How Beating Each Other Up Brought The 'Suicide Squad' Cast Closer Together

Like the rest of DC Comics' present entries in its growing cinematic universe, the villain-centric Suicide Squad is certainly not without its problems, but it's not devoid of bright spots, either, a point all too eagerly overlooked by most critics in their haste to eviscerate the film in print.

It's hard to argue with some of their criticisms but, whatever else is said about David Ayer's misunderstood baby and its perceived weaknesses, Karen Fukuhara's contribution as mystical, mysterious Japanese warrior Katana is a difficult aspect to assail.

This is, yes, partially because of Katana's growing renown within the wider DC canon — created in 1983, she has steadily grown in prominence to have appeared in multiple animated titles as well has having been given her own 10-issue eponymous series in 2013, and appearing in CW-DC universe ground-zero series Arrow, portrayed by Rila Fukushima — but also because Fukuhara, in the country from this week for this fortnight's Supanova Pop Culture Expo events, was intent to make her character stand out among the colourful crowd flanking her in the Squad. 

"I actually was not familiar with the comic book series when I auditioned for the role, but my first time meeting with the director, David Ayer, he gifted me the comic book, and that’s when I started doing my research," she explains to The Music. "I fell in love with the character — you know, she has such a deep, complex back story, and I’m so, so grateful that there was a comic book to explain everything to me. As an actor, it’s great to know where she comes from, you know?

"I made an effort not to watch the Arrow version of Katana, because I didn’t want to base my version on her, and I’m just waiting — maybe in the future I will get to see it, but I don’t want to watch it just yet."

While it's heartening to see Katana receive both a small- and big-screen adaptation, one arguable advantage the series incarnation has over the cinematic version is its ability — given the episodic nature of the format — to more thoroughly explore that deep and complex back story. Granted, Arrow's Katana is more grounded in reality than her comic-book counterpart — her print history involves not only the Yakuza but a blade known as the Soultaker sword, inside which resided the literal disembodied soul of her dead husband, Maseo — but she was, in the show's third season, given considerable screen time and prominence. Among the crowded ranks of Suicide Squad, and within the limitations of cinematic run times, it was always going to be hard to give the character the space she deserves to properly shine.

[Katana] does have such a complex story, and her connection with her Soultaker sword, and her husband trapped within the sword, that’s all something that I would love to explore.

Unsurprisingly, Fukuhara would absolutely be down for a solo venture, should the opportunity, or a similar one, arise. 

"100 per cent," she enthuses of her readiness to reassume her face-mask and ghost-sword. "You know, you got to see a tiny smidge of her in the Yakuza-boss scene in the movie, but I don’t think it’s nearly enough because she does have such a complex story, and her connection with her Soultaker sword, and her husband trapped within the sword, that’s all something that I would love to explore.

"A standalone movie would be fantastic, but also I would love a Birds Of Prey movie, that would be badass — all women, you know — or I hear there may be a Harley Quinn standalone movie coming out; maybe she’ll make an appearance in that, who knows? But I just want the audience and the fans to be able to see where she comes from in some way, shape or form."

Even if that means another ensemble outing for a sequel with the Squad — actually, from the sounds of it, especially if that's the case. Hearing her recount the experiences she shared with her cast-mates, regardless of what anyone has to say about their movie — positive or otherwise — it is clear that the bonds developed between the people who made it were worth every second.

"Oh, it was so much fun shooting with everyone," Fukuhara exclaims. "We have such strong characters on and off-screen; everyone’s so spontaneous, you know. You would always see Boomerang — Jai Courtney — doing pranks on set, or Will Smith rapping, or Cara Delevingne beat-boxing... it was just so much fun to be on set.

"At one point, during the middle of filming, we all kind of sat down — we were having dinner — and we said, ‘Oh — how did we get so close to one another?’ And we realised we had gone to Toronto a month-and-a-half before shooting and we were doing physical training and also rehearsals, and in a lot of media interviews we’ve talked about the intense rehearsals we did with David Ayer, and sharing the deep, dark secrets that we usually don’t share with strangers, you know, we did that during rehearsals every single day, and I think we built this sort of trust amongst one another.

We were fighting one another and wrestling and doing all of that together, and doing the physical training together really bonded us.

"But I also think that, on top of the rehearsals and the emotional connection that we made there, the physical training also bonded us, because we were sparring together, and we were fighting one another and wrestling and doing all of that together, and doing the physical training together really bonded us. When you think about everyday life, you don’t do much of that with... even your friends, let alone people that you’ve just met, so that was something that I think worked hand-in-hand in creating a sort of friendship/family environment.

"It's weird because I think David ... planned it all, and he knew that it was going to be this great thing all along and we were just little puppets not knowing anything, just coming into it thinking, ‘Oh, we’re doing rehearsals and we’re doing physical training,’ but, at the end of the day, we became this sort-of family, and David knew all along."

It's a family with whom she's keen to reconnect in the future, though she's presently — through no fault of her own — in the dark on where things are with respect to a Suicide Squad 2.

"We’re all kind of hoping that the sequel will come soon, because we just want to work together again ... but nothing has been officially announced, so we’re kinda just sitting back and holding tight," she explains. "We know just as much as the fans do. Sometimes they don’t tell you anything! It’s crazy!"

In the interim, at least, Fukuhara gets to experience at least one more life-changing thing before the year's out, by way of her impending visit Down Under.

"I am so thrilled," she bubbles. "I can’t even explain to you how excited I am, because I’ve never gone before, and I think on one of the days I get to hold a koala — I’ve never done that before! I hear it’s beautiful and obviously Jai Courtney and Margot Robbie are both from Oz, and they’ve told me so much about it. I can’t wait to experience it for myself."

Karen Fukuhara is appearing at Supanova Brisbane (11-13 November) and Supanova Adelaide (18-20 November). She's super-active on social media — follow her on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

For Supanova tickets, see the event's website.