[Full Text Published] Actress Mayu Tsuruta Reflects on “Those Days”: “Why I Lost Myself in Trendy Dramas”

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When the camera is pointed at her, she strikes natural, fluid poses as requested. When asked a question, she pauses for a moment to choose her words carefully before answering slowly and thoughtfully—

Actress Mayu Tsuruta (56) is clearly someone who values the way she expresses herself. This isn’t limited to interviews. No matter the role, she delivers performances that put viewers at ease.In the NHK Taiga drama *Toyotomi Brothers!*, she gave a fine performance as the enigmatic proprietress of a brothel, and in her guest appearance on the August 25 broadcast of the drama *Sayonara Noir* (Fuji TV network), she plays a former member of the Diet with a stern demeanor. Tsuruta shares her thoughts.

“I enjoy playing any role I’m given. However, since I’m not good with horror, anything too graphic or scary might be a bit difficult for me…”

Tsuruta has been steadily building her career. What kind of acting journey has she taken? Let’s hear it in her own words. Surprisingly, she says she had no interest in the entertainment industry when she was young.

“I didn’t have any particular idols I looked up to. The turning point that led me to join a talent agency came when I was a senior in high school. Thanks to a connection through 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 current president, who was just about to open a talent agency.

It happened to be right when he was thinking, ‘Is there anyone who might be interested in joining the agency?’ So that boss suggested, ‘What about Tsuruta’s cousin?’ My parents also encouraged me, saying, ‘It might be nice to have some nice photos taken while you’re still young,’ and that’s how I ended up joining the agency.”

“I don’t need any long weekends.”

Just because he had signed with a talent agency didn’t mean Tsuruta had decided to make a career as an actor. When he entered his senior year at Seijo University, he began to worry about his future.

“Everyone around me was completely absorbed in the topic of job hunting. I loved the energy of being on set and creating things, but I also felt anxious about what I’d do if I kept going like this and never made it big. I even wondered if it might be best to quit the entertainment industry right after graduation.

It was around that time that I appeared in the ‘Nisseki Racer 100’ (’92) commercial.During a break in filming, my co-star Takao Osawa asked me, ‘What are you going to do after you graduate?’ When I replied, ‘I don’t know… maybe I’ll take some job entrance exams,’ he encouraged me, saying, ‘You like being on set, don’t you? Then why not just keep doing it?’ I think those words meant a lot to me.”

With a strong sense of professionalism, Tsuruta worked tirelessly on TV dramas, movies, and commercials after graduating from college. She was so absorbed in her work that she even declared to her agency, “I don’t need any long weekends.”

Her turning point as an actress came in her mid-20s. She landed a role in a “trendy drama”—something she’d long admired—and was cast as the heroine.

“Appearing in a trendy drama and playing the heroine had been my goals since my debut, so I was really happy. On the other hand, having achieved those goals, I lost sight of what I truly wanted to do. I lost myself. I think that was the moment I was forced to confront the essence of acting and creativity.”

Tsuruta went about her days still feeling a sense of unease. It was then that a female stylist she admired gave her some advice that would serve as a guiding principle for her future actions.

“She was telling me about a trip she’d taken to India around that time.Struggling with my own doubts at the time, I thought that if I went to India now, I might be able to absorb a lot of new things, so I asked her, ‘Please take me with you.’ She replied, ‘If you feel that way, don’t wait for me—go now.’ However, traveling to India alone on such short notice was a bit too much of a challenge. So, I went to Yakushima (Kagoshima), a place she had also visited.”

Encounters Through Travel

Tsuruta visited Yakushima on his own.

“After walking through the majestic, quiet forests of Yakushima, I returned to my inn and was taking a bath while watching the setting sun when the scenery right before my eyes looked just like an image projected onto the mist. In that moment, my current worries seemed utterly insignificant.

The green of the rain-drenched trees in the forest, the light streaming in, and the kindness of the islanders—I thought, ‘How beautiful this all is.’ I can’t quite put it into words, but I felt that perhaps that was the origin of creativity and theater. I suppose I was able to experience that feeling because I acted when I felt, ‘Now is the time.’“I finally understood what the stylist had meant.”

Having discovered the appeal of travel as a way to connect with his inner self, Tsuruta began traveling around the world whenever his work schedule allowed. For one TV program, he even spent two months living out of a tent while traveling from China to Pakistan and Afghanistan. He says he has visited more than 50 countries so far.

“When I come into contact with the memories of a place—such as countries where ancient civilizations flourished—I get the sensation that my dormant cells are being jolted awake. Perhaps the reason I love traveling is that I have a desire to jolt 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 feel how small my own existence is.

When I’m immersed in the hectic pace of life in Tokyo, my perspective inevitably narrows. For me, travel perhaps serves the role of resetting the sense of perspective that has become skewed in the city. I hope the insights I gain from my travels will add depth to my lines.”

Tsuruta is honing her acting skills through the valuable experiences she gains while traveling.

From the September 4, 2026 issue of *FRIDAY*