Life & Work with Taz Fuke of Los Angeles

Today we’d like to introduce you to Taz Fuke.

Hi Taz, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
When I was 11 years old, I was scouted to be a model in Japan. I had never dreamed of being a model or being in the entertainment or the fashion industry but I thought “it’s pretty cool, why not?” Then shortly after, when I was about to get my first gig, my dad came to me and said “Son, we are moving to India.” I was shocked. Since then, I have always wanted to come back into the entertainment industry but it was hard. I did not speak English and I went to an American school in India for two years at the age of 14. Boy it was harsh. But here I am now in Los Angeles as a bilingual Japanese actor. Now that I look back I am really grateful that I had a chance to learn English when I was still young. I am proud of my background and everything that I have been through whether I asked for it or not.

I started my acting career soon after I graduated from State University of New York at New Paltz. I studied international relations. Yes, I know. Very different from acting. I had served as a youth delegate to the United Nations NGO from the age of 20 to 22. Just before graduating from university, I realized I wanted to become the most known and highly respected actor in the world. But you ask; how did I go from working with the UN to dreaming to become an actor? Well, hear me out.

Since I grew up in Thailand, India, and Japan, all my friends and family are spread out across the world. I thought to myself, if I become an actor and act in films and tv shows that are aired all over the world, they all see me. I don’t need to go visit them or write letters. They watch a film, I’m there. They watch a show, I’m there. They play a video game I’m there. If that doesn’t excite me then what does? It is very simple, but that is basically the start of my journey as an actor.

Back to where I am now.
After I graduated from university, I went back to my hometown in Japan. The first job that I got as an actor was a background in an episode of S.W.A.T. by CBS that was shot in Tokyo, Japan. On the set, I was lucky enough to have a conversation with Shemar Moore who plays the main character in the show. I told him about my background and he told me that I should come to LA. I shook his hand, and from that moment, I started planning everything to become an actor in Hollywood.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
But then, as everybody’s stories go in 2020, the Covid happened. I moved to Japan in January of 2020 because I started booking some gigs and figured there will be more acting jobs in Tokyo. I wasn’t wrong, but the timing was. All the film shoots were either postponed or cancelled. I spent every day working my part time job as a front concierge at a luxury condominium. I enjoyed it, but it wasn’t what I came to Tokyo for. One day, I got a call from a friend named Yujiro Kawashima 川島由次良 who is a film director. He said, “I want to make a feature film and I’m looking for an actor to play the lead” That was all I needed to hear. I auditioned for it, got the role. We did crowdfunding for the film, went on a radio to get people to support us, started shooting. We had an extremely tight schedule but worked as a team. Then we had to pause the shoot because one of the crews became sick. We were very careful with all the covid protocols but had no choice but to pause it. Budget was tight and we all thought that it was the end of it, but we never gave up. During Covid, I learned to never give up. And because I never gave up, I met my best friend, Jango Yamada 山田ジャンゴ, who is also starring in the film. He starred in the Godzilla Minus One which won the Best Visual Effects at the Academy Awards in 2024. I helped him shoot his self-tape for that film and it was one of the best memories. Anyways, we finished shooting and the film is now in post production. The only hope that kept us motivated was the fact that there are people who are waiting for this film. I cannot wait to share the film with everybody. The title is “Tada Soba Ni Iru 「ただ、そばにいる。」 (Just Being There)” There is a teaser trailer on the internet so please go ahead and search it up if you get a chance. You can also watch it on my instagram or my IMDb page.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Sure. So when I was back in Japan, I acted in a TV show called “Police × Heroine Lovepatrina!“ which was directed by a Japanese film director Takashi Miike 三池崇史監督. He is best known for the film “Audition”. I remember he told me that my bilingual ability and experience living in NY has a lot of value and advantages. His words still inspire me today.

I do martial arts, stage combat, and sword fighting. This year, I starred in a short action film “Yuugi” 「遊戯」 with Yu Vitor directed and shot by Ko Ashihara. There are many roles that require these things so I need to work harder to work with professional stunt teams, including one of my dear friends from high school, Takayuki Suzuki 鈴木貴之, who is a tremendous stunt performer (Blade of the 47 Ronin). I am looking forward to working with him in the next years.

I played the lead in a short film “We’ve Been Here Before” (LINK https://www.imdb.com/title/tt29001576/ ) This film was inspired by my own personal story that I told my best friend Jango Yamada 山田ジャンゴ and a film director/producer Kanta Igawa 井川敢太at Noren, Inc. I truly enjoy working with these two talented artists. This film is going to film festivals so hopefully it will be premiered all over the world soon. Also, I am currently working on a big project. Thanks to this project, I was able to become SAG-Eligible actor in just one month after I started acting in Los Angeles. I cannot talk about it in details but I enjoy working on it with my team. What else… OH! I am appearing regularly as Speak tutor Taz in video contents of an English learning App called Speak (スピーク　https://www.speak.com ) I love my team at Speak! Last month, I worked on a web series that is coming out soon so make sure you follow my social media to get updates!!! I can promise that I am a Japanese-English bilingual actor with most number of skill sets you will ever meet. I can learn any sports, any instruments, lines in any languages! You doubt it? Meet me on set and find out. Oh, and I take pride in my luck. A dear friend of mine, Haruka Igarashi, starred in FX‘s Shogun and I was lucky enough to attend the premiere at the Academy Museum. After watching the first episode, I met Hiroyuki Sanada san 真田広之さん. I had a great conversation with Hiroyuki san and promised to see each other on set. I keep telling myself: stay humble, stay ambitious.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://tazfukeofficial.studio.site/1-1
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tazfuke/
• Linkedin: IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm12306297/
• Twitter: www.x.com/tazfuke/
• Other: https://kantaigawa.com/weve-been-here-before-short-film

Image Credits
Chris Bixi Li, Haruka Igarashi, Hideya Ishima, Kaisei Sugawara, Kanta Igawa, Ko Ashihara