Maki Horikita
Birth name: Marina Hara (原麻里奈, Marina Hara)
Born: October 6, 1988, in Kiyose, Tokyo (age 22)
Maki Horikita (堀北真希, Horikita Maki) is a Japanese actress, an occasional radio variety show host and advertising model.
Maki Horikita started her acting career in 2003 as a U-15 idol and has since starred in a number of Japanese television dramas, TV and magazine ads, and films. Her breakthrough portrayal was her role as Nobuko Kotani, a shy and emotionally turmoiled character from the 2005 Japanese television drama, Nobuta wo Produce. She starred in this drama alongside Japanese idols Kamenashi Kazuya and Yamashita Tomohisa. She is currently considered a young prominent Japanese figure.
Profile
Stage Name: Horikita Maki
Birth Name: Hara Marina
Nickname(s): Makimaki, Homaki, Horikittie (Given by Ikuta Toma and Oguri Shun)
Occupation:
Model
Debut: 2003
Genre: Advertising
Modeling Material: General
Actress
Debut: 2003
Date of Birth: 6th October 1988
Place of Birth: Tokyo Prefecture
Blood Type: B
Height: 160cm (5'2")
Vital Statistics:
Bust: 78 cm
Waist: 58 cm
Hips: 83 cm
Family: Parents and two younger sisters
Hobby: Piano, reading books/manga
Favorite Authors: Ekuni Kaori, Onda Riku and Alex Shearer
Favorite Manga: Seito Shokun!
Favorite Anime Show: One Piece
Favorite Subjects: English, Japanese and History
Favorite Overalls: Kimono and Yukatta
Favorite Artists: SMAP, Exile, Hirai Ken, SPITZ and Godspellers, Arashi
Favorite Food: Western Food
Favorite Sport: Basketball
Special/Personal Skill: Piano
Talent Agency: Sweet Power
Biography
Horikita Maki was born the eldest of three girls on the 6th of October 1988 in Kiyose, Tokyo, Japan. She tends to be boyish during her childhood days, like in middle school, she enjoyed playing basketball or baseball with her friends on holidays. While she was in junior high, she preferred to play Dragon Ball with the boys more than playing with the girls. This was because with the girls, she couldn't play the princess the way she wanted in the princess make-believe games.
In her junior high years, she served as student council vice-president and vice-captain of the basketball club. She was also described as the “Boss of 3-C” in a number various writings. This was in recognition of her status as class leader. As she became more active in the entertainment industry, she put her club and council activities on hold. Being unable to meet her many commitments, she finally withdrew from her school activities after much deliberation, concentrating plainly on her studies and career.
Later in 2003, Horikita started to model for various advertisements and star in TV dramas and films in supporting roles. She gained much recognition from her back to back TV dramas, Densha Otoko and Nobuta wo Produce in 2005.
Her exemplary portrayal in Nobuta wo Produce as the shy Nobuko Kotani, bagged her a Best Supporting Actress award in a Japanese
award-giving body. On the other hand, the chemistry between her character, Nobuko, commonly called as Nobuta, and Kusano Akira, played by Japanese male idol Yamashita Tomohisa, was recognized as well, leading both of them to star in another drama, Kurosagi, in which Horikita bagged another Best Supporting Actress award from the same award-giving body.
She is very much into reading too, having served as a special judge in a children's literature contest on March 2007 where Japanese idol Ueto Aya was the previous special judge from the said event. Horikita was also applauded by about 2,000 attendees of her movie's, Argentine Hag, premiere screening after reading an excerpt from the original novel by Banana Yoshimoto.
Currently, Horikita is a well adored U-20 Japanese idol, constantly appearing as a cover girl in numerous teenage magazines.
Personality
Horikita Maki has been said to posses an independent character, one that refuses to lose under any circumstance. “Even in trifle playing around, she can become dead serious," according to acquaintances (from FLASH EX 2006 January 30 Edition).
Maki also has neutral views regarding romance. One time, in a Gout Temps Nouveau episode, Esumi Makiko asked if seeing Yamashita Tomohisa caused her heart to start racing. Maki answered, “My co-star is someone I work with and I cannot see him in any other light.” With regards to marriage, this is her opinion, "If one is going to marry, financial freedom is also important.” (from CIRCUS)
“I feel that the question of when someone connects with their loved one is insignificant," Maki says. “If my parents were to choose for me, I would greatly appreciate it.” Like her views in marriage, her views of having a long-distance relationship are rather well-opinionated as well. “I don’t think I am the type that can sustain something like a long distance relationship. Even if it’s only the neighboring high school, I would get
the feeling that it’s become a great distance.” (from JUNON May Issue “Horikita Maki’s Love and Friendship Counseling Room”)[2]
(NOTE: All the "Personality" and "Trivia" information is translated from the Japanese Wikipedia page of Horikita Maki by a forum member in D-Addicts. The link of the site is cited below, in the "External Links" and "References" section. Some information are paraphrased.)
