Mio Imada, the long-sought-after “morning drama heroine,” has reached a new level of success.

Mio Imada, 27, has appeared in various dramas and movies in the eight years since she moved to Tokyo, where she was called “the cutest girl in Fukuoka. After five years of appearing in the TV drama series “Doctor X,” she attributes her success in becoming more than the “person she wanted to be” to “fate.

In the first part of the interview, he talked about his feelings when he received the offer from “Doctor X” and the unforgettable episode at the meeting, as well as behind-the-scenes stories from the filming of the movie “Doctor X the Movie,” which was released on December 6, 2012. In the second part of the interview, we asked him about his role in the NHK TV series “Anpan.

In the second part of the interview, we talked about “Anpan,” the NHK TV series in which she was chosen to play the lead role! …Mio Imada, “the cutest girl in Fukuoka,” where she is now after 8 years in Tokyo

Please run!”

The “big event of 2024” for Mio Imada (27) is that she has been chosen to be the heroine of the NHK TV series “Anpan” in the first half of 2013.

The audition process consisted of a document screening, video screening, group screening, and finally a camera test. I didn’t feel right about it at all. I had had a few auditions in the past, so I still remember thinking, “This was a bad idea,” as I headed off to work. So when I heard that I had made it to the final camera test, I decided, “If I’ve come this far, I’m going to have fun. I was nervous, but I had a lot of fun.

The heroine was modeled on the wife of Takashi Yanase, the creator of “Anpanman,” and she is called “Vikaten. During the camera test, I gave the cue, “Please run! and ran back and forth from one end of the studio to the other.

After that, I actually acted out the scene in the script and then ran again at the end (laughs), but I guess my body relaxed from running so much.

The film has already been cranked, and as usual, she is “chatting with the script” as she goes about filming.

The heroine, Asada Nobu, is a strong girl. When she was little, she was especially strong and would protect her childhood friend. She has a strong sense of justice and hates crookedness. She is very cheerful and I think she will cheer you up when you watch her. I think Yanase’s uniqueness was created because he had a wife like this. There are sad events. There are also wars. How she faces up to it and how she looks forward to it is also a highlight of the film. I think it is a story that will give you courage.

What kind of year was 2012 for the actress, who is eager to absorb everything she can, such as touring Paris, France, and focusing on her language skills? What kind of drawers did she gain? What kind of person does she want to be at this point in her life?

If I had to sum up ’24 in one word, it would be “fate. I met again with the staff who helped me with the morning drama “Okaeri Monet” (2009), and we were able to work together again, so it was a year in which I felt a sense of connection with them.

I am not the type of person who sets goals, but what I keenly felt on the set of “Doctor X” and “Anpan” was that everyone seemed to be enjoying their work. I want to never forget that. Yes, I think so. Of course, I don’t know if they actually enjoyed themselves or not, but I think that the reason the distinguished cast members I had the pleasure of working with seemed so sparkling and attractive to me is because they love acting.

The draw I got in ’24: …… Well, I wonder what it is. I think it’s the plays in kimonos. I only had experience in the movie “My Happy Marriage,” and I learned a lot from “Anpan. Anyway, I run in a kimono. I run around so much that I got good at running in geta!　I think there are not many people who can run in geta. (Laughs)”

With a dazzlingly sparkling smile, Mio Imada said happily.

Mio Imada, “the cutest girl in Fukuoka,” reads about her “whereabouts” after 8 years in Tokyo.

From the January 3, 10, and 17, 2025 issue of FRIDAY