Sawajiri also launched a singing career through the 2006 television drama Taiyō no Uta, where her first commercially-released song of the same name was certified Million by the Recording Industry Association of Japan.
She later returned to acting in 2010 and starred in Helter Skelter, for which she received a Best Leading Actress nomination at the 36th Japan Academy Film Prize.
Following a second hiatus, Sawajiri will be resuming activities on stage with a New National Theatre Tokyo production of A Streetcar Named Desire in 2024.
[2] Erika Sawajiri was born in Nerima, Tokyo to a Japanese father and an Algerian Kabyle mother who was raised in France,[3][4][5] and is the youngest of three children.
Her father owned 16 racehorses, including Edonokoban (エドノコバン), giving her ample opportunities to engage in horseback riding as a child.
She became part of the idol girl group Angel Eyes and began modeling for junior fashion magazines such as Cutie and Nicola.
[9] In 2012, Sawajiri was originally scheduled to star in the live-action film version of Space Battleship Yamato but was replaced by Meisa Kuroki.
[10][11] In 2013, Sawajiri was nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role at the 36th Japan Academy Awards for her performance in Helter Skelter.
[14] During the premiere for Closed Note on September 29, 2007, Sawajiri, seemingly unhappy with the film, gave terse answers to the reporters.
[5][25][26] The incident, compounded with Sawajiri's relationship with Takashiro, affected her public image greatly,[5] and she withdrew her appearance at the Busan International Film Festival because of it.
[5] Since the incident, the phrase "None, really" (別に, Betsu ni), one of her responses to the reporters, became a viral phenomenon,[24] and she was featured in a Snickers commercial in 2011 parodying herself.