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RadioFree.com: With Supah Ninjas being your professional acting debut, I'm sure fans would be interested in hearing a little about your own story. What's your birthdate, and where are you from? What's your family's background?
RYAN: Well, I was born September 12, 1995. I was born in Oregon. And three months old, I moved to Japan, lived there for six years, and then moved out here [to Los Angeles] with my family when I was 6...My mom is Caucasian. She lived in California since she was born...My father's Japanese. So I'm half Japanese, half Caucasian.
At what point did you develop an interest in acting, and how did you eventually win the role of Mike Fukanaga?
You know, it was just kind of a dream for me. I didn't think it was really going to become reality for me, actually, because I loved baseball, loved martial arts--I was planning on becoming a baseball player or a martial artist. But it was just the weirdest way I got the job: it was actually through my martial arts studio. They were handing out flyers, and one day after class, one of my teachers handed me a flyer, and I just kind of put it to the bottom of my bag--you know, I wasn't really worried about reading it, responding to it. So I went home, and like the one time my mom actually digs through my bag is this one time, and she pulls out the flyer and she asked me if I wanted to try out for it. And the first time, I didn't really know how this whole process worked, and so I said no. And then the next day when my mom was planning on throwing it out, she asked again, and I said, "You know what? Okay, I'll give it a shot. Let's just go down, have a lunch, and audition"--you know, just make a day out of it. And from there, I went on more and more auditions for the role, and I auditioned with Carlos many times. And one Sunday, I was playing baseball, and I get in the car, and my mom's really excited because she already heard the news. I didn't know I had the part yet. So I got in the car and we're driving home, and I'm sitting there, and my mom's like, "There's a ninja sitting in the front seat..." And I went, "What?" Flew right over my head. She goes, "Yeah, Mike's sitting in the front seat." I'm like, "What? What are you talking about, mom?" And she goes, "Dude, Mike Fukanaga is sitting in the front seat!" And I freaked out. It was just a great night. I was really excited.
Wow, it sounds like this opportunity could have easily passed you by if your mom threw out that flyer.
Yeah, it was just those little things, you know? The flyer, her digging it out, almost not taking it...
Why do you think American audiences love ninjas so much? I mean, there's got to be a reason why Snake Eyes is arguably the most beloved G.I. Joe character, right?
You know, I would probably have to say [because] it's totally different from what you see on American television and American culture. Because you don't see ninjas at all until it's been brought, literally, from Japan into a show. But it's really cool that ninjas are on TV now.
 
How long have you been studying martial arts?
Well, I had been doing White Tiger Kung Fu in my neighborhood for a while, since I was 8.
How does White Tiger Kung Fu differ from other martial arts?
This type of martial art actually is just passed down from generation to generation. It actually hasn't skipped over to anyone other than the Wai family, and it's from the 17th century. And it was a time when the Emperor had ordered all the Buddhist temples to be burned down, and Grandmaster Fung Do Duk fled the temple and began martial arts in Southern China. And from there, he passed it down to his son, and his son, and his son. And we've been lucky enough that [Grandmaster] Doo Wai came to America to kind of open up his martial art, because he didn't have a son to pass it on to. So when he came here, he took on students. And Tom Rizzo, currently one of the highest ranks except for Doo Wai, is kind of his son, in a way. So it's passed on to him--it's broken the tenth generation Wai family, and it's passed on to Rizzo now. But it's pretty legit, you know? It's just straight from the oldest teachings.
Was it passed down from generation to generation because of a need for secrecy, as with Brazilian Capoeira?
No, they didn't really have to disguise it as much. It was taught in China by Chinese, and that's what they wanted to keep it as: a Chinese martial art. But after ten generations, the world kind of expanded, there were more races intermingling with each other, there's more communication, the martial art just came to America and kind of picked up speed from there. It's actually a really recognized martial art. Its main camp is in San Diego, and there's a branch here in West Los Angeles. But they keep it pretty private, though. A lot of people don't know about it, I would say. But the people who do go there do go on to tournaments, MMA, grappling. Because White Tiger Kung Fu has so much, because it's some of the oldest martial arts. And all the martial arts take from kung fu, like grappling, Krav Maga, karate. All these different martial arts, it's basically all like one package.
Do any of the real life skills you learn with White Tiger Kung Fu carry over into the fight choreography of Supah Ninjas?
Definitely. I would have to say some of the flipping and the jumping around isn't so practical, wouldn't be used day-to-day. But definitely the hand-to-hand combat could be practical [and] used in everyday life to defend yourself.
Do you get to do any of the stuntwork on the show yourself?
Yes. Every now and then, definitely, when we have time. Time is always an issue. But when we have time, we are allowed to do some stunts. They're really exciting. Sometimes it takes a while to set up. But we usually do more of the simple stuff. Keeping it safe, you know? Because we can't really go jumping around everywhere, flipping. [laughs] It's also just time consuming.
It seems like you're comfortable and accustomed to the show's action elements. But how have you enjoyed the acting and comedic aspects?
You know, it's really funny because the whole acting thing, I really love it. It's great. I take on this whole different character. You know, if I'm going to acting class, it's a different character there, and I come here, and sometimes it's a challenge switching between characters. But it's a good challenge to have. Really test your acting abilities. And the whole comedy thing? I wasn't really a funny guy, but working with Randall Park, who plays my father on the show--just kind of playing off of him and watching him and learning from him--has, I would say, made me a little funnier. And my comedic timing is a little bit better because of him.
Do you ever have the opportunity to improvise in your scenes?
Definitely in the comedy parts. Me and Carlos and Gracie, we kind of fool around sometimes, add a little something--maybe I faint, or I walk out of the room, or I'm just so distraught that I'm going to start crying or something. But there's definitely some leeway that we can improv some lines.
How quickly did you bond with Carlos and Gracie?
Oh, instantly. It was instant. I mean, as soon as Gracie got her part. Because she auditioned a little bit later, after us...[And] Carlos and I really clicked since the first time we auditioned together. And it was funny, because the people who were monitoring the audition, who were the creative minds of the show, told us, "You guys seem like really good friends." And that was funny because it was just like the first or second time that I had met him. But after that, it was just kind of uphill. And me and Carlos have a pretty strong relationship.
How has it been to work with an icon like George Takei?
Oh, man! Working with George, it's kind of like a dream come true, considering he's one of the biggest Asian actors ever...He's one of the best acting teachers, just through experience...So working with him has been just awesome.
I understand he has a pretty good sense of humor, too...
He's hilarious! He's really easy to talk to. And if you're having a bad day, he walks over, says the funniest thing, makes you laugh for like ten minutes straight. And then you walk off, and then he finds you again, and he says another joke. He's a really nice guy.
Growing up, what shows and characters were you a fan of?
It was literally phase to phase to phase. Let's see...When I was 1 and 2, it was probably like Thomas the Train or something like that. When I was living in Japan, there was definitely a lot of Japanese action heroes that I loved. Ultraman was one of my favorites. [And] all the Power Rangers. They always came out in Japan first, so I always got kind of like the sneak peek. So I got to see all the Power Rangers, always went to their live action shows at theme parks. You know, there's just a lot of really cool action heroes in Japan, and also cartoon characters that I grew up watching. American television would have to be Drake and Josh, Blue's Clues. [laughs] I loved Blue's Clues.
Thanks for your time, Ryan. And best of luck on the show.
Thank you so much.
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