TAMLYN

Tamlyn Tomita is a gal who’s totally from the Valley. The older folks might know her from “Karate Kid 2″; the grrls might know her as the b*tch from “The Joy Luck Club”; the sci-fi fans might know her from “Eureka”; the indie fans might know her from “Robot Stories” or “Picture Bride”. She was really proud these last few months in being able to say that she was an Asian parent’s dream: she was both a doctor and a lawyer. Until the shows “Law and Order: Los Angeles” and “The Chicago Code” got cancelled. She’s always peering around to see what’s around the corner and likes being surprised, like how she is now considered okay/cool enough to be asked to write for yomyomf. On the 25th anniversary of the release of “Karate Kid 2” (which hit theaters on June 20, 1986), she looks back on her experience working on what was her first film.

In August 1984, I ran for Nisei Week Queen, a pageant for the Nisei Week Japanese Festival, the largest and oldest Japanese festival in the nation and was awarded the crown. I was attending UCLA (go Bruins!) and majoring in history in the hopes of becoming a teacher. In the late spring of 1985, I was approached by Helen Funai, a former Nisei Week Queen and actress, who asked if I was interested in auditioning for “The Karate Kid 2″. I said, “Sure, why not? Might be fun, it would certainly be interesting and it’s summer so I’m free!” Helen was asked by Caro Jones, the casting director for “KK2″ to bring in girls who might be good to see for the role of ‘Kumiko’ and since Helen was known by the Japanese American community and because of her connection not only to Nisei Week, but also to the Miss Sansei Pageant, she sought out a number of girls who showed interest.

I went in to audition for the director, John Avildsen, at the Beverly Hills Hotel, dressed in a yukata (a lightweight, cotton, summer kimono). I spoke in a way that mimicked my mother’s accent and tried to act all feminine, graceful and demure. I went in for 5-6 more rounds of auditions for various people, flew to New York to meet with Ralph Macchio (Daniel) for the first time (!!), worked with John and was told to show more ‘moxie’. I didn’t know what that meant, but I had to guess it was to show more spunk and fire and, somehow, I managed to show them some facsimile of it. I had no interest in pursuing a career in acting or the arts and had absolutely no idea what acting was all about.

My initial reaction when I found out I was cast was one of disbelief and the feeling of “what am I in for now?” I was given a rough timeline of the shooting schedule and told that Hawaii would stand in for Okinawa where the film was set. Now, I was very proud of the fact that my mother’s side of the family is from Okinawa and that I was born in Okinawa. So I was initially both disappointed and stoked that we would be shooting in Hawaii and not the real Okinawa. But, hey, Hawaii ain’t too shabby, right? I also remember attending an Okinawan Kenjinkai (prefecture) picnic that early summer and Pat Morita (Mr. Miyagi) was there, but I couldn’t introduce myself to him and say that I would be playing Kumiko. Too chicken!!

My first day on the set was a night shoot where Daniel and Mr. Miyagi are confronted by the Cobra Kai sensei following the conclusion of the karate tournament seen at the end of “The Karate Kid” and at the start of “The Karate Kid 2″. I was invited to see what happens on a movie set: the lights, the trailers, the actors/crew milling about, everything. It was a bizarre world; brightly lit and artificial, with so many talented individuals taking care of what their specific tasks with a great sense of fun.

Pat was everything I thought he would be, but certainly with a lot more fire and spice than Mr. Miyagi. I was and still am flabbergasted in meeting people in the public eye and was probably a little giggly and quiet. But Pat always made me feel comfortable and loved and protected. He really was the one who showed me all the ropes, he taught and shared with me, both by words and by example.

I met Nobu McCarthy (Yukie) in Hawaii and she was something else: real and genuine warmth oozed from this gracious, stunningly beautiful woman and she was one helluva sexy one, too. I remember her both being so kind and warm and ‘Japanese’ with my mom who worshipped her since her debut in the Jerry Lewis film “Geisha Boy” and made me into a fan of her as well. She would treat me as if I were her daughter and would often tell me of her children, but especially her daughter, Serena, and how she would sometimes see her face in her mind’s eye instead of me in the last sequence of the film where I get battered around by Yuji.

Now, Yuji Okumoto (Chozen), I met in Hawaii as well, alongside the other two rascals, Joey Miyashima and Marc Hayashi, and the uncle rascal, Danny Kamekona (Sato), who had such a beef against Mr. Miyagi. The three boys are still my treasured good friends and I truly consider them the big brothers that I never had and who taught me, took care of me, showed me the ropes and entertained me all through the shoot. And, no, none of them ever made a pass at me. C’mon, now, I was their little sister!

Meeting Ralph was surreal as it would be for anyone who looks up from studying a script in the home of the director and sees this movie icon lankily walking towards you extending his hand to greet you. But “Daniel-san” was much more self-assured, confident, relaxed and not dorky in person than he was on-screen. He was most kind and surprised to know that I had never acted before. I believe knowing this, he took his time with me and was so incredibly patient with me. Watching him on the past season of “Dancing with the Stars”, I absolutely knew that he would kicka*s in dancing; he is a talented song and dance man from when he was a kid.

