Yuumi Kawai | |
|---|---|
| 河合 優実 | |
Yuumi Kawai on the red carpet at the 2025 Locarno Film Festival | |
| Born | (2000-12-19)19 December 2000 (age 24) Tokyo, Japan |
| Alma mater | Nihon University College of Art |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 2019–present |
Yuumi Kawai orYūmi Kawai (河合 優実,Kawai Yūmi; born 19 December 2000 in Tokyo) is a Japanese actress.[1][2]
In 2019, Kawai made her acting debut in the short filmYodominaku, Yamanai.[1] In 2022, she was given the Best Newcomer award at the43rd Yokohama Film Festival for her roles inA Balance andIt's a Summer Film.[3] She continued her success by winning Best Supporting Actress at the44th Yokohama Film Festival for her roles in various other films,[4] includingPlan 75, which earned her a nomination of Best Supporting Actress at the16th Asian Film Awards.[5][6]
She has also been active in television drama acting, with roles inExtremely Inappropriate![7] andThe Child Of God Murmurs[8] earning her two acting awards in 2024. In particular, audience ofExtremely Inappropriate! (where Kawai plays a high-school student in the 1980s) noticed her resemblance toMomoe Yamaguchi when in-character, and proceeded to name Kawai "Momoe-chan from theReiwa era".[9][10] This TV series had a significant impact, and after its broadcast ended, she was cast in commercials for well-known companies such asShiseido,Uniqlo, andSuntory. According toOricon's survey, she ranked as the No. 1 breakout actress of the first half of 2024.[11]
Kawai was chosen as one of the 15 individuals (or groups) for "This Year's Face" by Model Press, and 2024 became a breakthrough year for her.[12]
Her hobbies are dancing, singing, drawing and playing basketball. When she was in the third grade, she started to attend dance studio with her younger sister. Although she went on hiatus in dancing during middle school, Kawai joined her high school dance club. As she continued dancing, she realized the joy of "expressing" and decided to become an actress.[13]
Kawai is good friends with fellow actressAi Mikami, as both of them attendedNihon University College of Art together.[14]
She respectsMirai Moriyama as both an actor and a dancer.[15]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Yodominaku, Yamanai | Lead role; short film | [1] | |
| 2020 | Rolling Marbles | Moeko | [16] | |
| A Beloved Wife | High school girl who makes Udon | [1] | ||
| Sasaki in My Mind | Naemura | [17] | ||
| 2021 | It's a Summer Film | Beat-ban (Kickboard) | [18] | |
| A Balance | Mei | [19] | ||
| Unfeigned Happy Ending | Yū | [20] | ||
| 2022 | Just Remembering | Izumi | [21] | |
| Love Nonetheless | Misaki | [22] | ||
| To Be Killed by a High School Girl | Aoi Sugi | [23] | ||
| Plan 75 | Yōko Narimiya | [24] | ||
| A Man | Akane | [25] | ||
| A Winter Rose | Tomoka Misaki | [26] | ||
| The Lines That Define Me | Kawagishi | [27] | ||
| A Hundred Flowers | Misaki | [28] | ||
| 2023 | Sayonara, Girls. | Manami Yamashiro | Lead role | [29] |
| In Her Room | Yōko | [30] | ||
| Heartless | Hana | [31] | ||
| 2024 | A Girl Named Ann | Ann | Lead role | [32] |
| April Come She Will | Jun Sakamoto | [33] | ||
| Look Back | Fujino (voice) | Lead role | [34] | |
| Desert of Namibia | Kana | Lead role | [35] | |
| Hakkenden: Fiction and Reality | Hamaji | [36] | ||
| 2025 | Teki Cometh | Ayumi Sugai | [37] | |
| She Taught Me Serendipity | Hana Sakurada | [38] | ||
| A Bad Summer | Aimi Hayashino | [39] | ||
| Renoir | Kuriko Kita | [40] | ||
| Two Seasons, Two Strangers | Nagisa | [41] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | In Hand | Kaori Kikuchi | Episode 4 | [42] |
| 2022 | Teen Regime | Suguri Saiga | Miniseries | [43] |
| One Night Morning | Tamako | Lead role; episode 4 | [44] | |
| First Love | Nanako Kimitsu | Episode 3 | [45] | |
| 2023 | My Family | Nami Kishimoto | Lead role | [46] |
| The Child of God Murmurs | Haruka Kinoshita | Lead role; television film | [47] | |
| 2024 | Extremely Inappropriate! | Junko Ogawa | [48] | |
| RoOT/Route of Odd Taxi | Rena | Lead role | [49] | |
| Like a Dragon: Yakuza | Yumi Sawamura | [50] | ||
| 2025 | Anpan | Ranko Asada | Asadora | [51] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 75th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen | Judge | [52] |
| Year | Song | Artist | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Duets | Maaya Sakamoto | [53] |
| 2022 | Ame San San | King Gnu | [54] |
| Year | Award | Category | Work(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 41st Zenkoku Eiren Awards | Best Supporting Actress | A Balance | Won | [55] |
| 43rd Yokohama Film Festival | Best Newcomer | A Balance andIt's a Summer Film | Won | [3] | |
| 76thMainichi Film Awards | Best New Actress | A Balance | Nominated | [56] | |
| 95thKinema Junpo Awards | Best New Actress | A Balance,It's a Summer Film andUnfeigned Happy Ending | Won | [57] | |
| 64thBlue Ribbon Awards | Best Newcomer | A Balance andIt's a Summer Film | Won | [58] | |
| Elle Cinema Awards 2022 | ElleGirl Rising Star | Love Nonetheless andPlan 75 | Won | [59] | |
| 35thNikkan Sports Film Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Plan 75,A Winter Rose,A Man, and others | Nominated | [60] | |
| Best Newcomer | Won | ||||
| 47thHochi Film Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Plan 75,A Winter Rose andJust Remembering | Nominated | [61] | |
| 2023 | 44th Yokohama Film Festival | Best Supporting Actress | Plan 75,A Winter Rose,A Man, and others | Won | [62] |
| 16th Asian Film Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Plan 75 | Nominated | [5] | |
| 2024 | 50th Hoso Bunka Foundation Prize | Acting Skill Award | NHK Special "Shūkyō nisei" seriesThe Child of God Murmurs | Won | [8] |
| Elle Cinema Awards 2024 | Elle Best Actress | Desert of Namibia | Won | [63] | |
| 37thNikkan Sports Film Awards | Best Actress | A Girl Named Ann,Desert of Namibia andLook Back | Nominated | [64] | |
| 2025 | 79thMainichi Film Awards | Best Lead Performance | A Girl Named Ann andDesert of Namibia | Won | [65] |
| 67thBlue Ribbon Awards | Best Actress | Won | [66] | ||
| 98thKinema Junpo Awards | Best Actress | Won | [67] | ||
| 49thElan d'or Awards | Newcomer of the Year | Herself | Won | [68] | |
| 48th Japan Academy Film Prize | Best Actress | A Girl Named Ann | Won | [69] | |
| 18th Asian Film Awards | Best Actress | Desert of Namibia | Nominated | [70] |