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In a galaxy far, far away....
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in: Real-world people, Semi-protected pages, Audiobook narrators,
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Kelly Marie Tran

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"I want to live in a world where people of all races, religions, socioeconomic classes, sexual orientations, gender identities and abilities are seen as what they have always been: human beings. This is the world I want to live in. And this is the world that I will continue to work toward. These are the thoughts that run through my head every time I pick up a script or a screenplay or a book. I know the opportunity given to me is rare. […] I am the first woman of color to have a leading role in a Star Wars movie."
―Kelly Marie Tran[2]

Kelly Marie Tran (born January 17, 1989),[1] whose Vietnamese name is Loan, is an American actress who portrayed Rose Tico, a Resistance technician. Her parents migrated from Vietnam to the United States, where Loan pursued a career in acting and is known as Kelly Marie Tran.[2] She starred as Rose Tico in the 2017 film Star Wars: Episode VIII The Last Jedi.[3]

Tran reprised her role in the 2019 film Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker.[4] Tran also narrated the audiobook for the novel The Last Jedi: Cobalt Squadron[5] and voiced Tico in the Star Wars Forces of Destiny episode "Shuttle Shock."

As a young actor, Tran spent several years in Los Angeles honing her acting skills at the Upright Citizens Brigade, The Second City, and iO West.[6][7] Tran has appeared in several CollegeHumor, the web series Ladies Like Us (2013), Ladies Like Us: The Rise of Neighborhood Watch (2015), the NBC sitcom series About a Boy (2014), and the Netflix film XOXO (2016).[7] She is also a fan of Harry Potter.[6]

Biography

The Last Jedi

"Rose is not an amazing pilot or a Jedi; she's strong in a different way and I think that's kind of how she holds her own. […] She has this fangirl experience, then they started realizing the two of them have abilities that nobody else has, that they could really help the Resistance if they were to work together"
―Kelly Marie Tran, on Rose Tico and the character meeting with Finn[8]

Tran's casting in Star Wars: Episode VIII The Last Jedi was first announced on February 15, 2016.[9] Tran's character was first identified as the Resistance mechanic Rose Tico in a Vanity Fair article published on May 24, 2017.[10]

Despite the critical and box office success of The Last Jedi, Tran received online abuse from people who disliked her character, Rose. This hostility manifested in racist vandalism to her character's Wookieepedia article and misogynistic remarks on Twitter by conservative vlogger Paul Ray Ramsey.[11][12] In response, attorney Anthony Nguyen praised Tran for being the first "woman of color" to be cast in a leading role in the Star Wars franchise. Meanwhile, journalist Nicole Karlis condemned attacks on Tran as a manifestation of a fear of women who defied sexist stereotypes.[13][14]

On May 6, 2018, Tran deleted all posts on her Instagram account following months of racist and sexist harassment and abuse. An anti-feminist Facebook group claimed credit for running Tran out from Instagram. In response, The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson, fellow Star Wars co-stars Mark Hamill and John Boyega, and The Late Show host Stephen Colbert also issued statements defending Tran.[15][16][17] Tran subsequently penned an article in The New York Times describing her experiences as a "woman of color" in American society.[2]

The Rise of Skywalker

RoseTico-TotOR

Tran reprised her role in The Rise of Skywalker.

Tran reprised her role as Rose Tico in Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker, which was released on December 20, 2019. She also appeared at Celebration Chicago with other cast members to promote the film.[18]

Post–sequel trilogy

On December 9, 2020, Tran hosted a Star Wars YouTube video announcing the LEGO Star Wars Holiday Contest based on The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special, where she had reprised her role as Rose Tico. The LEGO building competition was sponsored by Star Wars: Force for Change, robotics builders club FIRST, and the LEGO Group.[19]

Works

Filmography

Year Title Series Contribution(s)
2017 Star Wars: Episode VIII The Last Jedi Rose Tico
2018 "Shuttle Shock" Star Wars Forces of Destiny Rose Tico
2018 "Yub Nub!" LEGO Star Wars: All-Stars Rose Tico
2019 Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker Rose Tico
2020 The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special Rose Tico
2022 LEGO Star Wars Summer Vacation Rose Tico

Discography

Year Title Contribution(s)
2017 The Last Jedi: Cobalt Squadron audiobook Narrator

Sources

Notes and references

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Kelly Marie Tran by Ramanathan, Tara on www.britannica.com (archived from the original on July 15, 2024)
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Kelly Marie Tran: I Won't Be Marginalized by Online Harassment by Kelly Marie Tran on The New York Times (August 21, 2018) (archived from the original on January 23, 2020)
  3. ↑ StarWars Star Wars Episode VIII Now Filming on StarWars.com (backup link)
  4. ↑ StarWars Star Wars: Episode IX Cast Announced on StarWars.com (backup link)
  5. ↑ The star wars show logo The Star Wars Show: Kelly Marie Tran's The Last Jedi Prank and Google Home's Star Wars Trivia BTS on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link)
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Kelly Marie Tran: The Rise of Rose by Keely Flaherty on BuzzFeed (November 15, 2016) (archived from the original on February 6, 2020)
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Who is Star Wars: Episode VIII actress Kelly Marie Tran? by Jonathan Dornbush on Entertainment Weekly (February 15, 2016) (archived from the original on August 1, 2018)
  8. ↑ SWYT-Logo Star Wars: The Last Jedi | Becoming Rose on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link) (Posted on StarWars.com)
  9. ↑ StarWars Star Wars Episode VIII Now Filming on StarWars.com (backup link)
  10. ↑ Cover Story: Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the Definitive Preview by David Kamp on Vanity Fair (May 24, 2017) (archived from the original on January 13, 2020)
  11. ↑ Racist Attacks Against Kelly Marie Tran posted to Rose Tico's Wookieepedia page by Anna Menta on Newsweek (December 19, 2017) (archived from the original on December 24, 2019)
  12. ↑ Kelly Marie Tran Of 'Last Jedi' Facing Racist, Sexist Comments Online on HuffPost (December 27, 2017) (archived from the original on November 21, 2019)
  13. ↑ Attorney Anthony Nguyen Comments on the Racist Backlash Against Vietnamese-American Actress Kelly Marie Tran by Shegerian & Associates, Inc. on PR Newswire (January 2, 2018) (archived from the original on July 18, 2019)
  14. ↑ Threats against Kelly Marie Tran highlight a fear of women who break sexist stereotypes by Nicole Karlis on Salon (December 29, 2017) (archived from the original on February 3, 2020)
  15. ↑ Star Wars actress Kelly Marie Tran deletes Instagram posts after abuse on BBC (June 6, 2018) (archived from the original on January 10, 2020)
  16. ↑ Pro-'Straight White Male Hero' group takes credit for running 'Star Wars' actress Kelly Marie Tran off Instagram by Kate Feldman on New York Daily News (June 11, 2018) (archived from the original on July 30, 2018)
  17. ↑ John Boyega tells Star Wars fans to stop harassing cast on BBC (June 13, 2018) (archived from the original on January 12, 2019)
  18. ↑ Kelly Marie Tran Gets Emotional As Fans Chant Her Name At Star Wars Celebration by Kimberly Yam on HuffPost (April 12, 2019) (archived from the original on December 21, 2019)
  19. ↑ SWYT-Logo LEGO Star Wars Holiday Contest on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link)

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