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| The casting of Kelly Marie Tran might shatter a few barriers in the new Star Wars movie. |
Reprinted from AsAm News
JOHN BOYEGA, the African/American storm trooper who debuted in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, has confirmed to Dark Side of the Force that the first Asian to play a major Star Wars character has been picked out of a very competitive audition -- Kelly Marie Tran.
Who?
Tran is not a household name now but all that might change dramatically when she debuts in Star Wars, Episode VIII. Details of the role is shrouded in mystery so very little about her role has been revealed.
The relatively unknown actress co-starred in a few Internet shorts including The Rising Cost of Cosmetics, (2011) and Untouchable (2011)
“I love her. I love her,” said Boyega, who took part in the auditions for the character Tran was picked for. “I think she’s fantastic. It’s a friendship thing in the sense of you meet someone and you’re just like, I vibe with you. I feel like I’ve known you for years.' And that’s a very, very good thing.”
Editors Note: From Nerds of Color: Some of the BIG names who reportedly auditioned for the part included names like Tatiana Maslany, Olivia Cooke, Anna Kendrick and Gina Rodriguez so Tran's selection is no small feat.
According to Entertainment Weekly, Tran is a graduate of UCLA, got her start in local theater and trained with several improv groups including Second City.
Tran is not your typical Hollywood ingenue or starlet and that's what #OscarsSoWhite is all about, right? We want to break that institutional and inbred bias that has prevented actors of color from getting the big roles.
Here she is in a funny YouTube skit from College Humor: Are You Asian Enough?
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