Masataka Kubota

History

Kubota was born in Kanagawa Prefecture. He is the youngest of three brothers. He hoped to become a vehicle mechanic and enrolled in the mechanical department of Kanagawa Technical Senior High School. While Kubota was still in high school, his mother encouraged him to enter show business. After the audition, Kubota joined entertainment agency Stardust Promotion and became an actor.

In 2006, Kubota was debut starring Fuji Television's late-night television series Chekeraccho! in Tokyo. In the same year, he also made his film debut in Yuki Inomata's film Humoresque. But he often failed auditions until he was 19, and there were times when he thought about giving up acting. However, he was chosen again to be the lead actor in the television series K-tai Investigator 7 in 2008. He says his encounter with director Takashi Miike, who directed the series, was a turning point in his life.

Kubota was then gradually recognised for his acting ability and appeared in several popular Japanese national television series, including NHK Asadora and Taiga drama. In 2012, Kubota appeared in Taiga drama Taira no Kiyomori, he played Taira no Shigemori, the tragic heir to the lead role of Taira no Kiyomori. In 2014, he appeared Asadora Hanako to Anne, he became well known for playing the childhood friend of Hanako, the lead character. He then became a popular actor with appearances in popular television series Testimony of N written by Kanae Minato in 2014 and Death Note in 2015.

Kubota starred in Takashi Miike's 2019 film First Love. The film was selected for the Directors' Fortnight at the 72nd Cannes Film Festival, and Kubota attended the festival with Miike.

In 2020, he was cast as the lead in the first half of the 2020 Asadora Yell. It was the first time since Massan, which aired in the second half of 2014, that a man was the main character in asadora.

In 2021, Kubota won Newcomer of the Year of Elan d'or Awards for his work as an actor the previous year. In 2022, he won the Best Supporting Actor Award at the 46th Japan Academy Film Prize for the film A Man.

Personal life

Kubota and actress Asami Mizukawa's agency jointly announced that the two were engaged. They registered their marriage on 21 September 2019.

Filmography

Films

Boku no Hatsukoi o Kimi ni Sasagu (2009)

Kyōretsu! Mōretsu!! Kodai Shōjo Doguchan Matsuri Special Movie Edition (2010), Makoto Sugihara

Gachiban Series (2010–2014), Yūto Kuronaga

13 Assassins (2010), Shōjirō Kokura

We Can't Change the World. But, We Wanna Build a School in Cambodia. (2011), Masayuki Yano

Hasami (2012), Yōhei Hayama

Rurouni Kenshin (2012), Akira Kiyosato

The Cowards Who Looked to the Sky (2012), Ryōta Fukuda

Suzuki Sensei (2013), Yoshio Shirai

Jellyfish Eyes (2013), Yoninshū Seiryū

Goddotan Kiss Gaman Senshuken The Movie (2013), Michael

Tobe Dakota (2013), Kenichi Kimura

The Liar and His Lover (2013), Shinya Shinohara

Dakishimetai: Shinjitsu no Monogatari (2014), Junpei

Yamikin Ushijima-kun Part 2 (2014), Rei Kanzaki

Naniwa Sendō (2014)

Eiga ST Aka to Shiro no Sōsa File (2015), Yūji Kurosaki

April Fools (2015), Matsuda

Prophecy (2015), Yūichi Aoyama

Television

Chekeraccho!! in Tokyo (2006), Takumi Aoba

Jikuu Keisatsu Wecker Signa (2007), Ēichi Karasuma

Mop Girl Episode 7 (2007), Jun

K-tai Investigator 7 (2008–2009), Keita Amishima

Naniwa no Hana: Ogata Kōan Jikenchō (2009), Akira Ogata

Mama wa Mukashi Papa Datta (2009), Shinichirō Kayama(Miwako)

The Ancient Dogoo Girl (2009), Makoto Sugihara

Xmas no Kiseki (2009), Ken Hayashida

Boku ga Celeb to Kekkon Shita Hōhō (2010), Shinnosuke Sawada

My Husband Is a Cartoonist (2010), Kēichi Kurata

Joker: Yurusarezaru Sōsakan Episode 4 (2010), Takahiro Shiina

Koisuru Nihongo (2011), Akira

Misaki Number One!! Episode 3 (2011), Nakatsu

Honboshi: Shinri Tokusō Jikenbo Episode 4 (2011), Keita Minobe

Karyū no Utage (2011), Shō Fukuhara

Aishiteru: Kaiyō (2011)

QP (2011), Eiji

Nazotoki wa Dinner no Atode Episode 4 (2011), Miura

Shiritsu Bakaleya Koukou (2012), Hakamatsuka