Actress Rena Tanaka, 45, appeared on Tetsuko Kuroyanagi's long-running talk show "Tetsuko's Room" (TV Asahi) on April 3rd. She looked back on past appearances and talked about how she learned to act.
She says that she's still called "Natchan" since a commercial she appeared in when she was 18. "I never imagined that a 15-second commercial would get me this long," she says thoughtfully.
Her first appearance on the show was 22 years ago. Footage of her in her early twenties was shown, and she commented, "It's a little embarrassing. My articulation is terrible." Then, four years later, when footage of her appearing in a kimono was shown, she laughed, "Wow, I was so young!"
She says she's been attending acting classes for the past two years. She has a coach, and each session lasts two to two and a half hours. For the first hour, she connects scenes with improvised pantomime or performs roles from scripts given to her beforehand for the coach to see. The coach analyzes her acting, gives her various advice, and helps her refine her performance.
He says the acting classes have been "useful" for his acting career. "It makes me feel like I'm building a solid foundation, and when I read acting books, I can connect them to my own experiences and apply them," he said.
