Actress Hoshi Moeka: The rewards of being an actress revealed through numerous challenges

actress　Moeka Hoshi　(Hoshi Moeka)

■ Profile
Born August 23, 1995, in Chiba Prefecture. Graduated from the Faculty of Letters at Sophia University. Her specialties are ballet and contemporary dance. She made her acting debut in 2017 and last year appeared in the film "At the Window" (directed by Rikiya Imaizumi). In 2021, she played the heroine in the films "We Made a Love Like a Bouquet" (directed by Yuta Doi) and "On the Town" (directed by Rikiya Imaizumi). In dramas, she has played strong characters, such as Haneko, an accounting employee at the housing construction company where the protagonist Towa Mameda (Takako Matsu) works in "Towa Mameda and Her Three Ex-Husbands," and Chiko, a friend of the protagonist Akane (Honoka Matsumoto) in "#GrapplerBaki: The Record of a Girl Who Always Thought Grappler Baki Was BL." She is currently appearing in the TBS Friday drama "I Should Have Said It a Million Times," and is also scheduled to air in the American TV series "SHOGUN," starring Hiroyuki Sanada as one of the main cast members.

Moeka Hoshi won the grand prize at Miss iD 2016 and is currently active as an actress."I'm sorry I'm alive"In this interview, we asked Hoshi about the rewards of being an actress and some of the stories that happened in the film.

■ Encounter with self-expression

　My first experience with acting was classical ballet. I continued ballet from the age of 4 to 14, and by the time I was in the upper grades of elementary school, it had become a part of my life, with me saying, "As soon as class is over, I'll do ballet," and perhaps because of this, by the time I was in junior high school, my passion for ballet had burned out. However, I believe that this experience with ballet was what taught me the joy of self-expression.
　After quitting ballet, I wondered what I should do and what was left for me, and eventually I realized that I wanted to try my hand at acting, something I had always dreamed of doing since ballet. I think I admired the sparkling actresses at the time. I joined an agency in high school and really enjoyed the acting lessons I took there. However, it coincided with the time I was taking university entrance exams, and the image of the entertainment industry was a little different from what I had imagined, so I left the agency and left acting behind.
　A turning point came for me in my second year of university. Although I had left that dream behind, at the time I still had aspirations to become an actress. So, with some encouragement from an acquaintance, I decided to enter "Miss iD 2016", sponsored by Kodansha. I was fortunate enough to be selected as the grand prize winner out of around 4000 applicants, and in my fourth year of university I got my first lead role in the film "Girl Encounter", marking the start of my acting career. I am now blessed with a good relationship and am active with my current agency.

■Rewarding work and prospects are becoming clear

　I originally aspired to become an actress because I admired the sparkling actresses. I feel that what I find rewarding has changed considerably since then. Back then, I enjoyed being in the sparkling entertainment world and just acting. Of course, I still enjoy acting now. But even more than that, what gives me reward is seeing my acting resonate with the audience and getting their reaction. The other day, I received a DM from someone who saw a film I appeared in. I think everyone is a little nervous about sending a DM to someone they've never spoken to before. I could tell that she must have mustered up the courage to send me her long message, and it made me very happy and motivated me.
In the future, I would like to try acting on stage. In contrast to video footage that cuts out the best parts, the stage allows me to see my every move. Through my experience on stage, I would like to become an actress who can convey even more. I would like to actively take on new challenges.
I also want to take on more challenges in overseas productions. I previously spent about eight months in Canada filming the American TV series "SHOGUN." The filming methods and atmosphere are different between Japan and overseas, which was refreshing, and I enjoyed filming overseas, but more than anything, I found it appealing that I could convey something across borders through my acting. I would like to continue taking on various challenges as an actress.

■映画"I'm sorry I'm alive"　　

The heroine of this work, Rina, is a girl who is trying to do the same things as everyone else, but it just doesn't work out. This time, I had the opportunity to play that character. Ever since I first read the script before the audition, I knew I wanted to play this character, so I was really happy when I found out I got the role.
For "Sorry to be Alive," the meetings with the director were extremely intense. Just as everyone has their own upbringing, the characters in the film also have a backstory that is not depicted. The script that the director gave me contained not only lines and actions, but also detailed character settings for the characters, and based on that, during meetings we aligned my image of Rina with the director's image of Rina. This surprised even me, but while I was playing Rina, tears and lines that were not in the script would naturally come out, and I felt like I was able to overlap with Rina.
When watching "I'm Sorry to Be Alive" or any other movie or drama, please be sure to think about the characters' backgrounds. If you can enjoy that space, I think you'll enjoy the movie or drama even more.

■Message to university students

Ever since I was doing ballet, I have dreamed of becoming an actress. I was busy studying for exams and there was a time when I was away from acting, but now I am working as an actress.
It's never too late or too early to start something, nor is it always in a good or bad environment. If you're truly interested in something, I think there will come a day when you'll want to try it out. If that's the case, now is your chance. Go ahead and take on the challenge.

Student Newspaper Online, Hosei University, 3rd year student, Suzuki Yusuke

Hair and makeup: Yuki Kawamata (HAPP'S)
Stylist: Yuya Maeda
Costume: Blouse (¥18,150), Pants (¥18,920)
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