Wataru Hyuga look.1

Wataru Hyuga leaped into the entertainment world after becoming the youngest contestant to win the grand prize in the 2019 talent contest “Horipro Men’s Audition” from among 6468 people. It has only been 4 years since his debut role as an actor, but he is starting to generate buzz by appearing in popular TV dramas such as “Our Sister’s Soulmate,” the Sunday Theater “Get Ready!” and the NHK period drama “What Would You Do, Ieyasu?” He was only 14 when he won the grand prize for the Horipro talent contest. When I asked him about this time in his life, he remarked that it still feels like a dream.

“I started acting because my mother and older sister submitted my name in a contest. I was 14 at the time and I remember how all the finalists were older than me but were friendly to me. Everyone else was an adult and I was a soft boy and a country-bumpkin and I and everyone else felt so too. I didn’t think I would be selected as the grand prize winner, so I still wonder if it was fine that should be the winner. But on hindsight, I think I was able to be myself without showing off or getting worked up, and was able to express what is part of my human nature in a frank manner.”

For Look 1, Hyuga-san wears a yellow jacket with a flower and tiger print coordinated with cargo pants and yellow hi-tech sandals. Vivid yellow combined with the sheen of the jacket create an urban mood and a feeling that spring has arrived.

“I ordinarily like to wear white, black and grey garb, rather than bright colors. So it is a lot of fun when I have the chance to wear bright colors such as for this photo shoot. Sporting a yellow tee shirt inside the outer is not gaudy, and I could be myself in this outfit.”

It was against such an early spring backdrop in 2020 that Hyuga-san began his career as an actor. He appeared alongside Tatsuya Fujiwara in the on-going TV drama and film “The Sun Does Not Move.” He later auditioned for the Kamen Rider TV show which he was fond of as a child, and won the role of Daiji Igarashi in “Kamen Rider Revice.” While commercial TV dramas usually run in thirteen-week segments, the Kamen Rider cast continued to play the same characters for an entire year. This one year stretch became the turning point that changed how Hyuga-san approaches a job and his daily affairs.

“Working on ‘Kamen Rider Revice’ became one of the turning points in my life. Not just in terms of the acting and the action, but I was involved in post-production and had the opportunity to talk in front of people at events, so I experienced a lot. If it wasn’t for this experience, I would not have been able to put myself out there in front of people as much. It was around this time that I left my parents home and started living on my own. Until then I lived at home supported by my parents and spent my days leisurely doing what I wanted. I found that it was a lot of work being employed and handling all of my own day to day affairs. It was also during this time that my sense of responsibility toward acting was cultivated. I tried cooking for myself in the beginning, but when I became busy, I have been unable to cook at all! But recently I have started making more of an effort (laughs).”

His spontaneity comes off during the photo shoot. While the studio set was being swapped, he examined the photos that had been taken, checking his posing and expressions with a serious demeanor while talking with the photographer and staff. His nimble footwork, refreshing face and bright energetic yellow attire worked synergistically. He remarked, “While I still have difficulties in my job, I have a growing conviction that this is the path I have chosen.”

→ For Look 2, I asked Wataru Hyuga about his favorite garb and about his private life.

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Direction : Shinsuke Nozaka
Photo, Movie: Keiichiro Nakajima
Stylist : midori（W）
Hair & Make up : Shiho Sakamoto
Text : Saki Shibata