Rila Fukushima can actually say truthfully that she's big in Japan. And about to be a lot bigger. The Japanese supermodel is opposite Hugh Jackman in this weekend's The Wolverine as Yukio, a kind of guide and sidekick to the titular hero. The first-time actor talked to us recently about auditioning for two different directors and getting Japan familiar with the Marvel Universe.
RILA FUKUSHIMA: Where are you now?
ESQUIRE.COM: I'm in New York. You're out in L.A?
RF: Oh, it's a 212 number, so that's right. So it's still, like, one o'clock in the morning?
ESQ: It's noon here, like lunchtime.
RF: Oh, lunchtime?
ESQ: Yeah.
RF: Okay. I was just speaking to Japan and it was, like, 1 a.m. I'm so confused.
ESQ: Wolverine's your first movie ever.
RF: It's exciting. I mean, it's unbelievable. I miss all the cast and crew. It's been a while but I feel like I finished filming not too long ago. I spent five months with the cast and crew, so it's pretty long. It became like a family. I think I was the first person that got on set and I was the last person left on the set. I was speaking to our director, James Mangold: "Please, don't make me go. I want to say bye to everyone. I'm going to be here as much and as long as I can." I was joking around but it actually ended up happening.
ESQ: Even after Hugh Jackman?
RF: Oh, yes. He was really patient. He gave me a lot of advice. There was so much stuff I didn't know. So he gave me a lot of advice on how to work around the camera when I had an action scene. It's a completely different level of work. Like I'd have to do hand-to-hand combat and still be talking, right? Also, I would hesitate to eat on set. Normally I eat, like, three times a day. But I was doing a lot of stunts and I would practice. So I was always hungry. And maybe because where I'm from, in Japan, we don't really eat meals.
ESQ: Wait, Hugh Jackman would have to remind you to eat?
RF: Yeah. I was so hesitant to eat. Growing up, we don't really eat meals before older people start eating. We don't do that. So my stomach was always making noises on set. [Laughs.] He was like, "Eating is also included in your job. Don't hesitate to eat." He was eating once every hour. He takes care of his body so well. Oh my gosh, I'm telling you, he is real. Seriously, it's not visual effects. He doesn't drink water after nine o'clock. It's for his muscles, and he needs time to to dehydrate by, like, sipping extra coffee before he starts filming. That's how he dehydrates his body. And then on the screen, you can see the muscle and veins so clearly. I'm a first-time actor on set, I don't want to say anything demanding. You know? I didn't want him to think I was requesting something a lot. I was just waiting, sitting, and my stomach was making noise! And he realized I was starving. And so he basically asked for his chef to make some little plates for me.
ESQ: Were you familiar with Wolverine and the movies and the character before you got the role?
RF: Are you American?
ESQ: Yeah.
RF: So did you know it? I'm wondering.
ESQ: Totally. I think everyone in America knows the X-Men.
RF: [Sighs.] Oh, wow. So I am very, very lucky to be involved in this project. [Laughs.] Because I knew the X-Men. I watched all the X-Men series. And also the screen adaptations. But I didn't get to read the comics because I was born and raised in Japan. The comic wasn't familiar for me.
ESQ: So Wolverine and the X-Men, the comic books, aren't big in Japan at all?
RF: Honestly, Superman and Batman were really popular because of the films. But we don't really have the opportunity to read the American comics. I mean, nowadays I think it's easy to get it. But maybe 10 years ago, it was hard to get American comics.
ESQ: And now you're part of a comic-book legacy.
RF: Now I can say to myself, "I was in a really big franchise film." But when I was sitting here on set — every day was a challenge, you know? Physically. Also our director James Mangold — I really always loved his work, Cop Land and Girl, Interrupted and Walk the Line. I knew his work, so I went to casting for the first time — well, I actually went to the casting for Darren Aronofsky. He was supposed to direct the film before James Mangold took over this project. And so I went to a screen test three years ago when I used to live in New York.
ESQ: I was going to ask how you wound up acting.
RF: I went through my old model agency. I used to be with Trump Models. So Trump Models contacted me and they're like, "There's a top-confidential project. And we need a Japanese girl who speaks English — at least understands it. The girl has to understand English directions. So do you want to try?" And I was like, "Of course!" So I went to the first video audition by Darren Aronofsky. That was my first audition. Then I decided to go back to Japan, spend some time with family, and 10 days later, after I got back to Japan, the big earthquake hit Japan. Then Darren decided not to direct the film anymore. And so nothing happened for a while. And then a half-year later, James Mangold decided to take over the project. And he saw my old casting material and he decided to bring me back to audition again. So, yeah. It was kind of a long process.
ESQ: That's crazy.
RF: I did the final audition, too, in New York. I totally remember it. It was June, and there was the gay-pride parade on Fifth Avenue. And I needed to cross Fifth Avenue to go to the audition. I was asking a cop, "Oh, hi, I have to go to an audition. I have to cross." I met Hugh for the first time at the final casting. I got to do this reading with the real Hugh Jackman, which is amazing. But then it was half-improvisation. He just kept going after the scene, you know?
ESQ: Was that tough for you?
RF: Oh, yeah, because English is a second language. And so I just felt like he's helping me. It's not too, too difficult. I had so much fun at the audition. I would say, "Oh, thank you so much, Mr. Jackman. It was so great to meet you." And in Japanese, we don't really call people by their first names. We say "Mr." or "Ms." So I wasn't sure if I should call him Hugh or Mr. Jackman. So I said, "Oh, thank you so much, Mr. Jackman. It was a pleasure to meet you." "Oh, don't call me 'Mr.' Just call me 'Hugh.'" And I said — I was so nervous, "Yes, sir!" [Laughs.]
ESQ: Did you guys film a lot of the movie in Japan?
RF: No, we shot most of the stuff in Australia. And three weeks in Japan. I only got to do a couple of scenes there. They originally planned to shoot on the street in Tokyo, but it's so hard to get permission. That's something I didn't like about Japan. Like, come on. The Americans are trying to focus on Japan and we should appreciate it, you know? What are you guys talking about, permission for the streets? Rules? Excuse me?