Nozomi Honda on 17 Years in Showbiz: “The Longer the Lines, the More Excited I Get!”

The Kii-chan from Kaseifu no Mita is now 20!
Passionately portraying the heroine in the drama Futari Solo Camp

“I thought, ‘This role is something only I can play.’ I was only six years old at the time of the audition, but it was the first time I felt that way, and I haven’t encountered a role like that since.”

With sparkling eyes, actress Miyu Honda (20) shares her thoughts. She debuted in the entertainment industry at the age of three and built a solid career as a child actress.

Honda’s name and face became widely known across Japan in 2011 with the hit drama Kaseifu no Mita (NTV). She played Kii Asuda, the second daughter of the Asuda family, who, while grieving the loss of her mother, grows with the support of those around her. Her delicate and emotionally rich performance captured viewers’ hearts, earning her the spotlight as a child prodigy actress.

“When I was little, I had a pure curiosity, wondering, ‘How do people get inside the TV?’ Jumping in wouldn’t let you enter, and peeking from the side, I couldn’t see the actors. My parents noticed my deep interest in TV, and that was the starting point for my career in entertainment. At first, I mostly did small advertisement shoots, but as I got more opportunities to audition, I gradually became drawn to the charm of acting.”

She says she still remembers her breakthrough role in Kaseifu no Mita clearly.

“During the audition for Kii-chan, it was the first time I felt, ‘This is a role only I can play,’ and ‘I want to act alongside these on-screen siblings!’ I was happy to pass, but getting there was tough. Many people say, ‘You were amazing even as a child,’ but in reality, I had gone through hundreds of auditions and faced just as many rejections. Although I enjoyed auditions and acting lessons, by the time I was five or six, I started to understand what it meant to fail or not be chosen, and I felt that frustration.”

She has also been active in figure skating, a sport she started around the same time as acting, showcasing her remarkable versatility. Both as an actress and a skater, she is required to perform. When asked about the similarities between the two, Honda shook her head and said, “They are completely different.”

“In figure skating, you have to express yourself in a big way so that even the audience seated in the farthest rows can feel your emotions. But in acting, subtle expressions—like the movement of an eyebrow or the flutter of eyelashes—are what matter. Another key difference is that in acting, over-rehearsing can sometimes be counterproductive.

For example, when I haven’t completely internalized my lines, I feel nervous. But sometimes, that nervousness adds something to the performance. Even when I think I got a scene ‘just right,’ I sometimes watch the broadcast later and feel, ‘That wasn’t quite it.’ Acting has no definitive answers, and I realize that even when I watch my senior actors at work.”

She has achieved success in both acting and figure skating. When asked about her secret to balancing the two, she explained:

“People call me two-skilled (dual-career), but actually, everyone balances multiple things in life—whether it’s work and family, school and a part-time job, or something else. So I don’t think I’m particularly special. If anything, I’m just good at taking breaks. If I have a full day off from acting, I might spend it practicing figure skating, going to the salon, or packing my schedule down to the minute (laughs).”

 

She leads a busy life, but she says she has never hit a wall so hard that she thought about quitting.

“My basic mindset is, ‘When you’re struggling, that’s the time to pump your fist in victory.’ The longer the lines, the more fired up I get (laughs). There’s something thrilling about turning the page and seeing that my lines are still going. To be honest, I haven’t faced any truly overwhelming obstacles yet. That’s why I want to keep going, and when I do eventually face difficulties, I actually feel more excited in anticipation.

That said, there was a time when I thought, ‘Maybe I have to quit.’ I realized how greedy I was. Maybe sensing my worries, Mr. Sei Hiraizumi (80), who has known me since I was a child, told me, ‘It’s amazing that you’ve found so many things you love.’ Hearing those words, I decided that it’s okay to be greedy, and I want to keep doing both until I truly grow tired of them.”

Goals as an actress

In the January drama Futari Solo Camp (TOKYO MX), she delivers a compelling performance as the heroine, Shizuku Kusano, a camping beginner. As an actress, her goal is to surprise the audience.

“For those who watched Kaseifu no Mita, I want to take on roles that make them say, ‘That’s really the same Kii-chan!?’ in a good way. I want to constantly push the boundaries of my acting and keep pursuing greater expressive power. I’m sure this will remain my theme for years to come.”

What new side of herself will she show us next? There’s no doubt that Nozomi Honda’s journey of challenges and growth will continue to evolve.

From the February 7, 2025 issue of “FRIDAY”