BY IRVIN RIVERA

Karen Fukuhara's rise to fame has been nothing short of meteoric, captivating audiences with her unforgettable roles and remarkable talent. From her debut as the fierce Katana in Suicide Squad to her standout performance as Kimiko Miyashiro in the hit series The Boys, Karen has proven herself a force to be reckoned with in Hollywood. She has also lent her voice to beloved characters in animated series like She-Ra and the Princesses of Power and Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts, and more recently, she brought her vocal talents to Studio Ghibli's acclaimed film The Boy and the Heron. But there's more to Karen than meets the eye. In a candid and heartfelt interview with "A Book Of", she opens up about her journey, balancing work and life, and the passions that fuel her creativity. “I love going to concerts and music festivals,” she shares, recounting her recent experience at a Fred again concert at the LA Coliseum, which she described as “a really special moment.”

Balancing the demands of a thriving acting career with personal fulfillment isn't always easy, but Karen has found her rhythm. "Managing time is quite difficult when I'm in my hometown," she admits. Whether she's working out, playing pickleball, or diving into indie film projects, Karen's dedication shines through. She also delves into the unique challenges and rewards of portraying Kimiko, a character who communicates primarily through non-verbal means. "What people perceive as small moments can be big moments for Kimiko," she explains, highlighting the intricacies of her performance. This interview offers a rare glimpse into the life of an actress who is as down-to-earth as she is dynamic, revealing the heart and drive behind the roles that have made her a star.

Aside from everything that's going on right now, press and all of that stuff. What else keeps you busy and creative?

Honestly, I love to workout, so that's my main thing. And then what do I do?

Things you do for fun. Exciting things.

Yes, that's such a good question. I haven't done much lately. I just see my friends, I love to go out to eat and I've lately picked up pickleball with the rest of the world. Things like that. I love going to concerts and music festivals and things like that.

What was the last music festival that you enjoyed that you've been to?

I just went to see Fred again at the LA Coliseum, which was a lot of fun. He put on a great show and I've seen him before but this was a really special moment, especially because it was at the Coliseum. And I think he did a bunch of things to make the fans feel special. And he wasn't just in one spot the whole time.

Now, how do you create your work-life balance? Given there's a lot of things going on and then you have to do your personal stuff as well, meet your friends...

Of course. I feel like when I'm working on a project I'm pretty full on. I like to focus on just the project, though. I love being in Toronto away from everything when I'm filming The Boys, and it kind of builds this camaraderie between the cast members because we only have each other. It really gets, I think for me, at least, it's harder for me to film in LA because there are so many distractions, and so many friends and meetings and things that you want to get to while you're working as well. So I have a hard time doing, you know, work life balance then. But in Toronto, it's a lot easier because you're focused on just the project itself. I just did an indie that wrapped, actually today, I wrapped yesterday but the project is wrapping today. And I just have to tell my friends that you know, I am not going to see you till July and I've actually had a hard time convincing them that I'm actually busy and unavailable. That's my biggest struggle, I think. Yes, because I don't think it clicks for a lot of people that are not in the industry, you know?

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Totally understand that.

Yes. I feel like when you're in it, everyone understands what it means when someone's like, oh, I'm filming something. But for people that are outside of the industry, they're still like, oh, well, you're still in LA, you have the weekend or can you hang out at night time? And it really just, yes, for me I don't love doing that so..., it's really hard for me to say no.

How did you prepare for Kimiko's role, especially considering her unique non-verbal communication style?

Yes, Kimiko's communication style, in season one, she's completely mute and then in, I believe, season two, she gains the ability to speak sign language, or it's not gaining the ability, we just discover that she had this mode of communication all along when her little brother appears in the series. And in season one, I think a lot of it was about reacting, listening to the other characters and staying true to who Kimiko really is while the bulk of the acting was in the listening. And then, when the sign-language was introduced, I was so thankful because it's such a powerful language on its own. And I didn't realize that when I started learning it, but working on it with my sign-language coach, Amanda Risher, we've discovered so many moments where the signing speaks volume, you know. And it's really a language that a lot of people on this earth speak. And just because it's not the majority of the world, it doesn't mean that it's not a powerful language. So that was my big takeaway as I worked on the signing.

Now, aside from her communication processes and development, how would you describe her evolution from season one up to the current season?

She had a glow-up.

She did.

I was just going to say the great thing about what you do is that as I watch the show, I see you all the time. Kimiko's presence is felt. Even if you don't speak, all your actions, they speak volumes. It's pretty incredible.

Oh, thank you. Thank you. Yes, no, it's intentional, all of those times that you... And I'm sure there are times when I do too much and then they don't use it, but at least they have it, you know. And, it's hard to ad lib or improvise with my character, because a lot of it is sign language that you have to learn beforehand. But season four, I started learning, I started catching up on a lot more. So there were a few words here and there that I was able to improv in sign-language because I just knew how to say it. Or, I would think of improv lines beforehand with Amanda. Variations of a line, just so we can play a little on the day.

That's really cool. For you to play such a strong, fearless, badass character, in real life, what scares you?

Oh, great question! Death scares me a lot. I went through a phase after my grandfather passed away when I was maybe seven years old that I told all of my relatives that they couldn't use the word death because I thought that it would bring death upon our family or something. And it was a very childish way of thinking, but to this day, I am afraid of losing some of the people that I love. I am very afraid of grief. Very, very afraid of it. Sorry, I got so real.

What's the biggest lesson you've learned that you always carry with you?

Firstly, the most important one is to like know your shit. You know, know your line, know your shit, a 100% preparation in whatever way possible before you walk onto set will only do you justice. That's my biggest thing. And then the second one is to not be bitter. This was a piece of advice from Cara Delevinge and Margot Robbie, who worked on Suicide Squad with me. And since it was my first movie, I asked them, if they could give me a piece of advice, and they said, you know, there's going to be a lot of people and experiences that are going to really crush and disappoint you. Whether it's a failed audition over a part that you really, really wanted, or, not being able to say no to a project or being mistreated on set or even, people approaching you because you reach a certain level of fame and the social aspect of it. They just said don't get bitter because this is a wonderful business and there are so many great parts of it but there are also dark, dark moments and you just can't focus on that. Because it will, like, you know, nobody wants a bitter actor, truly.

If you were a book, what book would you be and why?

Uh... oh, my goodness. If I was a book, I would be 100% a manga. And it would be in the style of Shoujo manga because I think those are cute and the story would be kind of whimsical in a Ghibli kind of way. Yes, you know? Yes, it'd be cute. It would be cute.