■ “I think that milet and I were able to act in perfect harmony” (Nakajima Kento) “It was an unforgettable experience in my life” (milet)
The title of the latest theatrical release starring Nakajima Kento, milet’s first film appearance, and directed by Miki Takahiro, scheduled for release in 2025, has been decided to be “Shiranai Kanojo” (Unknown Girlfriend). It will be released on February 28, 2025.
The production of this film was announced in February, and there were many voices of anticipation on social media about the two actors’ first collaboration and the interesting setting.After filming, which took place from March to May, the title has now been decided.
Riku and Minami fell in love at first sight during their university days and got married. Riku, who wanted to be a novelist, became a bestselling author thanks to Minami’s support. Meanwhile, Minami, who loved singing, was unable to pursue her dream of becoming a singer, and felt lonely in the mismatched lives with Riku, who was busy with work every day.
One day, a thoughtless remark from Riku leads to a big fight between the two. When Riku wakes up the next morning, Minami is nowhere to be found, and when he goes to a publisher for a meeting, he is confused by the fact that he doesn’t seem to get along with anyone he meets. He finds himself, who was supposed to be a popular author, now working as an editor for a literary magazine, and the streets are filled with the sight and songs of “Maezono Minami,” a genius singer-songwriter he has never met.
The protagonist, Riku Kanbayashi, is played by Nakajima Kento. He has been expanding his acting range and building his career as an actor, and in this film, which marks his first film in his 30th year, he plays the life of the protagonist from the age of 20 to 28, who has experienced success and failure since his college days when he was pursuing his dreams, and is running around trying to get everything back.
The heroine, Minami Maezono, is played by singer-songwriter milet. This is her film debut, and she takes on a wide range of acting roles, from her work as a singer-songwriter to the role of Minami, a wife who is frustrated by her mismatched marriage.
Along with the title decision, the image of Riku and Minami, who had just started dating after falling in love at first sight during their university days, was released. It is a scene from a happy classroom where the two of them listen to music together through one earphone, forgetting that they are in class, and immersed in their own world.
We also received footage of the moment when the filming wrapped up, when the two spoke in unison about their sense of accomplishment, as well as comments from them immediately after the wrap.
■ Comment from Kento Nakajima
It’s very emotional. Personally, this production came at a turning point for me after graduating from the group, so I think it’s a really big milestone in my life. I’m really happy to finally be working on the silver screen with Director Miki, who I’ve admired for over 10 years, and I’m also really honored to be co-starring in a movie with Milet, who is known as Japan’s diva.
I think I met Director Miki at a good turning point, and I was really touched when he said that this was the right timing. It means a lot to me to act in Director Miki’s work now, and now that filming has wrapped up, I feel strongly that it had to be now.
I think that Milet and I were able to act in harmony with each other. She was a singer I’d seen on TV, so I had no idea what she would do as an actor, but from the read-through she had the air of someone who was very used to film, and at the beginning of filming we shot scenes with a lot of ad-lib all day long, but it’s hard to ad-lib when you don’t have a sense of distance or rapport yet. But there were parts where Milet pulled me along with her ad-libs, which was amazing. I was inspired and inspired by her, and it became more and more fun each day to try to match my breathing with Minami as Riku.■milet Comment
As this was my first acting experience in a movie, I was nervous, but working in the Miki group was fun every day, and with the help of the cheerful Riku-kun, I was able to play the role of Minami.
I got to experience the inside of the movie that I usually love to watch, and realize that it’s about the same members continuing to run toward one goal for such a long period of time, and I thought it was a completely different world from the music scene that I usually work in. This process of meeting a side of myself that I didn’t know was really a time to notice changes in myself every day, and it was really beneficial for my life, and I grew to like Minami more and more, and it was really fun to be inside the movie.
And Riku-kun also evoked a lot of different emotions. This was the first time I had a proper conversation with him, but he was a lot more cheerful and interesting than I had imagined, and he helped create a great atmosphere. His love for creating something and his sincere attitude were incredibly honest and wonderful. I learned a lot from him, and I’m glad I got to meet Riku-kun.
My first film appearance in a work by my favorite director, Miki, was an unforgettable experience in my life. I would like to continue to take on various challenges using this experience.
Movie Information
“My Unknown Girlfriend”
Nationwide release: Friday, February 28, 2025
Cast: Kento Nakajima, Milet
Director: Takahiro Miki
Based on the novel Mon Inconnue (directed by Hugo Gelin, 2021)
Distributor: Gaga
(C)2025 “Unknown Girlfriend” Production Committee
Movie “Unknown Girlfriend” production site
https://gaga.ne.jp/shiranaikanojo
