69. The Sweetheart
441 Words
There were some people – or at least had been, in the beginning – who did not believe that Hidaka Noriko would make a good actress. She had been a shy, quiet and sweet-natured girl all of her life, and everyone knew that the entertainment industry could be brutal at times.
Noriko had never even dreamed about a career in acting, it had all happened quite by an accident. There had been an audition for a supporting character in a highschool TV drama, and the production theme wanted an amateur to play the part, and actual high school girl to make it feel more realistic. It had been Noriko's friend who had wanted to audition, and who had begged Noriko to come with her for a moral support. The director had seen Noriko, though, and decided on the spot that her image was perfect for the character he had in mind.
To her great surprise, Noriko had found out that she really did love acting. It was exhilarating, to become a whole new person on film. It was exciting to try out many different roles. Her current role as 'Kikyo' in Inuyasha was really interesting, mainly because 'Kikyo' had such a different personality from her own. It was also a challenging role to act. Kikyo was so passive and inexpressive, that Noriko had to focus really hard to keep her facial expressions in check, and trying to react to her fellow cast member's acting in a way 'Kikyo' would.
But even though she enjoyed acting a great deal, not all of the things in an actress' life were appealing to her. She didn't like promotion at all – just a few weeks back a movie she had been in had finally come out on DVD, which spurred the usual round of TV appearances and interviews where she would try to promote the movie.
She felt uncomfortable in the spotlight alone, without any role to hide behind, when she was not living as another person and was just the normal Hidaka Noriko again.
She didn't like reporters that much either, she was a very private person and did not want to see all the details of her life in headlines. Not that they would be nasty to her or anything, but she simply didn't want her whole life broadcasted. Her work was very public, but what she did in private really wasn't anybody's business.
Still, she had never regretted becoming an actress. It had allowed her to experience so many different things. And, what was the most amazing thing of all, it had brought Taiki into her life.
She would forever be grateful for that.