New Year Interview: Mio Imada’s Growth Goals

Last year, she appeared in three consecutive drama series and was featured in more than a dozen commercials.
2024Find out more about the real face of this talented actress!

What is the one kanji character that you would like to use to describe this year?

Mio Imada, 26, ran her pen across the page without hesitation.

I would like to absorb various things, like sucking in. I want to absorb a lot of things, like sucking in. I wasn’t sure which one to choose, “吸” or “吸,” but I thought “収” sounded a little more beautiful (laughs).

What is it that you want to absorb? The first thing that came to mind was languages.

I took some time off after the new coronavirus finally settled down, and I had a chance to go to Spain and Portugal on a private trip. In Spain, people are warm and friendly, and I didn’t feel any cultural or language barriers. I really enjoyed it.

When you come into contact with a foreign land, atmosphere, and people, you absorb a lot of things. That made me think, ‘I want to communicate more. I wanted to learn the language.

Of course, I will do my best in my work!　On top of that, I want to input various things and grow even more.”

Behind her desire for input is the eight-faceted and versatile success she enjoyed last year.

She appeared in two movies, including “My Happy Marriage” in March, and appeared in three consecutive dramas, starting with “Last Man: The Blind Investigator” (TBS), “Trillion Game” (TBS), and “Ichiban Sukina Hana” (Fuji TV) in the April season of the Sunday theater series. She has also appeared in TV commercials for more than a dozen companies. More than a dozen companies used her in TV commercials. She describes the year of 2011 as “fast.

It was a really intense year, and time flew by in the blink of an eye. I was asked, “Since the drama series lasted for three cool seasons, do you ever get over the roles you played in the past? I was asked if I had any trouble getting used to my previous roles, but I found it easy to play three completely different roles: a hard-working police officer, a gorgeous and sharp-witted daughter of a company president, and a troubled hairdresser.

It was especially significant that “Trillion Game” was in the middle of the three. It is not every day that I get the chance to play such a glittering character (laughs).

On the other hand, “Ichiban Sukina Hana” had a lot of everyday conversation, and since I was close in age to the characters, I could relate to many of the lines of my co-stars and say, “I could say this too,” which was very interesting.

He says he memorizes lines at home by himself, mumbling to himself. He checked over and over to see if he could say the lines even with the script closed. Even so, he says with a wry smile, “There are times when I miss a line on set.

I really got through it with everyone’s help and support,” he said. There were times when I was full of energy, but even in those moments I think I had a smile on my face. I laugh easily when I am in the audience, but this was a year in which I laughed even more than usual.

Each production had different performers, staff, and scripts, but there was a lot of laughter around me at every site. I think I was smiling because I was fulfilled, including the difficult times.

Finding a strong ally when he needed to refresh himself was another factor that enhanced his sense of fulfillment.

I don’t have that many hobbies, so when I want to reset my mind, I basically go to bed. A few years ago, I used to sleep for 13 hours. Even recently, I sleep about 10 hours.

Recently, I bought an item that made me say, “Here it comes! I bought a new item. It is a low, hard, horizontal “Airwave” pillow with a height of about 5 cm. I took a chance and bought it because it had good reviews, and I’m hooked.

When the make-up artist massaged me, she said, “It’s totally different from before!　I feel a lot better, and my stiff shoulders are getting better! I was so impressed (laughs).

She says that organizing her room also makes her feel “in tune” with her heart.

Last year I couldn’t find the time to clean up my house,” she said. I broke my favorite vase that I bought about five years ago.

It was about 30 cm tall and the mouth wasn’t that wide, but it was very useful because it was so easy to arrange.

When I knocked it over and broke it a couple of years ago, it was attached to the vase with superglue. …… I said goodbye, knowing that it was destined to happen that way.

On the other hand, what made me very happy was that my best friend who moved to Tokyo at about the same time got married. I was convinced that he was going to get married soon, but for some reason it took me a while to realize it when it became a reality. What? Marriage blues?　Me? (laugh).

In contrast to her simple, honest face, in her day job, she is exactly the kind of person who “turns on the TV and you see Mio Imada. How does her “successful self” appear in her own eyes?

Unlike movies and TV dramas, commercials are unexpected,” she said.　If you are alone, but if you are with someone else, you are at a loss for what to look at or where to look ……. It’s a very strange feeling. At the same time, I am immersed in memories, thinking, ‘I remember when I took the picture like this.

If it were my family, say my mother, it would be different. She is a different person named Mio Imada (laughs). Even so, she watches all my films, scraps articles from magazines when they appear, and edits and saves commercials that I have recorded. It makes me so happy.”

What are her best “memories” like that? She answered this question without hesitation.

The first time I talked to the president of my current agency in the president’s office,” she said. We were sitting in a simple plastic reception set, and the president took a soda water out of the refrigerator. and proceeded to talk with a bang. And things proceeded accordingly. I was struggling to keep up with him and was overwhelmed by the speed.

I can’t remember what the president was wearing, but I clearly remember that his shoes were sparkling. It looked so glittering, and I thought, “Tokyo is amazing.

As I listened to the story, I was filled with a sense of ‘this is where it all starts. That ″miracle in the president’s office″ has led me to the present.”

This January, he will take a long-awaited time off.

I want to learn languages. First of all, I want to learn English well. Last year I didn’t have much time to invest in myself, so I want to make this year a year of absorption. I also want to go to …… Spain one more time!　The food was so delicious (laughs).”

It looks like this year will be another year of smiles.

From the January 19, 2024 issue of FRIDAY