It’s just before halftime of the Los Angeles Rams’ Monday Night Football matchup with the Buffalo Bills, and comedian Atsuko Okatsuka is standing in the tunnel, hyping herself up. In less than a minute, the comedian, actress and native Angeleno will strut onto the field at SoFi Stadium to perform with the Rams cheerleaders. Okatsuka hides behind a bright smile while marking her dance moves, but she’ll later admit to being “super nervous.” Sure, she’ll only be dancing for about 45 seconds, but it’s been nearly 20 years since she last shook her poms.
Fortunately, when Okatsuka cartwheels into the center of the formation, muscle memory takes over. Her Venice High School cheer skills come rushing back. (She was voted “Most Spirited,” after all!) The sold-out crowd cheers while the newest Rams cheerleader grooves to the high-tempo beat of Katseye’s “Animal” and, then, in an instant, her big moment is over. When the music ends, Okatsuka strikes her final pose — she crushed it — and now, she runs back toward the tunnel with the rest of her new squad.
Okatsuka stops to share her instant reaction with Variety: “I’m so old,” she cracks. A few minutes later, she sinks into a lounge chair in the green room to reflect on becoming the NFL’s inaugural Celebrity Guest Cheerleader. It takes me back to performing good spirits through dance.
I haven’t done that in a minute.” The NFL’s Celebrity Guest Cheerleader initiative is the latest extension of the league’s successful “Celebrity Guest” series, which launched last year with pro athletes, actors and musicians — including Jerry Rice, Simone Biles, Suni Lee, Method Man, Common, Joel McHale, Ken Griffey Jr., Benson Boone and Marshawn Lynch — working as sideline photographers during games. Then, she does a special “roll call” to call them out in the audience. (“Ready?” Okatsuka yells into the mic, as her audience echoes back, “OK!”) The bit continues, breaking down the hype woman mindset that cheerleaders must adopt, pumping up the team even when they have no idea if they’re going to win, and how that positivity manifests in everyday life. Her performance is one of the team’s top-performing pieces of content this season, with more than 4 million views and 200,000 engagements.
To prepare for the performance, Okatsuka studied the choreography at home before meeting with the Rams cheerleaders to run the routine at their weekly rehearsals. So, I was like prepping like I’m going to the Olympics or something,” she says. They’re cheerleaders — they’re really good at making you feel good.
Not to a fault, but they kept going, ‘You’re doing good,’ and then you start to believe it.” The Rams also gifted Okatsuka with a customized uniform for game day. It’s a little too much for her next comedy special, which will also shoot at the United Theater in Downtown L.A. Look for the next Celebrity Guest Cheerleader to take the field during the NFL holiday games.
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