[Full Story] Actress Mayu Tsuruta Looks Back on Those Days: Why She Lost Herself in Japan’s Trendy Dramas

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When a camera is pointed at her, she naturally and effortlessly strikes poses according to what is requested. When asked a question, she takes a moment to think before answering slowly and carefully, making an effort to choose precisely the right words.

Actress Mayu Tsuruta (56) must be someone who places great importance on the way she expresses herself. And this applies to more than just interviews. Whatever the role, she delivers performances that put viewers at ease. In the NHK Taiga drama “Toyotomi Brothers!,” she gave a memorable performance as the mysterious proprietress of a brothel, while in the drama “Sayonara Noir,” which she will guest-star in on August 25 (Fuji TV), she plays a former member of the Diet with a stern image. Tsuruta says:

“I enjoy playing every kind of role. However, I’m not good with horror, so anything that’s really graphic and frightening might be a little difficult for me.”

Tsuruta has steadily built her career. What kind of life as an actress has she led? We would like to introduce it in her own words. Surprisingly, she says she had no interest in the entertainment industry when she was young.

“There wasn’t any particular idol I admired. What led me to join an entertainment agency was when I was in my third year of high school. Through a connection with my cousin, who worked at an advertising agency, I appeared as an extra in a Glico commercial. At the time, my cousin’s boss happened to know the person who is now my agency president, who was just about to start an entertainment agency.

It happened to be at a time when they were looking around and asking, ‘Is there anyone who might join the agency?’ So my cousin’s boss suggested, ‘How about Tsuruta’s cousin?’ My parents also encouraged me, saying, ‘It might be nice to have some beautiful photos taken of you while you’re young.’ That’s how I ended up joining the agency.”

“I don’t need long holidays”

Simply belonging to an entertainment agency did not mean that Tsuruta had decided to make a career as an actress. After entering Seijo University, she began to worry about her future when she reached her fourth year.

“Everyone around me was talking about job hunting. I loved the energy of being on a creative set, but I was also worried about what would happen if I continued like this and never became successful. I even wondered whether it might be better to leave the entertainment industry when I graduated.

It was around that time that I appeared in a commercial for ‘Nisseki Racer 100’ (1992). During a break in filming, Takao Osawa, who was appearing alongside me, asked, ‘What are you going to do after you graduate?’ When I said, ‘I don’t know. Maybe I should take the employment exams,’ he encouraged me, saying, ‘You like being on set, don’t you? Then why not keep doing it?’ I think those words had a big impact on me.”

Once Tsuruta began to see acting as a profession, she threw herself into work after graduating from university, taking on dramas, films, and commercials one after another. She became so absorbed in her work that she even declared to her agency, “I don’t need long holidays.”

A turning point in her career as an actress came in her mid-20s. She began landing roles in the trendy dramas she had admired, as well as lead heroine roles.

“Appearing in trendy dramas and playing heroines had been goals of mine ever since I debuted, so I was really happy. At the same time, after achieving those goals, I lost sight of what I truly wanted to do. I lost sight of myself. I think it was a moment when I was forced to confront the essence of acting and the creative process.”

Tsuruta continued on with a sense of unease and uncertainty. It was during this period that a female stylist she deeply respected gave her advice that would later become a guiding principle for her actions.

“Around that time, she was telling me about a trip she had taken to India. I was struggling with my own issues then, and I thought that if I went to India, I might be able to absorb and learn all sorts of things. So I asked her, ‘Please take me with you.’ She replied, ‘If that’s how you feel, go now. Don’t wait for me.’ But suddenly traveling alone to India felt like a pretty big hurdle. So instead, I went to Yakushima (Kagoshima), which she had also visited.”

Discovering the joy of travel

Tsuruta traveled alone to Yakushima.

“After walking through Yakushima’s majestic, tranquil forests, I returned to my lodging and took a bath while watching the setting sun. The scenery in front of me looked as though it were an image projected onto mist. At that moment, I felt that the problems I was worrying about were actually insignificant.

The greenery of the trees soaked by rain, the sunlight filtering through the forest, and the kindness of the island’s people all made me think, ‘How beautiful.’ I can’t really put it into words, but I felt that perhaps there was something there that represented the very origins of creativity and acting. I suppose I was able to experience that feeling because I acted when I thought, ‘Now is the time.’ I finally understood what the stylist had meant when she gave me that advice.”

Having discovered the appeal of traveling as a way to confront her own feelings, Tsuruta began traveling to various parts of the world whenever her work schedule settled down. For one television program, she even spent two months living in tents while traveling from China to Pakistan and Afghanistan. She has reportedly visited more than 50 countries to date.

“When I come into contact with the memories of places where ancient civilizations once flourished, it feels as though something is prodding the cells inside me that have been lying dormant. Perhaps I love traveling because I have this desire to awaken as many of those dormant cells as possible. When I look up at the sky in vast, empty places like the Sahara Desert, I simultaneously become aware of how small my own existence is.

When I’m immersed in the hectic life of Tokyo, my perspective inevitably becomes narrower. For me, perhaps traveling serves as a way to reset the senses that have become out of sync while living in the city. I hope that the insights I’ve gained through travel will eventually add depth to the lines I deliver.”

Through her valuable experiences traveling, Tsuruta has continued to deepen her acting skills.

From the September 4, 2026 issue of “FRIDAY”