Karen Fukuhara

“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.”

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

“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.”

“I've always wanted to play a samurai warrior.”

“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.”

“My parents are pretty open-minded.”

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

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

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

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

“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!”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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!”

“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.”

“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.”