Nao Matsushita Perfectly Fits Role in “Sky Castle” as Protagonist with Exposed Desires Elegant Images of Her Real Self

The shocking drama “Sky Castle” (TV Asahi), in which celebrity wives engage in a bogged-down mounting battle for their children’s entrance exams, has become a hot topic. Among them, Nao Matsushita (39), who plays the main character, Sae Asami, has a reputation for her incredible acting.

Sae, who has a daughter preparing for the high school entrance exam, is a bundle of desire and ambition who wants to get everything she wants, no matter what it takes. She is a person of intense emotional expression who is willing to shout abuse at her mother’s friends and get down on her knees to her cram school teacher. Matsushita’s unprecedented character has been well-received on SNS, with people saying, “This kind of character is more suited to Matsushita,” and “This is a new frontier for Matsushita, but he is perfectly suited for the role.

Speaking of Matsushita, she gained popularity as a national actress in the first half of 2010 when she played the role of Fumie Murai, the wife of a cartoonist modeled after Shigeru Mizuki in NHK’s TV series “Gegege no Nyobo” (Gegege’s Wife).

Her father was an executive officer of a megabank and president and board member of an affiliated company, and she is a real lady. With her background as a piano graduate from Tokyo College of Music, she also worked as a pianist and hosted music programs such as “Japan Record Award” and “Kohaku Uta Gassen (Red and White Singing Contest). His quick thinking and ability to ad-lib witty comments on variety shows also make him very useful. He is truly a highly likable, multi-talented actor.

FRIDAY” has paid attention to Matsushita since her debut in the TV drama “Waltz of the Puppy” (NTV) in 2004 at the age of 19, reporting on her various appearances, including the ladylike aura she displayed during a commercial shoot and the glamorous dress she wore when she hosted the Kohaku Uta Gassen. Of these, the most memorable was Matsushita’s elegant behavior shown at the launch venue for the drama series “The Strange Girl” (TBS). I would like to look back at the article we reported in the April 25, 2008 issue.

While Kusanagi Tsuyoshi and Tanaka Rena were super-hysterical, Matsushita played the piano and ……

In early April 2008, the launch of the drama “A Strange Girlfriend” was being held at the newly opened “Akasaka Sacas” facility in Akasaka, Tokyo. She stood out in a white dress along with Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, the lead actor, in a black suit, and Rena Tanaka, who played the heroine. 174 cm tall, she stood out with her outstanding style.

At the launch, Tanaka was very excited throughout the event, hugging everyone involved and crying from emotion. Mr. Kusanagi also went up on stage and made the participants laugh. Mr. Matsushita seemed to take a step back and greeted those around him in a primitive manner. She also entertained the audience with her piano performance.

In “Sky Castle,” however, she showed her cunning in using every trick in the book to kick her rivals to the curb, and her performance with a wry smile was also well suited to the role. Matsushita is also good at acting with a scornful smile. In a previous interview with Sports Nippon (May 23, 2010), when asked about her “target actress,” she mentioned Keiko Matsuzaka, who she described as “graceful, beautiful, and healthy,” and modestly said, “It would be presumptuous to call her a target.

It seems clear that with this film, she is one step closer to the famous actress Matsuzaka.