Rola

Rola (ローラ Rōra?, born March 30, 1990) is a Japanese fashion model, TV personality, actress and singer. She is of Bengali, Japanese and Russian descent, as her father is from Bangladesh and her mother is Japanese with a quarter Russian heritage. As a model, she is known for her regular appearances in the Japanese fashion magazine Vivi, and in numerous commercials. Since 2011, Rola has also become widely known as a tarento (TV personality) appearing on Japanese television regularly, and has one of the largest social media followings for a Japanese celebrity. Rola is represented by the management agency Libera. Personal life Rola was born in Tokyo, Japan. She was raised primarily in Bangladesh until she was 9 years old where she attended an American international school. Her father is from Bangladesh and her mother is of Japanese and Russian descent. Her parents were divorced and she was primarily raised by her step-mother, who is Chinese. She has a twin brother, with whom she is said to get along well, and a younger half-brother and half-sister who are twins. Rola's modelling career began when she was a high school student after being approached by a scout while walking down the street in Shibuya, Tokyo. Career In modelling After making several appearances in the Japan's Popteen magazine, Rola began appearing in the fashion magazine Vivi in 2008. She has since been active in runway modeling, making numerous appearances in shows such as Tokyo Girls Collection, Shibuya Girls Collection, and Girls Award. Rola's first appearance on the cover of Vivi magazine was the August 2012 edition, and her first fashion book, "The Rola!!", was published the same month. An additional fashion book, Rola's Closet, was released in June 2014 and contains photographs taken by Rola on the photograph-sharing service instagram. In August 2014, she began modelling for the fashion brand Beams, making her first appearance in the brand's 2014 autumn/winter catalogue. Rola has appeared in the following runway shows: Kobe Collection (2008) and Tokyo Girls Collection (2009 Autumn/Winter). In 2014, Rola was the model/celebrity with the highest number of commercial contracts in Japan, having contracts with thirteen companies. As a TV personality Rola's career as a tarento (a television personality in Japan) began in June 2010 when she made her first appearance on Nihon TV's variety show Shabekuri 007 alongside fellow models Lena Fujii and Mitsuki Oishi. Rola was named the number four "rising TV-star in 2011", with 200 appearances on Japanese TV shows. She appeared as a weekly regular on Fuji TV's Waratte Iitomo! variety show from April 2012 until the program ended in March 2014. Rola's television persona comprises distinctive characteristics, exuding an overall childlike naiveté, innocence, and playfulness. Signature affectations such as puffing her cheeks in embarrassment, holding an "OK" hand gesture over her cheek, and curling her tongue over her upper lip make Rola a common subject for Japanese impersonators, who also mimic her ditzy responses and constant giggles. She falls within the model-idol category of Japanese "talent" (tarento) as not actually possessing any particular talent, but Rola also presents comic possibilities by her mere presence. In the wake of Rola's popularity, aspiring talent Arie Mizusawa began appearing on Japanese television sporting cute affectations nearly identical to Rola, to an extent that entertainment media referred to Mizusawa as "Rola 2" and both she and Rola as "twins". In April 2014, Rola acquired her first presenting role on the Fuji TV quiz show Danketsu Seyo Quiz 30 in which she presents alongside veteran TV presenter and comedian Atsushi Tamura. Acting In August 2015, it was revealed that Rola would be playing the role of the female soldier Cobalt in the film Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, scheduled to be released worldwide in January 2017.