Kelly Marie Tran Biography

Kelly Marie Tran (born January 17, 1989) is an American actress. She has had roles in short films and television episodes, and came to wider attention for her role as Rose Tico in the 2017 film Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi.

Early life and education

Tran was born on January 17, 1989 in San Diego, California. Her parents are refugees from Vietnam who fled the country following the Vietnam War. As a child, her father was homeless and grew up on the streets of Vietnam. After moving to the United States, he worked at Burger King to support the family, and his wife worked at a funeral home.

Tran attended Westview High School in San Diego and worked at a yogurt shop, Golden Spoon, in Rancho Penasquitos to earn money for head shots. Tran then graduated from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a B.A. in Communications.

Career

Tran spent her early years in Los Angeles auditioning for small parts and doing improv at the Upright Citizens Brigade and The Second City. In 2013, she starred in the web series Ladies Like Us. She also appeared in various CollegeHumor videos.

In 2015, Tran was cast as Rose Tico in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Rose Tico is a rebel mechanic who joins up with main character Finn after the sacrifice of her oldest sister, Paige Tico (Veronica Ngo), a gunner trained by Resistance commander Poe Dameron. She was unable to tell her family that she had won the role. When she went to film her scenes at Pinewood Studios in early 2016, she said she was filming a small movie in Canada. With her role in The Last Jedi, Tran became the first Asian-American woman to play a leading role in a Star Wars film. In 2017, she also became the first Asian woman to appear on the cover of Vanity Fair when she appeared on the cover of the summer 2017 issue with John Boyega and Oscar Isaac.

Negative receptions and attacks

Despite the critical and box office success of The Last Jedi, Tran received online attacks, some racist, from people who disliked the character of Rose Tico. In response to that criticism, Anthony Nguyen praised Tran for being "the first woman of color to be cast in a leading role in the Star Wars franchise". Condemning the racist attacks, Nguyen remarked that "people of color, especially Asian-Americans, are grossly underrepresented in TV and film." In addition, freelance writer and journalist Nicole Karlis opined that attacks on Tran's race and appearance reflected a fear of women who broke sexist stereotypes. In June 2018, Tran deleted all of her posts on Instagram after months of harassment. Rian Johnson, who directed The Last Jedi, criticized her attackers. Other Star Wars fans expressed support for the actress, which Johnson indicated appreciation for.

Johnson's sentiments were co-expressed by Boyega and Mark Hamill.

Filmography

Film roles

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2011	Untouchable	Jamie	Short film
2011	The Rising Cost of Cosmetics	Chun Hei Park	Short film
2011	Impressions	Alice	Short film
2011	Hot Girls on the Beach	Boba Chick/Student	Segment: "Great White Shark Movie"
2012	The Cohasset Snuff Film	Christine Chan	Uncredited
2013	Andy's CDs	Kelly	Short film
2016	XOXO	Butterfly Rave Girl
2017	Star Wars: The Last Jedi	Rose Tico
2019	Star Wars: Episode IX	Rose Tico	Filming

Television roles

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2011	This Indie Girl	Hero Girl	Episode: "Just the Way It Is"
2012	Fabulous High	Sierra Mar Student #4	Television film
2013-2015	Ladies Like Us	Kelly/Larry	Television series
2014-2016	CollegeHumor Originals	Full Asian/Kate/Kelly/Startup "Foodler" Girl/Melissa/Amber	Television series
2014-2016	Life on Normal Street	Sara	3 episodes
2014	To the Bridge	Lydia	Pilot episode
2014	About a Boy	Marguerite	2 episodes
2014	Hope & Randy	Tina	Television mini-series
2014	Currently Cool	Jenny	Episode: "Baby Daddy Daddy Daddy"
2015	Comedy Bang! Bang!	Teen Friend	Episode: "Thomas Middleditch Wears an Enigmatic Sweatshirt and Sweatpants with Pockets"
2015	Ladies Like Us: The Rise of Neighborhood Watch	Larry	2 episodes
2015	Adam Ruins Everything	Sharon/Phone Woman	2 episodes
2015	Discount Fitness	Betsy	Episode: "Goal Met"
2016	Pub Quiz	Asia	Television film
2016	History of the World...For Now	Daughter	Episode #1.4
2016	Fall Into Me	Eva	Episode: "British Billionaire"
2016	Sing It!	Twinkle Twinkle Auditioner	Episode: "THE SHOW BEGINS!"
2018	Star Wars: Forces of Destiny	Rose Tico	Episode: "Shuttle Shock"
2018	Sorry for Your Loss	Jules	Main role

Awards and nominations

Year	Nominated work	Award	Category	Result
2018	Star Wars: The Last Jedi	23rd Empire Awards	Best Female Newcomer
		44th Saturn Awards	Best Supporting Actress