Toma Ikuta | |
|---|---|
生田 斗真 | |
| Born | Toma Ikuta (1984-10-07)October 7, 1984 (age 41) Noboribetsu, Hokkaido, Japan |
| Other names | Toma-chan, Tomasu |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
Toma Ikuta (生田 斗真,Ikuta Tōma; born October 7, 1984) is a Japanese actor. Ikuta is known for his roles inHanazakari no Kimitachi e,Honey & Clover,Sensei!,Maō andOuroboros. He also stars in feature films, notablyHanamizuki,Ningen Shikkaku andBrain Man.
Ikuta enteredJohnny & Associates in 1996, when he was 11. He made his debut as an actor in 1997, after realizing that he would not go on as a singer in a group, like his friends around him.[1]
The 2007, Fuji TV summer dramaHanazakari no Kimitachi e, controversial in its gender-bending nature, was perhaps Ikuta's biggest break in Japanese Entertainment.[2][3] Following his successful portrayal inHana Kimi, Ikuta was on stage again as he starred in the Shakespearean play,The Two Gentlemen of Verona.[4] While working on this play, Toma was also slated to star in one of Fuji TV's winter dramas for 2008, the live adaptation ofChika Umino's popularmanga,Hachimitsu to Kuroba.[5] He took on the role of Yūta Takemoto, a struggling Architecture student in an art school who had mediocre talent and who fell in love at first sight with his professor's niece, Hagumi Hanamoto (played byRiko Narumi). His role as the silent but constant observer that uncovers the events of the drama to the audience earned him anotherBest Supporting Actor award.[6] Due to the popularity ofHana Kimi, Fuji TV decided to air a special two-hour episode, announcing it in early 2008.[7]
Ikuta's rise to fame brought about another project; this time a double-lead withArashi's leaderSatoshi Ohno, in the Japanese adaptation of the Korean dramaMawang. The drama, calledMaō, is about a lawyer, Ryo Naruse (played by Ohno) who seeks to avenge the death of his younger brother several years ago. On the other hand, Serizawa Naoto is the brash and impulsive detective (played by Ikuta), who is atoning for the grave, juvenile crime he had committed in the past.[8] In October 2008, Ikuta was back on stage again, playing the role ofDanny in the Japanese version of the musical "Grease".[9] January 2009 marked Ikuta's first ever appearance in Fuji TV's peak slot for dramas, Ishimatsu Ryosuke, an intern forensics specialist in the serial dramaVoice, along withEita andSatomi Ishihara.[10] Following his streak of solo projects, Ikuta was again named to star in a Fuji TV drama even while Voice was airing, this time a lead role in the timely jury dramaMajo Saiban: The Witch Trial, for the TV station's spring 2009 late night Saturday drama. He plays Yoshioka Tōru, afreeter who was chosen as one of the members of the jury that will participate in the trial of a woman accused of killing her husband. Foul play comes into the picture as the members of the jury begin to be threatened. When the life of one of the jury members, a housewife (played byAi Kato) is also endangered, Tooru tries to help. This raises suspicions with his girlfriend (played byManami Higa) who becomes afraid Tooru might be cheating on her. Thus begins Tōru's lone search for the truth. The drama aired on April 25, 2009, a month before the jury system was to be implemented in Japan.[11]
Ikuta finally made his silver screen debut withNingen Shikkaku, a spring 2010 movie adaptation ofDazai Osamu's masterpiece of the same title. Considered a semi-autobiographical novel, Ikuta plays the role of Oba Yozo, a troubled soul who is forced to keep up a facade of hollow jocularity in his everyday life.[12] The book cover of the novel published by Kadokawa was renewed in October, and since then featured a photo of Ikuta. After the cover was revised, the book sold over 100,000 copies. In response to those sales figures, Kadokawa decided that for a limited time period, all 10Dazai novels would feature Ikuta on the covers; the campaign started on December 15, 2009. It was the first time that the lead actor of a film adaptation of a novel appeared on the covers of all the works written by the author.[13]
He also appeared inHanamizuki, co-starringYui Aragaki, andSeaside Motel. Ikuta played the role of Honjo Sadame, a failure of an actor in the dramaUnubore Deka along with Johnny senior, Tokio'sTomoya Nagase. In 2010, Ikuta appeared on the documentary TV programJōnetsu Tairiku (情熱大陸,lit. The Passion Continent).[14] Ikuta was the male lead role for the mangaBokura Ga Ita, where he played Yano, and has a relationship with Yoshitaka Yuriko (Takahashi). The shoot for the movie started in May 2011, and was released as a two-part film in spring 2012.[15]
On July 27, 2010, Ikuta appeared in Tokio's music video for the songNaNaNa.[16][17] In 2016, he appeared in the music video of the songFukkatsu Love byArashi, from which he had been teamed up as juniors with the three youngest members, as the group MAIN.[18][19][20]
