Motoki Nakazawa look.1

Motoki Nakazawa debuted as an actor in 2022 and in just three years time has become the talk of the town appearing in numerous TV dramas and films. Look 1 has him dressed in street fashion that combines a brilliant orange and black striped polo shirt with denim. Nakazawa-san was himself for the camera without acting grandiose with a true-to-life allure.

“The wide striped design of the polo shirt has a sense of presence and was quite lovely! The brown sneakers to match were gentle to wear and I thought they would go well with my regular garb. It turned out to be a fun shoot; I got to enjoy a version of myself that was different than usual!”

He was in senior high school when he decided to aspire to become an actor. He became enamored with acting while watching veteran actor Shun Oguri’s realistic action scenes in the TV drama “CRISIS: Special Security Squad.” He sent his resume to the agency where Shun is affiliated Tristone Entertainment Inc. and began taking acting lessons. But his ability to take lessons was limited during the Coronavirus Pandemic so it was a tough time for him.

“Shun Oguri has been a big influence for me. I first thought of becoming an actor when I was 18 and sent my resume to the studio Oguri is affiliated to. They responded saying ‘you should take acting lessons.’ So I had been taking acting lessons for over three years and was motivated, but the Coronavirus Pandemic put a damper on my efforts so it was a tough time for me. When the world finally started moving again I thought ‘now’s my chance to take up acting lessons again!’ Applying all of this pent up frustration into acting put me on a good path.”

He later delved into the world of biz in earnest appearing in numerous works. One gig which was a turning point for him was the Sunday night movie “Worst to First: A Teen Baseball Miracle.”

“Being entrusted with the role of pitcher Sho Inuzuka after only two years of playing roles on mostly TV was quite a responsibility and I feel I made great strides as an actor. I had the chance to work alongside producer Junko Arai, Director Ayuko Tsukahara, and a group of talented actors. It was inspirational and I learned a lot.”

He later played Chihiro the younger brother of Takashi (Takumi Kitamura) in the NHK TV drama-series “Anpan.” This was followed by his portrayal of dedicated detective Yuto Tomaru of the First Investigation Division in the currently on-air TV drama “Last-Resort Investigator.” What he keeps in mind when playing different roles is to love the character he is playing more than anyone else.

“My foremost agenda is to think about and love the character that I am playing more than any other character. I haven’t had the chance to play a bad role yet, but I believe that unless I love my character other characters and the viewing audience will not love my character either. As long as I am playing the role, I want to portray him in an appealing light and play my part within the context of the story. I want to delve as deep as I can into my character and adjust myself flexibly while watching the director and the acting of the other cast members and build the story together. In the TV drama “Last-Resort Investigator” please tune in to see my dedicated character Tomaru confront his investigative challenges.

I got a great response from viewers for my portrayal of Chihiro in ‘Anpan’ which I am thankful for which also made me want to do better. But I try not to feel anxious about how I’ll perform; I think only about developing the character I am playing like building one from zero.”

His wanting to be true to each of his roles can be felt from the way he talks about his future goals.

“I can’t imagine what I’ll be doing a year from now, but my unwavering stance is to do the best job that I can with what I am doing right now. I do have broader goals, but what is important for me now is that each step that I take is right for me. I was like this in school too. I don’t want to just float by; I want to retain my edge and not take for granted what I am doing in the here and now.”

What left an impression on me was seeing him respond flexibly and candidly to the requests of the photographer. I got a sense of someone with a strong mind who is diligent and faithful.

→ For Look 2, I will ask Motoki Nakazawa about his more recent hobbies and interests and about his first photo album.

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Direction: Shinsuke Nozaka
Photo, Movie: Yoshiaki Sekine (SIGNO)
Stylist: Kosei Matsuda
Hair & Make up: Akihito Hayami (CHUUNI)
Edit, Writer: Saki Shibata