Japanese actress Maria Ozawa is part of the cast of “Pulang Araw,” which airs weeknights on GMA and is also streaming on Netflix. She plays Haruka Tanaka, the mother of Hiroshi Tanaka played by David Licauco.
The war drama revolves around the love story of the main characters during World War II when the Japanese occupied the Philippines.
“Pulang Araw” also stars Alden Richards, Dennis Trillo, Barbie Forteza, and Sanya Lopez.
Maria admitted having mixed feelings when she first read the script and “I was thinking, ‘Would I be able to act out as a good Japanese mother?’ I didn’t want to disrespect anybody or the role itself, so I studied some of the history back then and how everything was like back in the day,” she said during her interview on “Fast Talk with Boy Abunda.”
It is already her 10th year in the Philippines. Maria came to the country when her Filipino friends visited Japan, and encouraged her to travel here. She said the hospitality is great, the food is good, and the weather is nice in the Philippines.
Maria was 19 years old when she started acting in adult videos (AV) in Japan. She was working in bars and lounges as a part-owner at that time.
She shared, “The people I met, especially the girls who worked there, were already in the business. They were talking about it and saying, ‘Do you know that you could go to foreign countries for a magazine shoot when you get famous? You could go on TV.’ I was like, ‘Maybe it’s a good idea to get famous ‘cause I wanted to go abroad. I wanted to go to different countries. I wanted to get out of Japan.” Maria wanted to explore and experience different things from places she hadn’t visited yet.
She had the impression that the adult movie industry was a dark and dangerous business. It eventually changed when she discovered that the people working there were very nice. It also depends on the girls and why they choose to work in that industry. “But it’s not because they all wanted money or they had no dreams. People really had a dream and they were using that industry for their step up. They had their own mind and they knew what they were doing. So, it was like something very new and different but in a good way,” she explained.
Maria already stopped doing adult videos. “I wanted to quit the industry while people still know about me or when they’re still talking about me. ‘Cause how am I supposed to prove anything if I’m not famous anymore?”
Some of her friends turned their backs on her when she was acting in AV but the ones who remained have supported her and they have been together for a long time now. Maria’s relationship with her family also got strained. “I understand where they were coming from. They’re parents, I’m a girl. Of course, they would go against it.” Maria left the house after telling them she would come back bigger and better. But she never returned. Their relationship is doing better now. She invited them to visit the Philippines a couple of times and hopefully, they would come one day.
There was a time when she doubted love because of the nature of her job as an AV actress. She became cynical about men’s real intentions for her. Some men backed off when they discovered that Maria was doing AV. “They would say that I would never be able to be in a real relationship. You won’t be able to trust people because you’re in the industry. Who would think about you in a serious way?”
But true love will find its way to Maria at the perfect time. I loved how she smiled at me when I asked her during our conversation if she was in love right now. Her smile said it all.