Actor and model Airi Furuta is currently appearing in ABC TV/TV Asahi’s “Nichi 10” drama “Wonderful Ya, Teacher!” (every Sunday from 10:00 p.m.), starring Erika Ikuta.
This work is an original story starring Erika Ikuta and written and directed by Takayuki Takuma, depicting the growth of a novice teacher.
The film depicts Rio Sasaoka (Ikuta), a second-year high school teacher who struggles for the sake of his students while looking for a time to quit in an unreasonable educational environment.
Furuta, who will be playing the role of Hina Isoda, a student of Sasaoka played by Ikuta, worked as a Popteen model until 2022 and has grown into a representative model of Generation Z with outstanding influence.
In recent years, she has also been active as an actress, and has been active in a variety of genres, including appearing in the drama “Marth: Zero’s Revolution” in January of this year.
Auditions for student roles were held in this production, and approximately 1,300 people applied. We spoke to Furuta, who overcame a difficult 35x odds to be cast in the drama, about the highlights of the drama, how he approached the role, and his future goals.
――Please tell us how you felt when you were chosen to appear in this work, as you passed a large-scale audition.
FurutaWhen I was accepted, I was honestly happy and relieved.
–What was the atmosphere like at the filming location?
FurutaIt felt like a real school. Since we had quite a bit of free time, we all played illustrator and werewolf games, took pictures of each other, and felt like we were back in high school. I got along well with everyone, just like in my class.
――I think you have a gal group in your work, but did you actually become friends with any of them during filming?
FurutaYabuki Nako and I were seated in front and behind each other, so we talked a lot.
Nako-chan was the oldest in the gal group, so she was like a leader, so she was always giving everyone things to talk about, and we became very close.
–Did you meet Yabuki-san for the first time through this drama?
FurutaNice to meet you. Since he knew about some really delicious food, he told me about the foods he was currently addicted to and we talked like high school students.
–Have you ever seen Mr. Ikuta at the podium on set, or seen him before the actual cut?
FurutaWhen I stood at the podium, I looked like a novice teacher, Norio-sensei, and even before the cut came, I was talking to all the students, but when I stood in front of the camera, I felt like a novice teacher. I thought it was something only Ikuta-san could produce.
However, when I met him in the dressing room, he seemed to be very relaxed, and although I think it must be an immeasurable hardship for us to play the lead roles, he is always very considerate of the staff and always supervises his surroundings as the chairperson. There were many points that I could learn from.
–What do you find interesting about this work, Mr. Furuta?
FurutaRio-sensei has a strong sense of humanity and is very realistic, so I think a lot of people can relate to him. The catchphrase is “Teachers are people too,” and I think this is a work that anyone, even non-teachers, can relate to, so I really encourage them by saying, “You don’t have to try too hard. Things like this happen, too.” It’s a heartwarming work with comedic elements as well as comedians.
Also, Director Takuma is very particular about making each scene one cut, and each scene is very realistic, so I would like you to pay attention to that as well.
–What kind of role would you like to try in the future?
FurutaI still want to see my potential, so I would like to take on a role or work that is far different from myself. Last year, I appeared in the stage play “XXXX ni Na Na Na Naite,” where I felt like I was able to break out of my shell, and I felt like I was truly living in space, so it was extremely rewarding. I want to play a wide range of roles, but I thought I’d like to play a role like a murderer or a con artist.
――There were some emotional scenes in the stage play “XXXX ni Na Narite”, but are you able to switch roles every time?
FurutaI go in every time. It’s not that I have a sense of it, but as I played the role without knowing what it was, I started to feel that it was probably like this.
――Have you been able to see more of yourself and the fun of the stage than you knew by experiencing the stage?
FurutaAt first I thought it would be difficult. It was a long line, and since it was a live performance, I was worried about what I would do if I made a mistake, so I couldn’t really get into it. But after acting, I realized that stage play is fun, so I would like to appear in many productions if I have the chance.
――I believe that you have been active in multiple fields such as dancing, modeling, and acting in your entertainment life so far. How do you think your past experiences have shaped you into the person you are today?
FurutaI still don’t know who I am, but there’s no doubt that all my experiences have shaped me into the person I am today, so I’m glad I’ve been through them all, and I don’t have any bad experiences.
I think there are still many different genres of work out there, so I try to work in various fields, and I wonder if I’ll be a different person in a few years from now, and this industry is really deep. , I think it’s very possible.
That’s why my background in dancing has helped me gain confidence, and modeling has also been a great experience for me.I don’t want to compromise on all my work, so I will continue to handle each job with care. At the same time, I would like to try more different jobs.
–What kind of period do you want the rest of 2024 to be?
FurutaI want this to be a period of self-reflection.
Until now, my goals were vague and I felt like I was just going to complete the tasks given to me,
From now on, I want to always set big goals and think about what I should do to reach them. I actually want to appear in a variety of roles, but I’m not very dexterous, so I get bored easily, so I want to perform each thing carefully, develop the ability to think for myself, and grow both as a person and as an actor. .
–Are there any of these that you would like to aim for?
FurutaBeing the heroine of a school drama and winning an award as an actor. I can only do uniforms now, so I want to do my best to become a heroine. I still have a long way to go as an actor, so I want to improve myself as an actor by absorbing things from various actors as I work more often.
▼Drama official website/SNS
・Official website:https://www.asahi.co.jp/subakana_sensei/
・Official X: @subakana_sensei
・Official Instagram: @subakana_sensei
・Official TikTok: @subakana_sensei
・Official LINE account: @abc_drama
★After the broadcast, missed broadcast will be available on TVer and ABEMA
★All episodes available on U-NEXT and NETFLIX
・X:https://x.com/Airi1146
・Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/airi_furuta/
・TikTok:https://www.tiktok.com/@airifuruta
・YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4-xCOJRxXU48bL_FNfwAqQ
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