Kelly Marie Tran is an American actress who has had a number of roles in films and television series like CollegeHumor Originals, About a Boy, and Adam Ruins Everything. However, she garnered widespread attention when it was announced that she would be one of the new cast members in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Kelly Marie Tran will be playing Rose Tico in the upcoming Star Wars: The Last Jedi, which opens in theaters on December 15, 2017.
Screen Rant got a chance to talk to Kelly Marie Tran on press day, where we discussed what it feels like to be one of the new cast members in the latest chapter of the Star Wars films, what skills her character Rose brings to the Resistance, and what was it like to receive the call that she would be in Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
SR: So you are the new face and addition to the franchise. How is it being the new kid on the block and did that inform your performance for this film?
Kelly Marie Tran: Okay. I think being the new person, It was actually not as intimidating as I thought it was going to be and I think about says a lot more about the people I worked with than with me. Everyone did a really good job of making me feel welcome and making me feel part of it, and I wasn't afraid because of that. It did definitely inform the way that I approached this character. I didn't want her to feel like she was influenced by anything I had seen before. So hopefully you'll have to let me know, it'll feel like something different.
SR: I'm excited. I'm really excited for this. We know that Rose is apart of the Resistance.
Kelly Marie Tran: Yes!
SR: What talents or skill set as she brings the resistance and ends up in this intergalactic like, conflict.
Kelly Marie Tran: Yeah. She's a fixer. So she really knows her way, essentially, in terms of fixing the ships that but the Resistance would need to fight the First Order she's also very practical, and very logical, and she views any sort of situation as if it were math or science. Okay, here's this problem. How do we solve it. Okay, we can do this, this, and this.
SR: Very logical.
Kelly Marie Tran: Exactly. Which I'm excited for people to see, ya.
SR: You're character's brand new. Is there any fan theory that you may have read online that was right about your character?
Kelly Marie Tran: No.
SR: No?
Kelly Marie Tran: No.
SR: Interesting.
Kelly Marie Tran: (Laughs) No.
SR: I'm sure that Episode IX is currently still in the script phase, but with you, personally, where would you like to see your character go?
Kelly Marie Tran: First of all, I don't know if I'm in IX or not. (Hums Twilight Zone theme) do you but I would like her to... First of all, I really and Rian has said this before, I think his idea behind writing this character was the idea like in many of the other films that essentially someone who is kind of this nobody, this background player, can face the challenges that come up and nobody can turn into sort of an unlikely hero. Maybe. If the story were to move forward with this character I would like to hope that we like further that idea, yeah.
SR: That's amazing. I also heard that when you got the role working in an office. Is that true?
Kelly Marie Tran: Yeah. (Laughs)
SR: How was that experience when you got the call? Like, hey, you're going to be in the next Star Wars.
Kelly Marie Tran: Yeah. I actually didn't get a call. It was an in-person meeting, so I had to leave work. I said I was going to lunch and tell anyone that I was going to this meeting and I remember like it was yesterday. I was like, driving my car and I was shaking, and I remember thinking Rian's either going to say you have it or he's going to say good job, kid, but sorry, you know? And when he offered it to me I was in pure shock and I went back to the office. I think actually, it might have been the best thing to do because I just didn't know how to deal with the information that was presented to me so I just responded to e-mails and answer phone calls as if nothing had happened.
SR: I love that you went back to the office too.
Kelly Marie Tran: I think I worked there for like another week or two.
MORE: Our Last Jedi Interview With Domhnall Gleeson, Gwendoline Christie, and Andy Serkis
