Alice Hiroze’s Popularity Soaring High as sister Suzu Hirose’s Career Remains Steady

Suzu Hirose, 23, has become a social phenomenon and is considered the best talent since Ryoko Hirosue.

At the age of 16, Suzu Hirose was selected for the lead role in the drama “Gakko no Kaidan” (15 years, Nippon Television Network Corporation). Her cute charm and strong acting ability made her a breakout hit, and she has since appeared in a succession of high-profile productions. She won numerous acting awards, and everyone was convinced that she would continue on her path to star status.

However, seven years have passed since her breakthrough. Recently, she has not starred in any serial dramas, and she is increasingly compared to her older sister, Alice Hirose (27), whose popularity is soaring. Curious about the background to this, we interviewed entertainment journalists and production people who know her well. The reasons for the change that emerged from these interviews were twofold.

The first was a “hesitation in her direction.”

Until her breakout role in “Gakko no Kaidan (School Ghost Story),” I had the impression that her agency had been relatively selective about the films in which she appeared. She won many newcomer awards for her role in the film “Umimachi diary” (2003), which was released later that year. She also acted as a voice actor in the animated film “Bakemono no ko” (15), a film that required more technical skill than flamboyance. All of these films were released after her breakthrough, but the appearances themselves were decided before her breakthrough.

However, after her breakthrough, she appeared in teen-oriented romantic films and dramas, and then occasionally in socially-conscious films, or in collaboration with very famous actors and scriptwriters. Viewers must have been at a loss as to what kind of actress they should see in Suzu Hirose. In a sense, I think this was a strategic error by the agency, which was so excited by her unexpected breakthrough,” says an entertainment writer.

She’s not just an idol.

A similar opinion was expressed by an editor familiar with the film situation.

Suzu Hirose was truly wonderful in “Umimachi diary,” in which she played a lonely girl with a different mother, and in the movie “Anger” (2004), in which she passionately played a rape scene. I felt that she was not just an idol actress. But after that, her acting became so deliberate that I wondered if it was the same person.

When she is asked to act in everything from romances and coming-of-age stories to hard-hitting films and comedies, it is natural for a teenager whose acting skills are not yet fully developed to lose her way. Even Kaya Kiyohara (20), who has been called a girl prodigy, until recently appeared in almost nothing but NHK and movies. It would be fine if she was suited to be an idol actress from the start, but that is not the case with Hirose. I think it was a bit unfortunate for her that she didn’t have much opportunity to take her time and work on her acting at such an important time in her life.

On the other hand, there is another reason that we have heard and are concerned about. It is that it is due to her serious nature.

Despite her overwhelming aura, Suzu Hirose is actually a cautious and steady person. As she has said in interviews in the past, “If there is anything I regret doing when I was younger, it is that I should have played more. Her agency believes that “romance also leads to acting,” and it does not particularly prohibit its talents from being in love. Even so, Hirose says that if her face swelled up after a night out or something, it would be a problem for everyone, so she is very defensive about it.

On the other hand, her sister Alice is known for her uninhibited personality, but in a good way. As a result, I have the impression that this has broadened her range, both in terms of emotional value and experience, and has led to an improvement in her acting ability. It could be said that the reversal of the sisters was brought about by the difference in their personalities” (TV station staff).

Suzu Hirose, however, is only 23 years old. If she is going to break out of her shell, it will be in the future. We look forward to seeing what kind of actress she will become then.