Filmography
Films
Promotional Picture of HINOKIO featuring Horikita and the robot, Hinokio
DVD Cover of One Missed Call 3 with Kuroki and HorikitaYear Title
2003 COSMIC RESCUE
Seventh Anniversary
2004 Sekai no Chuushin de Ai wo Sakebu
Shibuya Ghost Story
Shibuya Ghost Story 2
HIRAKATA
Ghost Story New Mimifcro
J-Horror Theater Prophecy
2005 Yogen
Gyakkyou Nine
HINOKIO
Crimson
shinku
Always: Sunset on Third Street
2006 Ketai Daka
Haru No Ibasho
TRICK 2
2007 One Missed Call 3 (Final)
Always - Zoku 3chome no Yuhi
Argentina Hag
Koisuru Nichiyoubi ~Watashi.Koishita
2008 ARCANA
Kurosagi: The Movie
Tokyo Shounen
TV Dramas
Densha ?? Supporting 2003 ??
Keitai Deka Zenigata Mai as Zenigata Mai (Leading) 2003, TBS
Doubutsu no Oisha-san ?? (Supporting) 2003 ??
Division 1 Stage 8: "Houkago" ?? (Supporting) 2004, Fuji TV
Kaidan Shin Mimibukuro ?? (Supporting) 2004, TBS
Ningen No Shoumei as Kouri Sayaka (Supporting) 2004, Fuji TV
Man's Proof ?? (Supporting) 2005 ??
Densha Otoko as Yamada Aoi (Supporting) 2005, Fuji TV
Nobuta wo Produce as Kotani Nobuko (Supporting) 2005, NTV
Tsubasa No Oreta Tenshitachi as Yuna/Komine Nanako (Leading) 2006, Fuji TV
Kurosagi as Yoshikawa Tsurara (Supporting) 2006, TBS
Densha Otoko DX~Saigo No Seizen as Yamada Aoi (Supporting) 2006, Fuji TV
Teppan Shoujo Akane as Kagura Akane (Leading) 2006, TBS
Seito Shokun! as Kimura Juria (Supporting) 2007, TV Asahi
Hanazakari no Kimitachi e as Ashiya Mizuki (Leading) 2007, Fuji TV
Atsu-Hime as Kazunomiya Chikako (Supporting) 2008, NHK
Endorsements
Shiseido - Seabreeze Deo & Water (2007)
Lotte - Ice Yogurt (2007)
Lotte - Ghana (2006)
Lotte - Airs (2005)
Try@HOME - (2005)
Fujifilm - Fujicolor (2004)
Nissinbo - Cotton Feel (2004)
Nintendo GBA - Fire Emblem (2003)
Other
PV Appearances
BUMP OF CHICKEN- Namida no Furusato PV
Remioromen - Sangatsu Kokonoka PV (2005)
Janne Da Arc - Furimukeba PV (2006)
Photobooks
Shinkaron
Castella
Awards/Recognitions
47th Television Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actress (Nobuta wo Produce)
49th Television Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actress (Kurosagi)
29th Japan Academy Awards: Best Newcomer (Always -Sunset on Third Street)
MTV Student Voice Awards 2006: Best Teen Actress
Japanese U-20 Scholar Idol Ranking 2007: Placed #4
Trivia
When she was young, she wanted to become Sailor Moon, a female ninja, a policewoman, and a rich person.
On her days off, she generally spends it outdoors. Shopping with friends or going to the karaoke for example.
She treasures her family and enjoys spending time with them.
In middle school, she had a boyfriend of three years. “They’d split up time and time again, but they usually worked out their differences and it continued like this for three years," according to acquaintances.
She’s bad at things like variety show talks, and one could see that she’s often at a loss for a response.
She serves as a radio variety show host for GIRLS! LOCK. Her stint is during 22:00 in the evening.
She has poor eyesight, and because she uses contact lens she has said that her eyes get dry from things like photographic sessions.
She has a weird fetish for insects.
She’s highly capable of reading the questioner’s mind, making her see through the answers in multiple-choice tests. She has mentioned that she can score 40 points on multiple-choice questions alone. (A good proportion of the correct answers in the national language test are “u” ("c" in Western culture), according to her).
She’s under the same agency as Kuroki Meisa and is good friends with her. A year and a half since graduating from middle school, they were on living terms at the agency’s dormitories. (from SPA!) She is highly appreciative of Meisa’s leading stage roles in “Atami Satsujin Jiken (Atami Murder Case)” and “Azumi".
Remioromen’s Maeda Keisuke, in “SCHOOL OF LOCK!” uttered in a talk that “she is the kind of daughter I would like to have”.
Because of the shadow patterns that fall on her face and the ambience that results, she has made countless appearances as the lead of horror films.
She is very comfortable with fellow Hana Kimi actor, Ikuta Toma. In fact, as of July 2007, Ikuta has guested twice in her radio show.
