Rena Tanaka: “Every night back then, I prayed, ‘Someone find me! Secret story on the eve of her breakthrough

More than 25 years after her big break in the commercial “Nacchan,” she has become an indispensable figure in the Japanese film industry.

Since I was five years old, I dreamed of entering the entertainment industry. Back then, I used to pray every night, “Someone find me! I used to pray every night.

One person who fondly remembers those days of unfulfilled ambition and frustration is actor Rena Tanaka (45).

In her acting debut, the 1998 film “Ganbatte Ikimasshoi,” she passionately played the role of Etsuko Shinomura (a.k.a. “Etsu-ne-ae”), a high school student who establishes the rowing club of her dreams. In the last part of the movie, Etsu-ne’e shouts “Ganbatte Ikimasshoi! in the last part of the film, which was a big hit and brought a refreshing sensation to the viewers. Since then, she has continued to appear in a succession of high-profile films, including “Hatsukoi” (2000) and “Tokyo Marigold” (2001), building her career and remaining active at the forefront.

In the film “The Gold Thief,” which opens in theaters on April 3, Tanaka takes on the challenge of playing a role in a comedy for the first time in more than a decade. Tanaka plays Mikako, a housewife who is fascinated by gold and becomes a thief. Although the setting is outlandish, Tanaka felt a strong synchronicity with the protagonist’s struggles.

Mikako has been ambitious since she was a little girl,” said Tanaka. She wanted to work hard and contribute to society, but her parents decided that normal was the best and that she should be mediocre. My partner also told me to ‘follow my work’ and quit my job. I can really understand her frustration at not being able to live her life in her own way.

This “bitterness of not being able to live life in her own way” overlaps with the frustration of Tanaka, who grew up in Kurume City, Fukuoka Prefecture, and decided at the age of five that she would become an actress. She had watched singers Seiko Matsuda (64) and Fumiya Fujii (63), both stars from her hometown, on TV and believed she could be like them, but reality was not so easy.

But reality was not so easy. “When I was about 15 years old, I really started to get impatient. When I told my high school guidance counselor that I wanted to become an actress, the teacher was surprised, and my mother said, ‘What are you talking about, like a dream? I didn’t have the means to go to Tokyo, and I really didn’t think it would be possible. I am alive today because I became an actor, but if I had not become an actor, I would have been in a lot of pain and would not have been able to live. So, there were many things that were linked to Mikako’s thoughts and feelings.

Despite the fierce opposition from those around him, Tanaka’s life was shaken by a long-awaited moment.

I was in despair because I was going to graduate from high school the following year, but I had turned 17. I remember well the color of the sky and the slopes I walked down on my way home from school, thinking, ‘I wonder if I’m going to go on living an ordinary life.

At the time, I was appearing in a local commercial in Kyushu, and my mother was encouraging me, saying, ‘If you keep working like this, someone will find you,’ but I felt like I had no more time left and was frustrated every day.

But I felt like I didn’t have much time left, and every day I felt frustrated. Then I came home from school and my mother told me that I had an audition for the movie “Ganbatte Ikimasshoi” (I’ll do my best!). I felt like I had already been accepted, and I thought, “This is it!　I’m sure I’m going to get it. It’s my role! It’s my role!

It finally started here.”

Tanaka’s confidence is as baseless and fervent as that of the main character in a boy’s comic book. In fact, during the selection process for the lead role, which had been undecided for a long time, the person in charge of the movie happened to be back home, saw Tanaka in a local TV commercial, said, “I like this girl,” and invited her to the final selection.

My mother’s words came true beautifully. But the audition hall in Tokyo was filled with people who had taken lessons. All I had was my bare spirit (laughs). (Laughs.) I lost my mind during the audition and stopped acting in the middle of the audition, but the director told me, “Don’t worry, you can still do it from now on. But when I saw his face, I had an animal instinct and thought to myself, “I got the part! I thought to myself, “I’ve been accepted!

Her intuition was right, and she successfully won the heroine’s role. The movie was a long-running hit. She also made an impressive debut, winning all the awards for best newcomer in that year’s film industry.

In the same year, she became the first commercial character for Suntory’s “Natchan,” a beverage containing fruit juice, and that was her big break. The product became such an explosive hit that the name itself became synonymous with the product.

Nacchan’s fans came from all over the country to see her life-size panel placed on a street corner in Kurume. My friends around me were more excited, saying, ‘Wow, they’re here! ‘ But I was surprisingly calm. No, it’s finally here. ……” (laughs). (Laughs.) In my mind, I felt like this was finally the beginning.

Part 2] Rena Tanaka: Guided by fate “Living with the role is normal for me.

From the May 1-8, 2026 issue of “FRIDAY