18 Quotes by 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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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.

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!