Artists First signs The Furious actor Joey Iwanaga
Joey Iwanaga, who plays Paklung in martial arts thriller The Furious, has signed with Artists First for management, Deadline reports.
By Poppy Nakagawa · Culture Writer
2 min read
Joey Iwanaga, the actor currently raising hell as Paklung in The Furious, has signed with Artists First for management, according to Deadline.
The move follows a high-profile villain role for Iwanaga in Kenji Tanigaki’s martial arts film, where he appears opposite Xie Miao and Joe Taslim. Deadline described Iwanaga as a second-generation Japanese-American actor known for action work.
In The Furious, Iwanaga plays Paklung, identified by Deadline as the sociopathic son-in-law of a powerful gangster. The character is tied to the child trafficking syndicate at the center of the film’s story.
A bruising breakout role
The film follows Wang Wei, played by Miao, a mysterious mute tradesman whose daughter is taken by a Southeast Asian child trafficking operation, according to Deadline’s account of the movie. Forced into the criminal underworld, Wang Wei joins forces with Navin, played by Taslim, a grieving journalist searching for his missing wife.
Tanigaki, known as a stunt coordinator before moving into directing, helmed the film. Deadline reported that The Furious premiered at the 2025 Toronto Film Festival before its theatrical release last month.
The film also opened at No. 1 in the Chinese market, according to Deadline. On Rotten Tomatoes, Deadline reported the movie carried a 98% critics score and a 95% audience score at the time of its report.
From martial arts to screen work
Iwanaga’s background spans dance and combat training, including full-contact karate, boxing, taekwondo, hip-hop and ballet, Deadline reported. That mix has fed directly into a résumé built around physically demanding screen roles.
His acting career began at 16 with a leading part in the 2013 feature Dancing Karate Kid, according to Deadline. He later gained wider international attention in Enter the Fat Dragon, the 2020 action comedy starring Donnie Yen.
Iwanaga’s other screen credits include Netflix’s Alice in Borderland and Rurouni Kenshin: Final Chapter Part 1 – The Final, Deadline reported.
His next listed project is the live-action Japanese film Blue Lock, based on the manga of the same name, according to Deadline.
Artists First represents clients across entertainment management. Deadline did not report additional details about Iwanaga’s new representation arrangement.
This story draws on original reporting from Deadline.