During the beginning of his burgeoning career in acting, he had begun thinking about giving himself a surname for some time, and when his character's name in the television drama From Today, It's Me!! , was the same as his real surname, "Ito." He felt it was fate, and on his 21st birthday, June 30, 2018, he announced that he would change his stage name to his full name, Kentaro Ito.[4][1]
Rising popularity and temporary hiatus
In 2019, he appeared in the drama Scarlet as Takeshi, the son of Kimiko Kawahara portrayed by Erika Toda, marking his first appearance in NHK's morning drama series, Asadora.[5][6]
On July 21, 2020, Ito was set to co-star with Ryusei Yokohama in the playGanryujima; however, it was reported that Yokohama had been infected with COVID-19, and the Tokyo stage performance was effectively canceled.[7] Ito also took a PCR test, but it came back negative.[8] However, as a close contact to Yokohama, he was asked to self-isolate at home for two weeks, until August 4, 2020.[8]
On September 10 of the same year, he announced that he would be leaving Aoao Inc. and rejoin his former company, Image Entertainment.[9]
On October 28, 2020, Ito was arrested for a vehicular accident after he collided with a motorcycle while driving a passenger car and then leaving the scene. He was later released and was not charged. He took a short break from his career after the accident due to receiving much backlash for fleeing the scene in the first place.[10]
2022–present: Resumption of activities and restitution
On June 30, 2021, Ito launched his official website "GOLONDRINAS".[11]
On May 15, 2022, he starred in the film Winter Rose. Set in a port town, he plays a young delinquent who later gets involved in uncovering the truth behind what happened to one of his friends who had been brutally attacked by an unknown assailant. The film was directed by Junji Sakamoto.[12]
In May 2023, he played the lead role in the film The Quiet Don as Kondo Shizuka, the third leader of the Shinsengumi.[13] In December of the same year, he appeared in the movie Till We Meet Again on the Lily Hill as the protagonist's best friend; for this role, he was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor award at the Japan Academy Award ceremony.[14]
Car accident and public image
On the night of October 28, 2020, Ito drove a passenger car and collided with a motorcycle, critically injuring two men and women. On the following day, the Metropolitan Police Department arrested him on suspicion of violating the Automobile Driving Punishment Act and the Road Traffic Act for leaving the scene of the accident.[15][16]
Following the police reports, Ito's works and other television appearances were either removed, suspended or cancelled.[17] He was removed from the cast of the NHK evening drama Ucchan that was scheduled to air in December 2020, and the on-demand streaming of his dramas was also suspended. Fuji TV replaced the programs scheduled to air from October 29 to 31.[18] Ito's film Tonkatsu DJ Agetarō was released as scheduled on October 30, but his greeting appearance on the opening day was canceled.[19] He was selected as the "Face of 2020" by the magazine Nikkei Trendy but was absent from the announcement held on November 3.[20] And his appearance in the morning information program
ZIP! [ja] had also been suspended from November.[21]
On March 25, 2021, in court hearings, the charges of negligent driving resulting in injury were dropped as a settlement was reached with the victims, and the charges of hit-and-run were not indicted due to insufficient evidence to prove criminal intent.[16] Ito posted a handwritten apology on his social media account regarding the accident.[10][22][23]
After dealing with the lawsuits, he faced much criticism from citizens, as he had received no legal consequences from the act. Due to all the hate, at one point, he considered retiring from acting.[24]
^Kentaro Ito only appears in one scene at the end of the second part of Kyojo. After Ito was involved in a scandal in October 2020, Daiki Shigeoka took his place in Kyojo II. For this reason, Ito's scenes were not broadcast in the special edited version broadcast in December.
^"関係者の皆様へ"(PDF). March 25, 2021. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
^"ひき逃げ容疑で逮捕、失った信用…伊藤健太郎「でも、この道しか」：朝日新聞デジタル" [Arrested on suspicion of hit-and-run, Kentaro Ito loses credibility... "But this is the only way"]. 朝日新聞デジタル (in Japanese). June 1, 2022. Archived from the original on March 8, 2024. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
^ ab"池田エライザ主演ドラマ「ルームロンダリング」放送時期決定 伊藤健太郎ら続投 - モデルプレス" [The broadcast date of the drama "Room Laundering" starring Ikeda Elaiza has been decided, with Ito Kentaro and others continuing to appear]. Modelpress (in Japanese). September 18, 2018. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
^"伊藤健太郎、吉田鋼太郎、釘宮理恵が映画「シンカリオン」に出演、主題歌はボイメン（コメントあり / 動画あり）" [Kentaro Ito, Kotaro Yoshida, and Rie Kugimiya will appear in the movie "Shinkalion", the theme song will be sung by Boymen]. Natalie (in Japanese). Retrieved October 15, 2024.
