prix even though she had no acting experience made me want to give it a try. Someday I want to be an actress who can give courage to others.

Her current ambition is to “try out for roles that make me feel crazy. Her explosive power is her weapon of choice, and the 18-year-old waits for her next film while training her muscles.

◆Sara Kouzawa / Born in September ’05. Born in Kanagawa Prefecture. She debuted in the lead role in the October 2010 drama “Who’s the sender? (TBS), “Partners season 21” (TV Asahi), and “Sikkou! 〜(TV Asahi). He also starred in “JK to Rokuho Zensho” (JK and the Six Laws), all episodes of which are currently available on TELASA.

From the June 28, 2024 issue of FRIDAY