It’s always been an uphill battle. That’s the way it’s supposed to be though. If it’s easy, it means you aren’t challenging yourself enough.

Chuck Johnson is an international action film actor based in Tokyo, Japan. A native of Michigan, when he began training in Olympic Taekwondo at the age of 15 he would never have imagined where he was going to end up! In just 2 ½ years Chuck earned his black belt; 6 days later he was named Michigan State Junior Olympic Taekwondo champion in both sparring and forms. He went on to study the sport in its native Korea, while he attended Yonsei University, under the tutelage of a former Korean national champion. During this time, he also competed overseas in Tokyo and Hong Kong. In 2001, while completing a course at the University of Science and Technology in Hong Kong, he became the Inter-collegiate Taekwondo champion of Hong Kong even though he had originally come to the tournament just to watch.

During trips back to the U.S., Chuck also won the KTAA National Championship for sparring and forms and was a gold medalist at the State Games of America.

Inspired by a friend from Korea, moving to Japan was originally intended to be temporary—a gap year between college and the ‘real world’. After Chuck moved to Tokyo he worked an assortment of interesting jobs, including the standard work often taken on by expat Americans: teaching English. More unusual jobs followed: thanks to his physique, skill, and facility with English and Korean he was soon working as a bodyguard for visiting international celebrities such as Sylvester Stallone, Orlando Bloom, Jackie Chan, and Kim Sun Hee. However, the craziest job he says he had was work as a stripper.

I was doing fight choreography training during the day, so I needed a job that I could do at night; so that led me to that. Part of my work involved drinking with clients and customers though, so it was pretty tough. When I went to training, half or more of the time I was going hungover.

One of Japan’s first foreign stuntmen and today a film industry veteran of 15 years, Chuck started out on his action career in 2004 when his martial arts skill led him to be cast in Godzilla: Final Wars. The moment he walked onto the set, he knew that was what he wanted to do. It wasn’t easy though! At the time, he couldn’t speak a word of Japanese. Still, while he was on set he was able to meet the Japanese action director Yuji Shimomura (Devil May Cry, Metal Gear Solid V) and soon after began his study of East Asian-style fighting choreography. The first African American to make an international name for himself in the Far East’s action film industry, he is also the first American to have been trained extensively in the art of Katana Tate (Japanese theatrical swordplay).

It has been an uphill battle with an assortment of highs and lows, but Chuck Johnson is the sort of man who knows how to face those challenges with humor and firm determination. Good-natured and quick to laugh, this father says his biggest advice for people is to remember:

Life is really, really going to test you. Know that. Own it. Push through it.

Chuck has over 25 years of martial arts experience. In addition to holding the rank of master in Olympic Taekwondo, Chuck is ranked in Capoeira, Karate, Kobudo, and Judo. Additionally, he has studied Wing Chun Kung Fu, Hapkido, Hanmudo, Krav Maga, boxing, Kickboxing, and Tai Chi. He is also the chief developer of Phat English, a system which uses hip-hop music to teach the subtle nuances of English pronunciation, a prize-winning writer, and founder of the Tokyo-based company Quiet Flame Productions. He also runs the Quiet Flame Stunt Team, Asia’s first all-English speaking multi-ethnic stunt team.

Chuck has appeared in over 50 dramas, films, commercials, and video games in Asia and the United States. In 2012, he even became the face of Village Vanguard’s Gachi Muchi brand curry. In addition to his native English, Chuck speaks, reads, and writes Chinese and Korean, languages in which he’s self-taught.

 

 

 

 

The Interview

Where are you originally from, and what led you to Japan? Did you have any idea this is where you would end up?

I’m originally from Michigan. I was born in Detroit, raised in Lansing and graduated from Michigan State; I think a lot of MSU years studying abroad though. I spent a total of around two years in Korea, (for Olympic Taekwondo training) and for one semester in Hong Kong. (Where I became the intercollegiate champion of Hong Kong). I had absolutely no idea I would end up in Japan, haha. After graduating from MSU, a friend from Korea had told me he was going to Japan to teach English. Originally, I wanted to go to the 2004 Olympics for Taekwondo, but for a myriad of reasons I decided when I graduated in 2001 that it was time to find a new path. Having lived in HK and Korea, taking a year to pay off college and explore Japan at the same time seemed like a good move. Something just told me to come here.

I imagine you weren’t able to jump right into film work—what jobs and sorts of things did you do in Japan before you broke into the industry?

I did pretty much every kind of job you can imagine. The craziest of them was that I worked as a stripper. I was doing fight choreography training during the day, so I needed a job that I could do at night; so that led me to that. Part of my work involved drinking with clients and customers though, so it was pretty tough. When I went to training, half or more of the time I was going hungover.

