Umemiya Anna

Umemiya Anna

File:UmemiyaAnna.jpg

Umemiya Anna

Profile

• Name: 梅宮アンナ / Umemiya Anna
• Profession: Actress
• Date of Birth: 20th August 1972
• Height:
• Weight:
• Star Sign: Leo
• Blood Type: O
• Birthplace: Tokyo
• Marital Status: Divorced
• Father: Umemiya Tatsuo
• Talent Agency: Stardust

Dramas

• Beauty 7
• Tengoku ni Ichiban Chikai Otoko 2
• Coming Home

Article

From ugly duckling to swan

TOKYO — It's hard to believe that Anna Umemiya was ever an "ugly duckling." But that's how the 31-year-old Japanese-American actress, model and ad campaign girl once saw herself.

Umemiya has long since blossomed into a swan, frequently appearing on TV shows, at press conferences and in magazines, as well as marketing her own brand of sunglasses and jewelry. On top of all that, she makes time to tend to her two-year-old daughter Momoka, a task made all the more challenging after she divorced her husband of 18 months last January.

Umemiya doesn't seem too bothered by all the attention. As the daughter of an American mother and Japanese father (her dad is actor Tatsuo Umemiya, famous for his yakuza roles), she is used to the tabloids.

"I never really saw myself as a showbiz personality," she says in Japanese, looking relaxed in a Dolce and Gabana outfit for her first interview with English media. "I never liked secrets myself. I want people to know what is in my head and heart. Most people probably don't like talking about their private life, but it doesn't bother me."

Indeed, three years ago, Umemiya wrote a book about her life, titled "Minikui Ahiru no ko datta Watashi" (I Was an Ugly Duckling), that frankly talked about everything from her distaste for school to her relationship with hapless actor Kenji Haga.

"I didn't like myself very much when I was a child," she recalls. "If I had gone to an American school, my features wouldn't have stood out. But at my Japanese school, teachers and pupils didn't like me because I looked different." One teacher punished her for running in the corridor by ordering her to run around the school ground 100 times. Whenever she walked along the street, she would always look down in order to hide her face. In her book, she describes how bullies threw stones at her while chanting "Gaijin, gaijin."

Wouldn't look at herself in mirror

Umemiya found it hard to look at herself in the mirror until she was old enough to start modeling. "During those years, some people perceived me as being a mean person because of my 'hard' features, so I think writing the book helped me out of my shell. I just wanted to be accepted."

Nowadays, she says she longer cares about the photographers or tabloids. It's the general public that can be more annoying. "I was in a hot spring recently, and a woman took a picture of me on her cell phone. I don't think she was after a photo of me naked, maybe just my face, but still, it was a rude thing to do."

Having Momoka has made a big difference to her life, Umemiya admits. "At first, I was so into her and didn't care about anything else. Now I want to get back into my routine. I want to talk more about balancing being a parent and mother on TV, which will cause a fuss. In this society, baby-sitting is not too common, and people think it means abandoning a child. I want to tell all the mothers out there that it is not the case. Since I got divorced, I have to take on both parental roles and at times it is really hard because I like to work, play and be a mother. But this is what I choose to do and others can, too."

What concerns her the most is child abuse and a growing alienation among youth in Japan. "I look at those girls in Shibuya and it makes me feel lonely and sad. They have no role models. What are their parents doing?"

Umemiya envies her own parents a lot. "They are very different from each other, but work as one. They often argue over little things, but I found out when I was young that arguing is not always a bad thing." Her father would storm out of the house whenever he quarreled with her mother, but afterwards he would sneak back in through a window. "The family network is so important. I have a close relationship with my parents."

She doesn't rule out getting married again. "Just because I got divorced, I don't avoid men. But my standards are much higher now. I used to be only interested in a guy's looks. Now I realize the inside should be the priority. I don't like a guy who believes that a woman should do all the housework such as laundry, cooking and washing dishes. I want to continue my job, so I cannot marry someone who asks me to give up my job. Most importantly of all, we must have the same values."

Umemiya says she is not interested in show business types — with one exception: George Clooney. "I'll learn English especially for him," she laughs.

December 19, 2003

Links

• JDorama.com
• Official site