I grew up in a unique environment where I was immersed in both Japanese and American cultures equally.

Karen Fukuhara

Categorized in : Where American Unique Environment

I'd like to see more Asian-American roles where the ethnicity of the character can be swapped to another. We can, of course, play the stereotypical ninja, the martial arts master, the accountant, the doctor, but we can be more than that!

doctor see play character

I love food, and I love carbs: Pasta, rice - that's my thing.

rice pasta food love

One of my first interviews was Keira Knightley, Orlando Bloom, and Johnny Depp for 'Pirates of the Caribbean.' I was in eighth grade at the time, little teenybopper. I was so, so nervous. I just remember Johnny had an aura around him.

just nervous time remember

The main issue when it comes to hiring someone from Asia is the language barrier. It's difficult to book someone when they don't speak the language and they can't deliver the lines or even speak to the director. But in terms of Asian-American actresses, we all speak it fluently!

someone language speak book

I don't come from a well-off family. We're very middle-class, lower-middle-class, so that's something I cherish.

come something cherish family

Upon graduation, I hit a wall. All of my good friends from UCLA were taking on jobs they were passionate about, and I felt left behind. It took a bit of soul searching, but in the end, I finally had the guts to pursue acting.

end good friends soul

I adore actors/actresses that have range: someone that can transform into a character that is far beyond who they truly are. Charlize Theron and Johnny Depp are amazing at this.

beyond amazing someone character

I've always wanted to become an actress. It's been a lifelong dream, but my family and I didn't know how to do it.

know always family dream

Here's what I love about social media: You get to peer into people's lives that you normally wouldn't be able to.

you social-media love people

My parents are pretty open-minded.

open-minded pretty parents

My mom suggested studying acting in college, but I was a bit scared to choose that path because I couldn't wrap my head around the drama school audition process.

mom college path school

I started karate in middle school when my parents wanted me to babysit my younger brother. He was a little troublemaker, so they wanted me to make sure the class was going okay. I ended up being way more into it than my brother.

parents me brother school

I actually am very hands-off on my face. I like to use oil to take everything off, and then I cleanse after.

face everything like oil

I try to go to the gym. I either go on the rower or watch a TV show on the treadmill, and then I do some weight lifting.

some try go gym

After graduating college, I finally allowed myself to strive for what I loved to do, even if there were no guarantees that I would be able to make a living off of acting. This, combined with my life experiences prior - like stars aligning - led me to this lovely role of Katana within the DC Comics universe.

myself me stars life

I believe film and television should reflect our society, and the reality is that there are people in many different shapes and sizes, ethnicities, sexual orientation - the list goes on.

society believe reality people

I've always wanted to play a samurai warrior.

always samurai warrior play