[1][2] Matsumoto began his career in the entertainment industry when he joined the Japanese talent agency Johnny & Associates in 1996 at the age of 12.
Prior to his debut as a singer with Arashi in 1999, Matsumoto started an acting career when he was cast as Teddy Duchamp for the stage play Stand by Me, which was based on the film of the same name.
Thinking it might bode good luck, he sent his application to the agency on his elementary school graduation day and received a phone call weeks later from president Johnny Kitagawa himself, inviting him to attend a rehearsal instead of being auditioned.
[3] Matsumoto graduated from Horikoshi Gakuen, a renowned high school known for its many performing arts alumnae such as Kyoko Fukada and Ai Kato, in March 2002 at the age of 18.
[8] As with fellow member Ninomiya, Matsumoto announced on May 16, 2024, that he would become independent from Starto in relation to individual activities, but would remain as part of Arashi.
On the opening page of the website, Matsumoto states the plans of the company: "We focus on creativity and bonding to generate new value, aiming to lead Japan and the world to a brighter future through entertainment."
[32] 3 years prior to Arashi Live Tour 2014 The Digitalian, Matsumoto had been putting efforts into the idea of utilizing light color changes via bluetooth onto penlights, and the concept was successfully implemented in the previously mentioned concert.
[33] In 1997, Matsumoto was cast in his first stage play, which was based on the American coming of age film Stand by Me with future bandmates Masaki Aiba and Kazunari Ninomiya.
[37] The play, called Sei sankaku kankei (正三角関係, Trilateral connection), is loosely based on Fyodor Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov.
Matsumoto, who shared the stage with Masami Nagasawa, and Eita Nagayama, plays the eldest of the Karamatsu brothers, a pyrotechnic artist, in a suspense story that deals with the "incident" of the murder of their father.
[38][39] Like bandmate Sakurai, Matsumoto made his acting debut as a television actor in April 1997 in the TBS drama special Hoken Chousain (保険調査員, Insurance Investigator).
[41] Matsumoto gained further popularity as an actor in 2002, when he starred in the first season of Gokusen with Yukie Nakama, Shun Oguri, Tomohiro Waki, Hiroki Narimiya and Yuma Ishigaki.
His portrayal of the troubled but highly intelligent student, Shin Sawada, drew acclaim and won him Best Supporting Actor at the 33rd Television Drama Academy Awards.
[43] In 2003, Matsumoto took another high-profile role in the live-action adaptation of manga series Kimi wa Pet as Takeshi "Momo" Goda, starring opposite Koyuki.
In 2005, Matsumoto took the most prominent role of his career to date, when he was cast as Domyōuji Tsukasa in the live-action adaptation of shōjo manga Hana Yori Dango.
Co-starring opposite Oguri again, and with Mao Inoue, Shota Matsuda and Tsuyoshi Abe, the series was a success with an average viewership rating of 19.6%.
Matsumoto's portrayal as the air-headed and arrogant leader of four rich heirs won him Best Supporting Actor again at the 47th Television Drama Academy Awards.
In the new series, Hana Nochi Hare ~ Hanadan Next Season, that aired in 2018, he returned as Domyōuji (along with Oguri and Matsuda, two more of the original F4 members) for a one-episode guest appearance.
[52] Fuji TV announced on September 10, 2009, that Matsumoto would star in a three-part drama special called Wagaya no Rekishi (わが家の歴史, History of our Family) scheduled to air for three consecutive days in the spring of 2010.
Matsumoto co-starred with Yūko Takeuchi in his first Getsuku drama titled Natsu no Koi wa Nijiiro ni Kagayaku (夏の恋は虹色に輝く, Summer Love Shines in Rainbow Colors).
He portrayed Chikara Nakagoshi, a stay-at-home family man, who's also a struggling writer, that neglects other duties while being concerned with the wellbeing of people around him.
[80] In 2007, Arashi starred in their third movie together Kiiroi Namida while Matsumoto was cast in the independent film Boku wa Imōto ni Koi o Suru with Nana Eikura as his co-star.
[81] [82] In 2008, Matsumoto took on his first jidaigeki role in a re-make of Akira Kurosawa's Hidden Fortress: The Last Princess, with award-winning actors Hiroshi Abe, Kippei Shiina and Masami Nagasawa.
[88] From 2005 to 2007, Matsumoto along with Akiko Wada, Aya Matsuura, KAT-TUN, Tomochika, and Hinoi Team hosted Minna no Terebi/Utawara Hot Hit 10.
[89] On November 4, 2023, through a video for members of Arashi's FC, Matsumoto announced the opening of an exhibition in Roppongi Museum for year end.