Ikuta had his own mobile J-web diary since 2005, namedIkuta Toma no Tomagoto (Ikuta Toma's Toma's words). The J-web went by the namesTomagoto,Tomagoto Hyper, andTomagoto Neo, among others.[21] Aside from the J-web, he also had his own corner onWink Up Magazine titledIkuta Toma no Ikita Kotoba (Toma Ikuta's Words to Live By). On this corner, he writes a one-page essay about things that interest him, as well as his daily experiences. Pictures taken from his own camera are included on the page.[22]
On November 7, 2023, Ikuta announced he would be leaving Johnny & Associates on November 20, to work as a freelance actor.[23]
After a "Question and Answer" session on his Instagram on May 5, 2024, Ikuta faced severe criticism, when a fan commented that she was 9 months pregnant and she was scared to give birth, to what Ikuta answered: "Do you want to beg your husband to be painless?". Many of the comments were referring to his use of the wordおねだり (Japanese for 'beg') instead of something likeお願い (Japanese for 'ask (please)'), or just wishing her well. Gynecologists and Obstetricians also participated in the criticism, citing that childbirth is not only painful, but also life-threatening.[24][25][26] His apology 2 days later didn't help him either, having people consider his choice of words as old-fashioned, and questioning if the former Johnny idol as well as the artists still in the agency, which for most of its history banned SNS for their artists, are really prepared for using them.[27]
Ikuta has a younger sibling, 4 years his junior,Fuji TV's announcer Ryūsei Ikuta.[28]
Ikuta married actressNana Seino on June 1, 2020.[29] They welcomed their first child on March 9, 2022.[30]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Agri | Young Junnosuke | Asadora | [31] |
| 1998 | Love & Peace | Yohei Horiguchi | ||
| 2001 | Neverland | Osamu Seto | ||
| 2002 | Be Nice to People | Yusuke | Episode 5 | |
| Acting by | Hachida | Lead role | ||
| 2004 | Yesterday's Enemy Is Today's Friend | Yasuhiko Hidaka | Miniseries | |
| 2005 | Funny Roppongi Squad | Yukio Ochi | ||
| To Asuka and to the Unseen Child | Sawamura Kazuya | |||
| Sleeping Corpse | Eiji/Yamazaki | |||
| 2006 | Akihabara@Deep | Box | ||
| 2007 | Boys Over Flowers 2 | Junpei Oribe | ||
| Hana-Kimi | Shuichi Nakatsu | [31] | ||
| 2008 | Honey & Clover | Yūta Takemoto | ||
| Devil | Naoto Serizawa | Lead role | ||
| 2009 | Voice | Ryōsuke Ishimatsu | ||
| The Witch Trial | Toru Yoshioka | |||
| Tales of the Unusual: Autumn 2009: "The Law of Recycling Suicides" | Mikio | Lead role; short drama | ||
| 2010 | Conceited Detective | Sadame Honjo | ||
| Spherical Wilderness | Shoichi Soeda | Miniseries | ||
| 2012 | Late Blooming Sunflower: My Life Renewed | Jotaro Kodaira | Lead role | [32] |
| 2014 | Gunshi Kanbei | Dom Justo Takayama | Taiga drama | [33] |
| 2015 | Ouroboros | Ikuo Ryuzaki | Lead role | [31] |
| 2019 | Idaten | Yahiko Mishima | Taiga drama | [34] |
| If Talking Paid | Mitsuru Kishibe | Lead role | [31] | |
| 2020 | The Man Who Stood for Autonomy of Japan: Prime Minister Yoshida Shigeru | Jirō Shirasu | Television film | [35] |
| 2022 | My Ex-Boyfriend's Last Will | Eiji Morikawa / Tomiharu Morikawa | Special appearance | [36] |
| The 13 Lords of the Shogun | Minamoto no Nakaakira | Taiga drama | [37] | |
| 2023 | Taiga Drama ga Umareta Hi | Yamaoka | Lead role; television film | [38] |
| 2024 | Beyond Goodbye | Yūsuke Nakamachi | [39] | |
| 2025 | Unbound | Hitotsubashi Harusada | Taiga drama | [40] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Hanamizuki | Kohei Kiuchi | Lead role | |
| Seaside Motel | Masayaki Kameda | Lead role | ||
| No Longer Human | Ōba Yōzō | Lead role | ||
| 2011 | Genji Monogatari: Sennen no Nazo | Hikaru Genji | Lead role | |
| 2012 | We Were There: First Love | Motoharu Yano | Lead role | |
| We Were There: True Love | Motoharu Yano | Lead role | ||
| 2013 | Brain Man | Ichiro Suzuki | Lead role | |
| 2014 | The Mole Song: Undercover Agent Reiji | Reiji Kikukawa | Lead role | [41] |
| Miracle Debikuro-kun no Koi to Mahou | Kitayama | |||
| 2015 | Grasshopper | Suzuki | Lead role | |
| Prophecy | Geitsu / Hiroaki Okuda | Lead role | ||
| 2016 | The Top Secret: Murder in Mind | Tsuyoshi Maki | Lead role | |
| The Mole Song: Hong Kong Capriccio | Reiji Kikukawa | Lead role | [41] | |
| 2017 | Close-Knit | Rinko | Lead role | [31] |
| My Teacher | Kōsaku Itō | Lead role | [31] | |
| 2018 | My Friend "A" | Masuda | Lead role | [31] |
| 2021 | The Mole Song: Final | Reiji Kikukawa | Lead role | [41] |
| 2022 | Sing, Dance, Act: Kabuki featuring Toma Ikuta | Self | Documentary | [42] |
| 2023 | The Dry Spell | Shunsaku Iwakiri | Lead role | [43] |
| Yudo: The Way of the Bath | Shirō Miura | Lead role | [44] | |
| 2024 | Confession | Keisuke Asai | Lead role | [45] |
| 2025 | Demon City | Shuhei Sakata | Lead role | [46] |
| Year | Award | Category | Work(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 11thNikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix | Best Supporting Actor | Hana-Kimi | Won | [49] |
| 2011 | 84thKinema Junpo Awards | Best New Actor | No Longer Human | Won | [50] |
| 53rdBlue Ribbon Awards | Rookie of the Year | Won | [51] | ||
| 2020 | 13thTokyo Drama Awards | Best Actor | If Talking Paid | Won | [52] |