‘Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ star MASUMI is just getting started

Many actors can say that throughout a decades-long career, they have danced in a musical, hung off the side of a plane, or slayed monsters in a fantasy world.

But very few can say that they did their own stunts and motion capture within their first two major projects. MASUMI can.

Born in Palos Verdes, CA, she moved to Japan when she was 5. But she moved back to the United States following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake. Starting as a musician, MASUMI never wanted to be an actress—until the opportunity found her. “I came to America right after the earthquake and left my whole family after that tragedy to pursue music, and for six to seven years, I just did that,” she says. “I had an opportunity in Japan to go major…I think when I realized the reality of it, it wasn’t what I wanted.”

Little did she know that her first major role would be to lead the 2021 Brazilian action film Yakuza Princess. Her second would be as the co-lead for the long-running Assassin’s Creed video game franchise’s latest installment: Assassin’s Creed Shadows, released on March 20. “I kind of feel like my life has been a sequence of not knowing how big it was, even Yakuza Princess, I didn’t even really understand what it meant to be a lead of a project,” she says. “It always served me to not understand the magnitude of what it means because then I would get too scared.”

In fact, MASUMI had never heard of Assassin’s Creed before taking the role of Naoe, a kunoichi in search of vengeance in Japan’s Sengoku period. When preparing for the role, she purposefully skirted the franchise’s convoluted lore of assassins, sci-fi deities, and secret societies, aiming to focus on the relatively contained story and character first and foremost.

But MASUMI has had some experience immersing herself into her roles. For Yakuza Princess, she did all of her own stunts, minus some dangerous jumps from rooftop to rooftop. “I learned how difficult it is to do your own stunts, and act, and be a lead,” she says. “I think I was very greedy too. It was my first time, and I wanted to soak everything up.”

But acting on set is vastly different from doing motion capture, like she did for Assassin’s Creed. “Not being able to see the elements, not being able to walk up those steps or that rock, not seeing, not feeling the temperature of the air or the scenery, a lot of times, we didn’t know what was happening in the scene,” she says. “We just knew who I was talking to and the imagination needed to be bumped.”

According to MASUMI, this led to a more involved collaboration with the directors to visualize a scene the way they intended to, such as how hard or cold a door might be. Despite this manufactured environment, MASUMI actually found a deeper connection between the game’s historical reality and her own heritage. “The Sengoku period actually did happen, and this is the story about my ancestors, and I think that was big for me because this is not a completely made up story,” she says. “Maybe Naoe didn’t exist at the time, but somebody like her definitely did…the emotional complexity just had to be real for me.”

The franchise prides itself on its revisionist history. After all, Assassin’s Creed II sees the protagonist fight the Pope in a boxing match. But beneath it all is a layer of historical authenticity and appreciation. Coming from a Japanese background, MASUMI is proud to see her culture represented in the gaming space. “This was something I’ve always wanted to play—a Japanese character in a Japanese story,” she says. “Because my dream has come true, I’m still having a hard time putting words into that feeling.”

While AA+PI talent continues to grow within the live action and voice acting industry, MASUMI hopes that more creatives can have the opportunity to stand in the spotlight. “I always felt like a lot of us (feel like we) don’t deserve to be in the lead position,” she says. “When I’m on stage (performing music), I always felt like I deserved to be there…I never doubted being under that spotlight, and I do feel like a part of that energy helped me feel very comfortable being the lead of Yakuza Princess or being the lead of Assassin’s Creed.”

But being on this artistic journey is not something she wants to do alone. Like Naoe has the samurai Yasuke, MASUMI wants to be able to continue working with people who can help her grow as an actress. “I’ve been given so many incredible opportunities, but I feel very new. I have so much to learn,” she says. “I want to be able to create something amazing with people.” Part of meeting that goal is to return to the real world. Her unique experience working within gaming has left her with an excitement to be back on a physical set, bridging the gap between herself and those who work tirelessly behind the scenes.

“What I missed a lot (was) working on a movie set where I’m seeing all the cast,” she says. “I’m seeing all the lighting people, the audio people, you really feel like you’re creating something together.”

As for Naoe, MASUMI feels that her story has reached its conclusion, but she feels the door is always open for her to return in the future. “If the story were to expand her, let’s say, maybe she’s grown older and it’s a different part of her life, then I think I would be interested in coming back,” she says. “But now, with her story as an assassin, I have told that story full-heartedly.”

With Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ expansion Claws of Awaji set for later this year, fans can expect to step into Naoe’s shoes one more time. No spoilers, of course.