Meet Ayako Karasawa | Actor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ayako Karasawa and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ayako, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
I was born and raised in Kyoto, Japan. It’s a very unique city where old and new are mixed together. Also, it’s a city that values arts. I was very lucky to have a lot of opportunities to see and feel genuine arts, paintings, sculptures as well as performing arts (both contemporary and traditional) through exhibitions that old shrines and temples have or at museums and theaters. That probably led me to have deeper interests toward the arts.  But I would say the first initiation was from my parents. They were into arts so whenever they had time, they took me to museums and theaters. From a very early age, the world of arts was a part of my life. Another thing I probably have to mention is English. I always had an interest in English. It is probably because my mother was always listening to English songs. There is a lot of beauty in the Japanese culture that I admire but at the same time, felt limited by it. I found my escape into the English language and culture. As my English gradually improved, it became part of my tool to be who I really am.  Through the combination of Japanese & English language and culture, I was able to find my way to express my true self.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?

My acting journey started in my early childhood. I was always interested in human emotions and behaviors. Along with acting, English was also something I got interested in. I always wanted to pursue acting in English and had passion for it, but there were also moments I couldn’t persuade myself to follow through.  While I was in Japan, I was in some theatrical companies and studied analysis of American plays but it was completely different from acting in English. During my university study in Japan, I decided to challenge myself to go study acting in the US as an exchange student, and that experience led me to decide to pursue my career as an actor in America.

Something that sets me apart from others is probably related to where I am from. Everyone is unique in their own way and my uniqueness comes from my upbringing. Through the journey, I learned the way people express their emotions and how they address things that differ from their own culture. I had to learn how to express and convey emotions through a Western way of acting. Now I am trying to find a way to combine a very subtle and or indirect way of expression that Japanese use with the direct ways of Western culture into my acting.

What I am currently excited about is the uncertainty my future holds. It is scary but I realized through this journey that life is filled with uncertainty. It means there are thousands of possibilities. It’s like acting, I can be anything and that’s part of the joys that I feel of acting. I get to explore the repertoire of human beings. Scary but exciting, I would say. I am still on a journey to finding out who I am as a person and as an artist, and am eager to explore the future where thousands of possibilities await me.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Favorite spot in the city… I would love to take my friends to the Huntington library and Garden. It is a very beautiful huge garden and it’s a perfect place to feel nature. I love to go into nature to ground myself and just be in the present in this busy life. Another place would be the Downtown Art district. It was a fun, nice area to walk around with great food. Also, piers are interesting places to explore.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Of course my family, but because a lot of people supported me and helped me to be where I am right now, I am very grateful. Without them, I wouldn’t be here. As a foreigner, when I came to the US, everything was a mystery to me. But then there was a friend who offered me a place to stay and when I was at a loss, my dearest friend and mentor helped and supported me. I met him at UC Santa Cruz. I learned a lot from him about acting and English. There were friends who encouraged me when I felt low and supported me even from Japan. In Los Angeles, I was at a school called Michelle Danner Acting Studio, where Michelle and all the teachers there were so kind to me and helped me. The teachers there have given me an opportunity to broaden my acting sphere. If I start raising names, it would be countless. My family, friends, teachers, people whom I worked with…

Website: https://ayakokarasawa.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ayako.karasawa/

Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7240135/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

Image Credits
Stephanie Girard Bjoern Kommerell iam.sample “Kamikazari”