Nagasawa Masami to play Sakurai Sho's wife in FujiTV drama SP "Kimi ni sasageru Emblem"

Nagasawa Masami will be starring in the upcoming FujiTV drama SP "Kimi ni sasageru Emblem" which will be shown during New Year 2017. The drama SP features Sakurai Sho as the lead character Takajo Kazuya who is based on the life of Kyoya Kazuyuki, a former J-league soccer player who became a wheelchair basketball player after a traffic accident. Nagasawa will play Takajo's wife Nakagawa Miki who chooses to marry him despite his accident which took place just before their wedding and her parents' objections.

As this is the first time that Nagasawa is playing a wife with a disabled husband, she admitted that it was difficult to show the complicated feelings of her character. However, since she was a child, she had seen how people can be passionate about sports through her interaction with those working with her father Nagasawa Kazuaki who is a former national team soccer player and coach so she could identify with the feelings of the lead character. She was also impressed by how positive Takajo is even though he faces so many challenges and hopes that she will be able to manage the role of his wife. When asked about her impression of Sakurai who she is working with for the first time, Nagasawa praised him for being a person who doesn't give anyone pressure, is very tolerant towards others and seems able to do everything. As such, she could relax from the first day they started working together.

Filming began at the end of last month.

Sources: Sanspo / Sponichi / Oricon