“In this season the lines are being crossed all over”: Tomer Capone and Karen Fukuhara on The Boys: Season Three

As the third season of The Boys drops on Amazon Prime viewers will see this new chapter bring series regulars back to life alongside a slew of brand new characters. The array of explosive storylines and action on this much loved vigilante superhero show are based on the New York Times bestselling comic book of the same name by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson (who also serve as executive producers on the series).

The complex drama sees a year of calm overturned by more conflict between The Boys and The Seven, with plentiful scenes of gore, grotesque sexual themes and political satire as they all turn their interests towards the legend of the original superhero: Soldier Boy.

The Upcoming had the pleasure of speaking to cast members Tomer Capone (Frenchie) and Karen Fukuhara (Kimiko) about their character development in this season, the bizarre elements of the script and how the cast bonded.

Where do we see your two characters in this season and how has their relationship developed? 

Tomer Capone: We know how the last season ended – with Frenchie begging Kimiko to let him in, and maybe to teach him the language she uses a little bit. Those two characters have been so hunted and so cornered since the start, and having to go through so much trouble. The way season three starts is refreshing, because life is good and it’s fresh new start for both of them. So it was very interesting not to be feeling like you’re being chased down; we had a lot more room to build the relationship. When you see the season, it starts a year after, so me and Karen were basically putting our heads together about what those two have been through up till the point where the first episode starts, which was a fun experience to explore.

Karen Fukuhara: I think this season, we had a lot of opportunities to bond – not only as our characters but off-screen as well. To be honest, the dance rehearsals really bonded us together, and I think you can see that on-screen as well. There’s something about working on something together – like doing a team sport – that brings people together. 

TC: We feel so comfortable with each other at this point. We’re cooking, we’re talking, we’re playing backgammon – I made Karen my little monster. I’m a proud father of a very well-trained backgammon player.

KF: I never knew how to play and he taught me. I’m his little grasshopper! 

TC: I always have some days that I’m playing and I’m getting my ass kicked by her and I’m like, “Alright, you did good, Grasshopper.” So all of this together made the working relationship a really great experience as actors. Can you imagine if we hated each other? 

KF: That would be awful, because most of our shooting days are with each other.

What was it like rehearsing and then filming the hospital dance scene? 

KF: Surreal. There’s so many colourful details on everything – even the costumes were a lot more colourful than what we’re used to. Kimiko is usually always dressed in black and also there was no blood on-set, even though it’s a hospital. It’s so ironic and a fun detail. Our costume designer, Michael Brown, wanted her hospital gown to have a little bit of flair and flow so we added a tiny bit more fabric so that it expands a little bit. We have some not-so-happy scenes in the hospital gown, so for those we used more of a dingy or lighter blue, but for the dance number we changed into something that was a tiny bit brighter. If you just watch it, you probably won’t even recognise it, but it’s a small detail that made it special. In terms of the dance, I got to work with an awesome dance partner. He did some lifts. I should have lost ten pounds!

TC: It was great. We had so much room for bringing our own thing to this, just in terms of characters. We were like, “We should definitely try put this into this dance” – small moments that are character-driven things, even if they’re small, like a moment in the dance where we stop for a second and have this little interaction. It also got me into shape. I don’t like to train but it was so much fun and we did it, day in day out. It was crazy because at the same time Karen also had training for her crazy action scenes. One day we met for rehearsal and Karen comes in with a small injury from a scene she’d performed. It felt so surreal participating in such physical, intense scenes for us, as actors. We had a lot of protein shakes and lots of energy foods. 

Some of the things that your characters have to do are actually pretty bizarre – especially in this season. Did you ever feel like it pushed the boundaries for you? 

KF: I’m always up for everything. When else will you get to do any of this stuff? And that’s the joy of being an actor. You get to learn these skills, and you get to experience what it’s like to be inside of a whale and things like that. So I’m always really excited to read the script.

TC: For me, it’s like, as soon as I get my hair done etc it’s full-on Frenchie – I can be everything and do whatever I want and just explore. I’m so happy with this character. It’s like a present for me, just being free, even in all those very bizarre moments.

The Boys are obviously a very close knit group – they’ve been through a lot over the first two seasons. We see relationship dynamics shift in this third season. From your perspective as actors, how is it having those relationships on and off-screen, and bringing a fresh dynamic for this season?

KF: It’s quite easy for us because we get along so well; with The Boys, the five of us are close. I mean, we’re close with the entire cast, but the five of us play backgammon together. We have a tournament going and having that constantly it’s amazing. What’s exciting is seeing all of these different characters, who usually are in a team together, disband and then team up with others. Seeing that kind of new dynamic within each of the characters and the team is a great thing that the fans will love to watch. 

TC: What’s a little weird this season is just that we are really kind of splitting up the family – The Boys. It was interesting to go through some shooting days, and then Butcher comes in with this different energy, and you are in your world and then we meet again. It’s the first time that we get to explore The Boys going on their own separate paths, and then when we meet again, something changes. It was always The Boys versus The Seven, but in this season the lines are being crossed all over. It feels like civil war is breaking out. 

There are complex scenes where Kimiko uses her powers with superhero sex toys, and in the first episode Frenchie is thrown against a wall. How was it for you to explore these unconventional action scenes? 

TC: My first day on-set and we’re gonna tie you down and drag you inside a wall. I’m ready! I mean, all I can say is I’m a huge fan of what Karen did this season. I seriously never saw someone work as hard as Karen did this season on her action and on her choreography. Navigating with signing, fighting, dancing… it was all very impressive.

Little Nina comes into this season. What does her introduction mean for Frenchie?

TC: I just know that that Kimiko hates that bitch. Let’s start with that. It was interesting to explore because we did get a glimpse in season two of Frenchie’s past – of how he got into The Boys – but now we go even more into reverse, in terms of who made him the broken man that he is. There’s a lot more to deal with this third season, in terms of trauma etc. I’m so excited for these scenes. I think it gives you a different angle to Frenchie. 

Ezelle Alblas
Photo: vagueonthehow

The Boys: Season Three is released on Amazon Prime on 3^rd June 2022.

Watch the trailer for The Boys: Season Three here: