Miyazawa Sae: Cherish your encounters. Don't rush, and connect the dreams and hopes you've found to your future.

actress　宮澤佐江(Sae Miyazawa)

■ Profile
Born in Tokyo in 1990, he joined AKB48 in 2006. After stints in SNH48 and SKE48, he graduated from the group in 2016. While still in the AKB group, he began his career as an actor, appearing in films, TV dramas, and stage plays. Since the musical "The Royal Crest" in 2016, he has appeared in numerous musicals, including "Peter Pan" (17-), "West Side Story" season 2 (20), and "King Arthur" (23). Last year, he expanded his horizons, appearing in TV Tokyo's "Ultraman Decker."

After 10 years as an idol in the AKB48 group, Miyazawa Sae is now expanding her horizons as an actress. With a smile, she says, "I'm doing what I love as a job." She tells us how she got into AKB48 and how she changed from an idol to an actress. She also talks about her first film in a long time."The dog spins and runs away"We asked about his appearance in the film.

■ Turning my beloved idol into a job and discovering a new dream

I auditioned for an idol group in 2005, when I was in my third year of junior high school. I went to a local dance school and often went to karaoke with my family, so I'd always loved dancing and singing. I was particularly interested in idols when I was in elementary and junior high school, and as I followed them, I remember naturally starting to think, "I want to be an idol too!" Among all the colorful advertisements in audition magazines, I was somehow drawn to AKB48, the only one in black and white, and decided to audition.
During my time with AKB48, I had the opportunity to experience a variety of work, including variety shows, magazines, and musicals, and through this I naturally became interested in acting. Of course, I enjoyed working for AKB48, but my desire to go into a new world and meet new people and interact with them gradually grew. Then, at the turning point of my 10th year with AKB48, when I felt I had "taught everything there is to teach my juniors," I finally graduated.

■The attraction of "encounters" remains the same, both in her idol days and now.

I love going to new places and starting new things, so when I was chosen to appear in a major musical after graduating from AKB48, I was filled with excitement. However, while I entered the world of musicals as an idol, there are many people who have entered this world with the goal of becoming musical actors and have built their careers there. Seeing the difference in level between those people and myself as a "former idol," I often felt that I lacked the skills while actually performing in the musical. I am studying every day to make up for that lack, even if only a little.
When I was an idol, and even now that I've graduated from idols, the thing that I find most appealing about this job is "meeting people." I think it's a very precious thing to be able to work with not only the performers but also the staff to create a production with the same passion for the audience who pay to come and see it. In addition, working with the people I met there again in different places is what motivates me to continue working here.

■ Based on the question "Why are we alive?""The dog spins and runs away"

I think the film "Dog, Spin, Run Away" is a very unique piece that is a little different from the usual themes. When I first read the script, a lot of questions came to mind, and even during filming, I was always thinking in the back of my mind, "What kind of piece is this?" The film includes narration, so I was a bit worried about acting while taking that into account.
On the other hand, I was confident in my "gap-filling acting" skills that I had acquired through stage and musical performances, so even though I was scared, I was able to enjoy it. On stage, the audience sometimes pays attention even in scenes where I don't have any lines. That's why I had the feeling that "I always live as the character on stage," and I think that was extremely useful in this production.
One of the themes of this film is the big question, "What is the meaning of life?" In this film, this question is taken in a positive light, but all of us often find ourselves wondering, "Why am I alive?"
Mayumura Yuzuki, the character I played this time, lives a boring daily life, thinking, "I wish the world would end soon. Every day is so boring." I myself often find myself thinking, "Why am I alive?" and "For whom am I working hard at this job?", so I was able to empathize with both her and this work in that respect.
For some people, the answer to the question "What is the meaning of life?" may be found in the smallest of events. The characters in this film also find meaning in life through the smallest of everyday events, depicted in a comical way. I hope that this film will make even one more person chuckle and think, "Maybe I should try to live a little longer."

■My current goal is to find big dreams and hopes

My current goal is to create a new dream. I am working hard at the job I am given, believing that what I can do now is to carefully fulfill my role one by one. Sometimes not being able to clearly see what I want to become can be hard on me, so I want to find new goals and dreams in life as soon as possible.
Lately, I've been wondering if the job of "actress" really suits me. But even so, when I watch plays and dramas, I find myself thinking, "There are some wonderful actors here," and "How would I act if I were in that position?" I think I'm concerned about this because somewhere in my heart I have this desire to become an actor that people think of in that way, so I want to take a fresh look at myself now.

■ Don't rush, find your dream

I too have found myself worrying about what to do in the future when I can't find any big dreams or goals. University students, there's no need to rush, and there's no need to force yourself to do things you don't want to do. You can worry until you find what you want to do, and there's no need to do things that don't suit you and that will wear you down. I hope that you find something that you find "fun" that will lead to your future. Life is long, so please take as much time as you can before you find the life that's right for you.

Interviewed by Student Newspaper Online on January 30, 2023 by Katsumi Fumino, a second-year student at Sophia University

Stylist: Evi Fujii Hair & Makeup: Rika Ito