Tao Okamoto wins THR Trailblazer Award, recalls her transformation from New York model to actor

 The acting career that started in 2013 with The Wolverine brought Tao Okamoto back to Japan from New York.On the evening of October 27, she received the Hollywood Reporter-Trailblazer Award at the “American Movie Night” held at the American Club in Tokyo. In her speech, she recalled how this journey, which she had not expected at first, reconnected her with her Japanese roots.

“Before that, I had been working as a model in New York and had never thought I would become an actor, so it was an unexpected gift.” She said that she was lucky to participate in American productions, but she always hoped that one day, Japanese audiences would also regard her as an actor.

In 2023, she moved the focus of her work and life from the United States back to Japan and began to develop here seriously.Later, she encountered All of a Sudden directed by Hamaguchi Ryusuke.This film, co-produced with France, Germany, and Belgium, is also her first European film project; she won the Best Actress Award at this year's Cannes Film Festival for her performance in the film.

Okamoto Tao said that this film carries the expectations of people from different countries, and she believes this is also the reason why the work was recognized by Cannes.“People meet across countries and cultures, and new expressions are born - this is one of the happiest things about cinema.” She said that she will continue to cherish these encounters and hopes to participate in films that can connect Japan and the world.

In addition to Wolverine 2, she has also appeared in Hannibal and The Man in the High Castle.The awards were jointly presented by Urmila Venugopalan, President and Managing Director of the Motion Picture Association of America Pacific Region, and Tsuji Shigashi, Chairman of THR Japan.She is also the third Japanese to win this award after Shogun actors Hiratake Dai and Asano Tadanobu.The award honors artists who, through their work and professional experiences, have given visibility to stories and characters that have long been marginalized in Hollywood.

“American Movie Night” 2026 is organized by THR Japan in cooperation with the American Film Institute and takes place during the Tokyo International Film Festival.Japanese film industry executives, government officials, local filmmakers and actors, and visiting Hollywood industry professionals gathered for the dinner.The 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States and cultural cooperation between Japan and the United States were topics that were mentioned repeatedly that night.

The event opened with a special message from Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.She said that the close cooperation between Japan and the United States in the film and media industries not only supports cultural exchanges but is also an important driving force for the global entertainment economy; she hopes that this event can further deepen exchanges and partnerships between the two parties.She also expressed her congratulations to Tao Okamoto, saying that pioneers like her bring hope to the next generation of creators.

Actors present include Mindai Kusanagi of Shall We Dance?, Masaya Kato of Brother, Ayumi Ito of Swallowtail Butterfly, and Sara Klimoska, star of the current Tokyo Film Festival competition film Sister Brother Manhole Cover.The film's director Mirko Manchevsky also attended; his 1994 feature film debut - Before the Rain - won the Venice Golden Lion.

--Departures director Yojiro Takita, Shogun producer Eriko Miyagawa, and Tokyo Vice executive producer Alex Borden also came to the scene.Tokyo Film Festival Chairman Takero Hisamatsu, TIFFCOM CEO Shiina Yasu and Managing Director Ikeda Kaori attended the dinner.

Attendees from the government and diplomatic circles included Japanese Minister of Justice Takashi Yamashita, Deputy Foreign Minister Mizuki Horii, former Deputy Minister of Justice Mitani Hidehiro, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Affairs Mitsuko Ishii, Senator Akamatsu Ken, as well as Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo Aaron D. Snipe, and Minister Counselor Thomas Hwei.

In terms of Hollywood and international companies, attendees included AGBO partner Christopher Brereton, Amazon MGM Studios Japan head Buddy Marini, NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan president and CEO Doyama Shoji, Disney Japan executive director of content production Gaku Narita, Netflix Asia Pacific director of content, studio and production affairs Debra Richards, and MPAA Asia Pacific vice president Stephen Jenner.Jenner is also one of the main organizers of this event.

The Japanese industry was attended by Toei President and CEO Fumio Yoshimura, JCOM President Yoichi Iwaki, and U-NEXT Chief Operating Officer Toshihiko Honda.