From Struggles to Strength: Non on the 9-Year Journey That Defined Her

“It’s been nine years since I said, ‘Filming is so much fun!’”

“Long time no see!”

It’s been nine years since Non (32) announced her fresh start under her new name in FRIDAY. When she reunited with the staff, the smile she showed was exactly the same as that sparkling expression she had after her 2016 photo shoot and interview — when she beamed and said, “Filming is so much fun!”

Since her restart, Non has steadily expanded her range of work — as a singer, picture book author, voice actress, and film director — and last year, she received the Itami Jūzō Award for her diverse achievements.

This year, however, her focus has returned to her roots — acting.

In “Shiawase Kanako no Koroshiya Seikatsu” (DMM TV), she gives a standout performance as an office worker who changes careers to become a hitwoman. Her appearance as a young university researcher in “Caster” (TBS), her first commercial TV drama in 11 years, drew wide attention, while “The Bullet Train Explosion” (Netflix), in which she played a train driver, became a massive hit — ranking #1 in Japan and #2 worldwide.

And beginning September 29, she stars in “MISS KING” (ABEMA), portraying Asuka, a woman who challenges her estranged genius father to a revenge match in shogi. Betrayal, revenge, and tragic fate — it’s the polar opposite of her breakout role in “Amachan” (NHK), and marks the most intense, somber role of her career.

“I’ve played unhappy roles in live-action before, but usually they weren’t that sad — or they had some comedic tone. Without a doubt, Asuka is the most miserable character I’ve ever played,” Non laughed. “I saw part of the rough cut recently, and honestly she’s pretty pathetic! (laughs)”

Now taking on her darkest role yet, how does “Non the actor-artist” view her own brand and creative direction? When asked, she smiled mischievously.

“I don’t really want to reveal too much about my branding (laughs), but I have a production team called ‘Team Non.’ We discuss everything — whether to accept offers, how to approach a role, and so on. I make the final decision, but we talk through all the possibilities. Usually, when something feels off, we all agree on it. Sometimes I go against the group, though. With Asuka, it was unanimous — everyone said, ‘This is great!’”

The Team Non That Became a Major Support

“Every role is difficult, but this time I especially felt the difficulty,” says Non. The breakthrough came through Yutaka Mizutani (73).

“As we discussed ‘What kind of person is Asuka?’, someone said, ‘Maybe she’s like someone from the Showa era—rough, but sensitive,’ and among suggestions like Wounded Angel, we arrived at Yutaka Mizutani in The Red Torrent. I worked with an acting coach and deepened my interpretation through discussions, and the keywords sensitivity and roughness from The Red Torrent suddenly connected for me. This time, as a hidden theme, I studied Yutaka Mizutani in The Red Torrent before going into filming.”

There was a reason why, despite being a woman, she chose Yutaka Mizutani as her hidden theme. From Director Seita Yamagishi’s words about Asuka’s costume and hair, she picked up a masculine image.

When Mizutani played a pianist in The Red Torrent, he was 25 years old. “His movements were sharp, and it was hard for me,” she says, but did the results of her diligent study show on set?

“When my performance matched the director’s image, he would come up to me and praise me, saying, ‘That was really good just now.’ There were times when our interpretations of lines differed, and we adjusted on set, but since we talked and created the image of a gender-neutral, rough Asuka together, I think we weren’t far off overall. I’m the type who checks in if I feel off—like, ‘Was that bad?’ or ‘Was that wrong?’—but that never happened. My hidden theme, Yutaka Mizutani, was in sync.”

Asuka aims to become a female shogi player, but Non says this was her first time ever touching the pieces.

Since the key piece in this work is the hisha (rook), the reporter took out a sheet of paper she had written on nine years ago, when she made a new start. On it was her resolution: “Straight ahead! A fun, straightforward path.”

“Wow! That’s funny (laughs). It’s the rook!” she exclaimed, leaning back, then looked softly and said, “You kept something like that.”

“The members of ‘Team Non’ who have always stayed with me are a huge source of support. Yukihiro Takahashi invited me to a festival, which became my music debut. I’ll never forget the favor of him opening the path to music for me. Beyond music, there are so many people who found me interesting and got involved with me. All of them are my support.”

Surely, following such a straightforward path, she must have faced many walls and obstacles. Yet why does she show no trace of gloom?

“I haven’t really experienced failure or despair. But there are moments when things don’t go well unless I’m aware of my own straightforwardness. Miss King was easygoing because Director Yamagishi is also a straightforward person. I even when I’m talking face-to-face, I can’t understand other people’s feelings at all. When I talk to staff and realize they have the complete opposite impression, I’m like, ‘Huh?’ (laughs). I can understand everything in a script, but real people are mostly incomprehensible.”

Since the director shared the same rook type, filming went smoothly. There were even scenes that impressed veteran actor Tokuma Nishioka (78).

“Director Yamagishi’s direction for Asuka was quite cheeky, and I set my course that way too, so my delivery of lines became pretty audacious. Then Nishioka-san started laughing, saying, ‘You’re so annoying!’ I was nervous, wondering, ‘Was that okay just now?’ but later he praised me a lot, and that made me really happy. In this film, I also got to co-star with amazing actors like Naohito Fujiki (53), Kana Kurashina (37), and Shido Nakamura (53), each with such unique characters—it was truly exciting.”

To those who cannot be straightforward

This time, in addition to playing a dark villain role for the first time, she also added shogi to her repertoire. The “pachin!” sound of placing a piece is a key element in the story, and although Non was a beginner, she says she has now mastered some new techniques.

“I can make the pachin sound, and there’s even a technique called pachipachin! (laughs). It’s really hard though—beginners can’t do it! There’s even a scene where the piece collides with the opponent’s, so the tense shogi matches and the pachipachin sound are highlights. The visuals are beautiful and cool, too. I’d never played shogi before, but I did all of it myself—no stand-in!”

The interview had already gone past its scheduled time, but when asked for advice for readers who, like her, struggle to pursue what they truly want—those who can’t quite be straightforward—she burst out laughing and said, “People who read FRIDAY!? Are they the ones who find life hard?” Then she continued:

“When you push straight ahead… how should I put it, I think you end up polishing yourself. The headwinds that hit you polish you. Back when I was younger—in my twenties—I went through a phase where I thought, ‘My way of thinking is always right.’ But now, I’ve learned to gather and listen to other people’s opinions. Even a rook in shogi can move in new directions once it’s promoted (laughs). So, even though there will be hardships and tough times, let’s not give up—let’s do our best together!”

Her rook life has entered its next stage.

From the October 3 and 10, 2025, issue of “FRIDAY”