"Why?" is my starting point.

Somehow, before I knew it, I, Miki Sakai, had accumulated various titles. Actress, TV personality, wife, mother... up to this point, it's a common story, right? I think so too.

But then, when you add being a Goodwill Ambassador for World Vision Japan (2007–), an outside director for Fujiya (2021–), completing a master's degree in International Cooperation Studies (2023), and hobbies like Egyptian archaeology, flower arrangement, and flamenco... doesn't that make me seem a bit unusual? I mean, I think so myself.

In " Ten People, Ten Perspectives vol.7, " released on July 31st, I was interviewed on the theme of "Why?"—a question that deeply intrigues me. This series, titled "Wanting to Go Beyond the 'Why?'," is a continuation of that interview. Please bear with Miki Sakai's "Why?" just a little longer.

"Why?" is always my starting point.

Now, about that "Why?"... As an actor, when building a role I've been given, "Why?" is always my starting point. For example, say I'm a supporting character with just one line: "Thank you." For a lead role, their entire character and background might be explored, but a supporting role might only get that one "Thank you."

But that "Hello" should be packed with that person's life, right? What background led her to squeeze out that single word "Hello"? What feelings were behind it? Why did she choose "Hello" among all possible lines? Questions like these just keep coming, one after another. In the acting world, it's often called "character development," but facing those "whys" feels like my own way of developing a role.

This year, I visited Egypt again. The ancient Egyptian ruins never cease to amaze and move me. This time, I entered the tomb of Pharaoh Ay, the successor to Tutankhamun. For a moment, I felt a sense of déjà vu and realized something. That opened the door to my "why?" world, and now I'm searching for texts that might hold the answers I seek. Honestly, since it happened over 3,300 years ago, no one really knows the right answer. But that's what makes it so great~. That's perfectly fine (laugh).

A journey that starts with "Why?" has no final destination

I believe 90% of an actor's job is thinking "Why?". But this isn't limited to actors, right? It's like when a three-year-old suddenly starts their "Why? Why?" phase. Politics, science, art, sports, business management... I feel like "Why?" is the starting point for every profession. And that "Why?" never truly ends or concludes.

For me, when a "Why?" comes to me, I just start researching. Libraries and big bookstores are the places that save my "Why?" questions, I guess. Once I think, "Ah, I see, that's how it is," I can't hold back the urge to go beyond that "Why?"—to go to the scene of the "Why?" itself, to see what's there, to feel something.

Would you care to join me, Miki Sakai, on my "Why?" journey? Next time (#02), I'd like to talk about the "Why?" I face as an actor.