NHK, Japan’s public broadcaster, has revealed that an American actress will play one of the leading roles in its morning serial drama starting in the Fall of 2014. Charlotte Kate Fox, who has appeared at theaters and in independent films in the United States, secured the role through an audition. She will be the first foreign actor to have a major role in one of NHK’s morning dramas.
The show is called “NHK Renzoku TV Shosetsu”, which literally means “NHK Serial TV Novel,” and is aired every weekday morning for 15 minutes over 6 months. The drama series has been broadcast for over 50 years, and its female leading role is considered to be the first step up the ladder of success for young actresses in Japan. Some say the series is the “national drama” of Japan, as many families watch it over breakfast everyday.
Fox will play the role of the Scottish wife of Masataka Taketsuru, the first whisky distiller in Japan. Taketsuru met his wife, Rita, while studying whisky distilling in Scotland from 1918 to 1920. Taketsuru took his talents back to Japan, where he succeed in whisky making at the company which now is known as Suntory Holdings. He later launched his own company, Nikka Whisky Distilling. The drama is entitled “Massan” after Rita’s nickname for her husband.