Jurina Matsui

Jurina Matsui was born on March 8, 1997, in Kasugai, Aichi Prefecture as the only child to Yumiko Matsui, a cosmetologist. Matsui was interested in singing since nursery school, then came to like dancing when she started to attend hip-hop dance school around the third grade of primary school. Thinking singing and dancing are what idols do, Matsui started aiming to become an idol.Matsui had first her first movie and non-AKB48 Group related role by starring in a Nagoya-based movie Waya! Uchuu Ichi no Osekkai Daisakusen in 2011. Matsui and another SKE48 member Kumi Yagami were given roles in the movie after director Kohatsu Yo held an audition for all 57 members of SKE48 at their theater. At the time of the filming, Matsui was only 13 years old, even though her character in the film was 18 years old. In 2012, Matsui starred in the third episode of the television miniseries Blackboard: Jidai to Tatakatta Kyōshitachi. She played Minami Hirokawa, an honor student who was inspired by the rebellious Masaki that was played by Ryūnosuke Kamiki. In January 2014, Matsui played as a new secretary to Koichi Sato's character in a special broadcast of the mystery television drama Kagi no Kakatta Heya. In September, Matsui played a supporting role as a part-time maiko in Japan Academy Film Prize-winning musical comedy movie Lady Maiko directed by Masayuki Suo. In 2015, Matsui starred in the movie Furiko, a live-action adaptation of a flip book-like short animation movie with the same title by comedian Tekken. The movie was screened at the 6th Okinawa International Movie Festival. Matsui played the role of Koharu Hasegawa, the daughter of the main characters, and portrayed her life from middle school to her 20s. In April 2016, Matsui played the younger version of Miki Nakatani's role in It's Not That I Can't Marry, But I Don't Want To. In July, Matsui cast in her first non-AKB48 Group leading role in the midnight horror drama Death Cash broadcast on TBS. She played the role of Yuka Manami, a college student who was seeking the truth behind a mysterious case involving cursed 10,000 yen cash. SKE48's 20th single "Kin no Ai, Gin no Ai" served as its theme song. On October 2, Matsui announced she would transfer her agency from AKS to Irving to improve her activities in the entertainment world, including acting. In 2019, Matsui made her acting comeback by guest-starring in TV Asahi's crime drama Emergency Interrogation Room alongside Yūki Amami. She played Hinako Tachibana, a new shogi champion who was suspected of murder. On April 18, Matsui made her debut in a stage play by playing Hamlet in the SKE48 version of Hamlet. Written and directed by Maruo Maruichirō, the stage play is the culmination of acting challenges SKE48 members received from specialists on their variety TV show SKEBINGO!. In 2020, Matsui reprised her role in Kagi no Kakatta Heya Special Edition 3 for a special re-broadcast with additional scenes. By the time of her graduation as an SKE48 member in 2021, Matsui has starred in many AKB48 Group-related television series, including leading roles in Majisuka Gakuen 2 (2011), Tōfu Pro Wrestling (2017), and Cabasuka Gakuen (2016). Matsui went on hiatus due to "poor physical condition" in April 2022. Ten months later, she asked her fans to "give [her] more time" for her return through her official Instagram account. She eventually left Irving after her contract expired on December 31, 2023.