For the last four seasons of Prime Video’sThe Boys, audiences have heard very little from the mouth ofKaren Fukuhara’s characterKimiko. After a traumatizing childhood, life only got worse for her when she was trafficked to New York City and used as a Compound V lab rat. Due to the immense trauma of witnessing the brutal death of her parents and the years of torment to come at the hands of the Shining Light Liberation Army, Kimiko is completely mute — only communicating through sign language and written notes.
On the other hand, the woman behind the character is someone who got her beginnings in showbiz as a talker. Before she went down the path of acting, Fukuhara worked as an interviewer. During her middle school years, the future voice of Kipo Oak in Netflix’sKipo and the Age of Wonderbeastsstood on red carpets with a mic in her hand as part of the team onDisney’s Movie Surfers.
During an appearance onCollider Ladies Night, during which she chatted withPerri Nemiroffabout her role onThe Boysand beyond, Fukuhara explained how the stressful and challenging job of hustling red-carpet interviews at such a young age inspired her to get on the other side of the velvet rope.
“It’s difficult to pinpoint one moment, but I used to be an interviewer.I worked for a show calledDisney’s Movie Surferswhen I was in middle schooland I was the one interviewing people on the red carpet and at press junkets. I went to the Pixar lot and got to see what the animation process was like and interview directors and actors.”
Karen Fukuhara’s Interviewing Debut Was for ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’
Along with learning more about how the animated sausage was made over atPixar, Fukuhara also found herself representing her team on the red carpet — a challenging job for anyone, let alone a kid still in middle school. For her very first red carpet interview, Fukuhara says she was totally thrown into the deep end. She told Collider:
“My first red carpet was forPirates of the Caribbean,andit was the scariest thingthat I have ever done in my entire life because it’s crazy.We had to hunt people downand say, like, ‘Hi,JerryBruckheimer. Would you be willing to talk to us, please?’ And you’re shouting their names, like, ‘Johnny! Johnny, please!’ If they like you, they come up to you, but if they don’t, then you don’t get your interview andI felt like I failed my entire team, and I was in middle school. It was so hard! But anyway, throughout that show I got to see what the film and TV business was like in terms of the creative side of it, the magical side of it. I think getting a glimpse of that made me really want to be a part of it.”
These days, Fukuhara is happy to stick to acting, and we’re glad she shifted her career trajectory, as we’ve reaped the benefits through her knock-out performance as Kimiko inThe Boys. You can stream Season 4 on Prime Video now, and watch the full episode ofCollider Ladies Nightbelow.
The Boys is a drama series that explores the darker aspects of superhero culture, portraying a world where superheroes abuse their powers rather than use them for good. Centered around a vigilante group aiming to control these corrupt heroes, the series delves into themes of power, corruption, and accountability. The show features a complex narrative with multifaceted characters, offering an unfiltered look at the consequences of unchecked power.
