ACTOR
Mari Kusu is a Japanese actor, narrator, model, and pianist based in Zushi, a small coastal town south of Tokyo.
Born in Akita, she studied classical piano from an early age and later completed both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in piano performance at Ochanomizu University. Her path gradually expanded from music into modeling, voice, stage, and film — different forms of expression through which she has explored the relationship between the body, voice, and presence.
After years of working across the entertainment industry, Mari stepped away from performing for a period of time. She became independent in 2023 and returned to performing in 2025, beginning a new chapter in her work.
Today, she works between Japan and international productions, with acting at the center of her practice.
Mari Kusu is a Japanese actor, narrator, model, and pianist based in Zushi, a small coastal town south of Tokyo.
Born in Akita, she studied classical piano from an early age and later completed both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in piano performance at Ochanomizu University. Her path gradually expanded from music into modeling, voice, stage, and film — different forms of expression through which she has explored the relationship between the body, voice, and presence.
After years of working across the entertainment industry, Mari stepped away from performing for a period of time. She became independent in 2023 and returned to performing in 2025, beginning a new chapter in her work.
Today, she works between Japan and international productions, with acting at the center of her practice.
ARTIST STATEMENT
I am interested in the instability and fluctuation within human beings that emerge from the unresolved parts left inside the mind.
I live my daily life carrying emotions that cannot be fully explained, memories that remain undigested, and small feelings of discomfort that are too subtle to openly express to others. At times, these fragments accumulate and expand, creating a sense of difficulty in living. If they remain faint, they are often ignored in the mind. I do not see these elements as things that should simply be eliminated; rather, they are essential parts of what shape each individual existence.
As an actor, I carefully observe these ambiguities and contradictions. Through performance, I attempt to share with the audience those small, indescribable sensations that resist clear explanation.
I am interested in the instability and fluctuation within human beings that emerge from the unresolved parts left inside the mind.
I live my daily life carrying emotions that cannot be fully explained, memories that remain undigested, and small feelings of discomfort that are too subtle to openly express to others. At times, these fragments accumulate and expand, creating a sense of difficulty in living. If they remain faint, they are often ignored in the mind. I do not see these elements as things that should simply be eliminated; rather, they are essential parts of what shape each individual existence.
As an actor, I carefully observe these ambiguities and contradictions. Through performance, I attempt to share with the audience those small, indescribable sensations that resist clear explanation.