What initially led to your interest in stunt work? When did you know that was what you wanted to do?

I got into stunt and film work because at the time I was way taller than average in Japan, and quite muscular from my Taekwondo training. A friend had suggested that I get into modeling, so I registered with an agency that happen to be casting marital artists for a Godzilla movie. (Godzilla: Final Wars). As soon as I got on set, I thought “This is awesome. I wanna continue this.” That’s the way most people feel when they get on a real movie set for the first time, I guess.

You were the first non-Japanese person in the country to make a career out of doing stunt work. Breaking into that world must have been a lot of work, especially with the language barrier, could you tell me what that was like?

I wouldn’t actually say I was the first. There was another person who came before me, Reuben Langdon (who has since moved on to opening his own studio in LA, and stunt-doubled the main actor in Avatar, among other things). But Reuben was bouncing back and forth between here, Hong Kong and other places. Insomuch as I know, I was the first person to stay here long term. Reuben was actually already gone before I got here, but I do think the fact that he was here for a short while showed that it could be done. The early years were hard. After Godzilla: Final Wars, I trained for almost years before I got another film. At the time I didn’t speak a word of Japanese either, so almost everything was just shadowing and trying to learn from watching. But I also knew that if I could make it here as the only foreigner who would do this well, I would have a career for life and that is basically what happened.

What are the greatest hardships you have faced on the path to success in your field? What advice would you offer to those interested in following in your footsteps?

That is hard to say, lol because it’s always been an uphill battle. That’s the way it’s supposed to be though. If it’s easy, it means you aren’t challenging yourself enough. The best advice I can give is to remember that if you are going to set out to do something that most people can’t do, or no one has done before you are going to face some extreme challenges and life is really really going to test you. Know that. Own it. Push through it.

The hardest single test I had was a kickboxing match I took for money. At the time I was really desperate and even if I didn’t win, I was supposed to be paid over $1000 for it. In order to match the other fighter’s weight class I had to lose about 20 lbs in weeks, so I was fasting and trying to learn how to kick box at the same time. I went into the fight with an injured right hand (because I didn’t know how to wrap my hands under the gloves), and not knowing how to defend against low kicks, I had my legs taken out in the first 30 seconds of the match. I fought the whole match with only my left hand. I still fought to sudden death, but the fight was given to the other guy at the end. I went in the bathroom and vomited my guts out as soon as the fight was over. And when I came out my black belt was gone. To make matters worse, the agency that booked me for the fight stiffed me on the money. After that, I just sat there crying on the floor of the bathroom. It was one of the most painful experiences of my life, but I also vowed to myself that after that, I would never lose again. Losing that fight wasn’t my breaking point- it was my “making” point. After that is when my career took off.

What is it like being a foreigner in Japan? What sort of changes have you seen in the types of roles being offered since you began working there? Have you seen changes in the industry over the last decade?

It’s been really interesting seeing how the industry has changed so much. For one, there are way more foreigners; and the things we can do are diversified. There is an understanding that some of us are actually serious about entertainment careers and for those of us that are, there are more opportunity. Additionally, now the idea of foreign /western stuntmen isn’t so unusual anymore. I like to think I was a part of that trend.

How does stunt work differ between Japan and the U.S.?

The difference between the two industries is mainly based on the difference between work cultures in the states and Japan. In the states, people are expected to be and take pride in being specialists, and highly trained individuals with individual responsibility. “My job is my job. I am here to do that job and no other job.” is the general mentality. As such, people are hired with that expectation as well. There are people who are hired purely as stunt drivers, or high fall guys or the fire burn guy. Whereas in Japan, the work culture favors generalists. Talent agencies don’t look for singers, dancers or actors. They find generally talented people and train them to do all of them. In companies, people are regularly moved from sales to marketing to other departments as well. Same with stunt guys. They are expected to be able to do everything reasonably well, so that anyone can be plugged in or interchanged in any role. It’s a general cultural difference.

I imagine actual and theatrical martial arts must be quite different, was it difficult to make that adjustment?

It was, actually. When you study martial arts, you spend a long time learning to move in particular ways for particular reasons. There is application behind absolutely everything. But for film, application goes right out the window. It’s largely about aesthetic. For that reason, a lot of stunt coordinators actually prefer gymnasts and dancers to martial artists. They are just as physically talented but aren’t already entrenched into one style of thought. So, if you come from a martial arts background you really have to empty your cup before you can learn this stuff. There is a balance to be struck, but it takes a while.