In the 50′s style dance sequence where you see Daniel and Kumiko swing dance, it was actually Ralph who taught me how to shuffle the two-step, instead of the on-count style I was taught to swing. He was the one who had us play around with the fancy dance moves in that sequence and made it all look so easy. He made everything look so easy on-set, but was also someone else to admire in terms of professionalism and doing what it took to get the scene just right.

Speaking your first lines in your first acting experience in your first movie with a gazillion people around looking at you, watching your every move, can be pretty tough. You’re not sure what to do, how to do it correctly and how to do it without looking like a complete idiot. My first scene was actually one of the last in the movie; when Sato gives Mr. Miyagi the deed to the village. I remember two particular individuals, besides the actors in the scene, who took such good care of me, checking in with me all the time–the cinematographer, Jimmy Crabe, and the 1st A.D., Cliff Coleman. Jim, with his gentle kindness, basically told me, the camera is your friend; it’s not there to judge you or to make you look one way or a certain way. Cliff, the man who generally is the man-in-charge of the set, with his rough, gruff, cowboy/racer style, was the biggest cheerleader of whatever it was I was doing.

But, aahhhh, what it is to be young. I remember because of my whole experience in being Nisei Week queen the previous year, I had learned all these things about what it meant to enjoy being a girl. Honestly, I don’t mean to sound sarcastic or snippy, but there were a lot of techniques I learned in how to present myself as best I can. And one of those things was false nails.

On and off during that year, I would get a set of long, beautiful acrylic nails because they would look so pretty. This was the 80′s. But, being lazy and a tomboy, I wouldn’t keep them up nicely and would break them off if they got too raggedy. Because we were shooting the last sequence of the movie, the obon sequence, at the Burbank studios, I was here at home. And because it was the last scene of the movie, I thought about looking as best I as I could – Kumiko dances the dance that she’s worked so hard at, flips her fan, proceeds to dance, gets knocked out by Chozen and misses everything until the very end where she’s embraced by her hero. So I decide to get my nails done. Acrylic nails. Long acrylic nails. Long, no-polish-and-they-look-fake-because-Japanese-dancers-do-not-wear-nail-polish-when-they-dance acrylic nails. Because I thought they would look pretty!

So I learn the Japanese dance and flipping the fan, no problem; practicing and rehearsing the dance, absolutely no problem. Until the day of the shoot. Try flipping the fan with new, long, acrylic nails. Thought I knew how to dance this dance. Try being hit and knocked out by Chozen and whipping around and landing on the ground (it was padded, but I landed pretty good, huh? I think I even bounced) multiple times without breaking those effing nails. Don’t use my hands, so my face takes the brunt. Worrying so much about my hands looking good as I hug Daniel with my sad, sad, fake looking nails because I wanted to look pretty for the last scene in my first movie! Lesson learned here: vanity comes back sometimes to bite you in the butt.

And remember the dance on the bridge that Kumiko teaches Daniel to show how dance is related to karate? Totally made up! There is no such dance! No one had come to teach me this dance as described in the script, so I became nervous the night before that scene was to be shot and asked my mom if she could help me out. We both knew a traditional Okinawan song, “Tin sa gu no hana ya”, and made up a sequence of moves that we remembered from watching my brothers/cousins/friends’ karate tournaments. Turned out good enough for the scene, but I imagine there are still a number of Okinawans that I got some explaining to do.

And, yes, it was me and only me who threw the tomato at Yuji and hit him in the back, a number of times. I also got him in the butt, too.

The film changed my life in a way that I couldn’t have imagined. Prior to this, I intended on becoming a teacher. My particular focus was on history; my interest was in knowing who we are by learning who we were as a people, the learning of stories, all kinds of stories. I was encouraged to continue acting while returning to UCLA and learned that these stories on stage, on TV, or film, could also reflect certain histories and perhaps, make history entertaining. I went along with that thought as I decided to pursue this unexpected path and I’m still walking it.

One thing I can tell you all is that I still feel the same feelings in being recognized as the girl from “The Karate Kid”. It’s always been a mixture of disbelief, embarrassment and a funny kind of pride. The movie was huuuge that summer, I remember being fortunate enough to travel and do publicity all around the world and saw how much people truly loved it and its characters. People still come up to me and say how much they loved “KK 2″ and I get the feeling they’re talking to me from that place inside their hearts where they’ve been transported back to the age when they saw the movie – there’s a certain look in their eyes, maybe it’s me, maybe it’s nostalgia.

“The Karate Kid 2″ changed my life and it’s all led up to where I am now, writing about the 25th anniversary of a movie that people still remember and love. This piece of work begat more work and I would like to think that I am still growing. And to know that I have been humbled in learning that I wouldn’t be who I am without recognizing all those who helped me along the way and to be thankful to them all. I wouldn’t be anything without every single one of them.

I believe I’ve come away from that initial experience with something that I still carry with me today: a sense of awe and wonder, coupled with a ever-growing knowledge of what I’ve learned. Curiosity still thrills this cat.

And to know that the film is still so loved? Blows. My. Mind. Wow. Wild. Man. Can’t even think about it. Don’t even think about it. I just so appreciate it and say thank you.