Bella Matsumoto

From Clumsy Media

Bella Matsumoto (松本 ベァ, Matsumoto Bela, born August 9, 1996) is a Japanese actress. She is best known for her pure image and down to earth personality. Matsumoto was able to rise to national fame in her debut role in the film Dearest.

Her brother Masashi Matsumoto is a model actor, and are known in the industry for their close bond.

Contents

Background Information

Birthname: Matsumoto Bella / 松本 ベァ / 松本贝菈
DOB: November 15th, 1996
Height: 168 cm
Nationality: Japanese
Graudate: Musashi High School (2009-current)
Management: Clumsy Media (2012-current)

Early Life

Matsumoto was born in Rebun Island, Hokkaido of Japan on August 9, 1996, the daughter of a theater actress and a retired army sniper as the youngest of two. Her older brother Masashi Matsumoto is a model turned actor.

Career

2012-2013: Debut, established image and 'national young talent'

Being influenced by her older brother's success in the entertainment industry, she eventually developed an interest in acting and wanted to pursue it actively as a career choice. She applied for a private audition at the same management company of her brother mid-2009 but failed to pass the interview selection, and within the next two years she auditioned another two times and was offered with an exclusive contract during the early months of 2011.

Due to her fresh and innocent appearance, her manager recommended her to go audition for a role in the film Dearest. She would go on to win the director Yasuo Furuhata's approval and made a quite debut with that project in August 25, 2012. The film was a critical and commercial success but reportedly she did not expect to achieve popularity. Her portrayal of the role earned many praises, and as a result achieved great popularity in the country. Her acting was critically acclaimed and because of her fresh and innocent image, she started gathering a large number of fans. Matsumoto was dubbed by the Japanese media as 'the ideal sister figure' and as the teen actress with the most promising talent.

Despite her established warming and pure image which was receiving favorable attention, she decided to become involved in the thriller film Lesson of the Evil as her project. Filming began on April 10, 2012 and finished two months later. It failed to receive the same amount of critical and commercial success as her last project, her performance was praised by professionals once again. During filming she formed "a mentor like relationship" with director Miike Takashi. Shortly after Matsumoto was invited to participate in his next project, the action thriller Shield of Straw and filming began on August 19, 2012 and finished in early October. It was released the next year to luke-warm ratings and reception despite the big names involved. In an interview Matsumoto later admitted that although the setting was promising, the script was "weak with holes of doubt" but accepted as she wanted to work with the director again.

On July 4, 2013 it was reported that Matsumoto is currently considering for a role in the thriller action film Monster, a Japanese remake of the Korean film Haunters. She confirmed her involvement through her official fan site the next day with filming started several days later. It was released on May 30, 2014 to commercial success but received average reviews.

2014-2017: Growing domestic popularity and Hollywood expansion

On June 22, 2013 Matsumoto's agency announced that she has been handpicked by director Martin Scorsese to participate in the Hollywood film Silence which is based on a Japanese novel of the same name. It entered into production in June 2014 and was released in 2016 to critical reception. On December 13, 2013 the Japanese media reported she has been linked with a project that's based on the Japanese manga Battle Angel Alita which is scheduled to be directed by James Cameron. Matsumoto reportedly ultimately dropped out during the second round of auditions after deciding to focus on her career domestically.

On June 17, 2014 it was announced that she has been cast in the thriller film Grasshopper which had entered into filming the next month.

2018-current: Transition into mature roles

In January 2018, Matsumoto was cast into the movie Taberu Onna followed by the period film Kingdom which saw the actress formally challenging herself and transitioning into a much more mature role, departing from the previous young adult roles that established her initial popularity.

Filmography

Movies

Dramas

Personal life

Matsumoto has named her two time co-star Fujiwara Tatsuya as her favourite actor. In an interview she revealed ever since he played a role in the cult film Battle Royale she had become a fan and has always hoped for collaboration, "[Battle Royale is] one of my favourite films so in many ways he has inspired my acting and I am able to be here today because of him." Fujiwara later responded to the news with surprise and shared when they worked together previously, she did not display the affections of a fan, praising her professionalism.

She is known to excel in a wide range of Japanese martial arts. She has confirmed that she holds the second rank (dan) within the highest black belt degree of taekwon-do. Having achieved this at seventeen-years-of-age, she is the yougest ever female accomplisher. It has also been reported that she currently holds the sixth dan in kendo and is an official renshi; third dan in kyūdō and has up to eight years of experiences in jujutsu. During her spare time she also practises yabusame (mounted Japanese archery) and katana (swordsmanship, the art of sword)

On March 17, 2013 various news tabloids reported that the Matsumoto siblings are related to someone of high position in Japan's biggest crime gang organisation, the Yamaguchi-gumi. Released police reports revealed an unnamed public figure, identified with the code name 'BM' who was "often seen at the family concentrated events of the group", leading many to suspect her identity. Her brother was also accused of committing underage drug possession and violence crimes with a criminal record under his real birth name which is unknown the public. The news shocked the nation at the time and was a headline topic among all major shows and newspapers. These claims were later denied by both of their respective representatives.

Friendships

Matsumoto has named actress Honoka Miki as her closest friend in the entertainment industry. She has also been captured by the press to be close with many other actors, including Yamada Ryosuke, Chinen Yuuri, Shota Sometani and Sota Fukushi.

Relationships

Matsumoto met fellow actor Kento Hayashi on the set of the film Lesson of the Evil in 2012 and began dating. They subsequently announced their breakup in May 2013.

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