Five things you should know about newcomer Kelly Marie Tran who plays the gung-ho Resistance mechanic Rose Tico in The Last Jedi — and the first Asian actress to play a major Star Wars character (you’re major when you’re featured in the ads!).
“The first one was a cold read, which meant it was so secretive that I didn’t have the information beforehand to prepare for anything,” recalls Tran, who was recently in Singapore on a promo trip. Every callback entailed a different challenge, but it was the fourth tryout that proved to be most terrifying: A surprise chemistry read with John Boyega, who plays storm trooper-turned-Resistance fighter Finn. “They had flown him down [to LA] and didn’t tell any of us,” says the bubbly 28-year-old San Diego native, who’s previously appeared in web comedies and late-night TV sketches. She reportedly beat out Gina Rodriguez, Tatiana Maslany and Olivia Cooke for the part.
2 SHE READ UP ON THE VIETNAM WAR.
This story is from the December 14, 2017 edition of 8 Days.
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This story is from the December 14, 2017 edition of 8 Days.
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