In learning and teaching martial arts, how important to you is understanding its culture and history?

I think it’s hugely important. Every martial arts and fighting style is born of the situation that the people who developed it lived in, and/or had to survive in, so it has a large impact on how the fighting style developed and evolved. One example you can see is in how Samurai would fight. If you look at Iaido in Japan, it’s the art of drawing the sword and killing an opponent at the same time. That’s because for Samurai fighting with swords, conflicts were often decided with the first cut. As a function of that, even if you look at modern Japanese martial arts, they often all follow this mentality of a “one-hit kill.” Judo has one-point. Sumo has one-point. Karate has board and brick breaking, which symbolizes smashing through an armed warrior’s armor with your barehands to kill or immobilize them with a single hit. If you look at Filipino knife fighting however (which modern boxing also draws a lot from), it’s all about combinations and quick movements. That’s because knives, unlike swords, are most lethal with lots of quick cuts. You don’t go deep with the blade- you cut them up so that it’s impossible for them to cover and protect the wounds, so they bleed to death. Different weapon, different circumstance, different application.

How have martial arts principles influenced your own life?

Martial arts are everything to me. When I started Taekwondo in high school I was a C student, who had never done any sports at all. By the time I finished high school, I was an A student, and a champion. They taught me that everyone has something that they can excel at, and the discipline and goal-setting of martial arts (via having a belt system) taught me how to be successful at everything I do.

What led you to start your own production company, Quiet Flame Productions?

Several years into my career, I decided that it would be a good idea to learn about this stuff in English, so I started taking in seminars and workshops in the states and graduated from the International Stunt School in Seattle. I’ve since gone on to become their fight choreography trainer, and I had some former students who wanted to come to Japan. At the time, action directors, directors, and producers in Tokyo kept asking me if there was anyone besides myself that could do stunt work or fight choreography, so I asked those students to come out and I started the Quiet Flame Stunt Team. From there, I started Quiet Flame Productions to train other foreigners besides myself, and to create a much larger talent pool. From there, when those producers, directors, etc ask me for people, I have people whom I know well in terms of their personalities, skills and abilities that I can recommend for productions.

What is it like producing your own films and bringing your own ideas to life?

Film making is a very tough business; even for people who are making massive films with massive budgets. It’s really high risk- but that’s what I love about it. I live for challenge, and it’s hard. As for bringing my ideas to fruition, that side of it is just amazing. So cool. I like it because there are so many elements to it- choosing the right music, the right camera, sound effects, location, crew, etc, the list goes on and on. But when you see an amazing film, it’s because the producer selected all those different pieces perfectly in a way that they all fit together to create a living, moving work of art. It’s just amazing. A lot of the time, I am never satisfied with something I make because I can still see the pieces that didn’t fit perfectly. Bad weather on the location of choice that affected the lighting; limitations of budget that limit costume or effects choices, etc, but that’s how it goes. You have to stay critical of yourself and hungry to keep moving upwards and trying to outdo yourself.

What does an average day look like for you?

Like any parent, I guess, it starts with the challenge of trying to get my son to go to school, lol. And ends with me trying to get him to go to sleep. As one of the regular functions of Quiet Flame is teaching (martial arts, fight choreography, stunts, core fitness, etc) that is usually what I am doing for a large part of the day. In between them, I am organizing shoots, casting members, having meetings about projects, etc. And then always, always checking and responding to emails and inquires. It’s hard to say because every day is different. If I am working on a film myself, that usually takes the whole day, but besides that, I am usually going from place to place in Tokyo for meetings, classes, and/or work. It’s a lot to manage, but again, I love the challenge.

I’ve heard that English classes in Japan often fail to teach how letters are pronounced. Is that what led you to develop the Phat English learning program?

Phat English was something I developed in my early years in Japan. It was born of a newspaper column I was asked to make using hip-hop to teach English intonation. I’m not doing much with it these days as I am focused on entertainment work and QF, but it was a fun project to figure out how to make that work. In general, I love making things so if any opportunities for that ever came up again, I would love to continue working on it.

What’s next for you?

The next step for me is producing a feature film. Until now, I have only produced Youtube content, and short films; but I have had a feature I have wanted to make for forever, and I want to see it to fruition. But the jump between producing shorts and producing features is a massive one. Particularly since with shorts, they don’t require a huge amount of capital, so they don’t necessarily have to sell; with a feature, even a small or low-budget one, you are looking at hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars. That is too much money at stake to produce something that doesn’t go anywhere; so, you really have to make sure you have something worth making, and that people want to see. Again, that’s a challenge, but I feel like I’m up for it