Looking back through the history of the franchise there are a number of actors who we as fans are forever thankful that the galaxy came a calling and launched them into hyperspace. Add to that list Kelly Marie Tran, who nearly quit acting for good a few short years ago. Then The Last Jedi came to her doorstep.
EW caught up with Kelly Marie to discuss this and more.
The 28-year-old San Diego native landed the role of Rose Tico, a problem-solving Resistance mechanic, just about a year after she was ready to give up chasing that dream forever.
“There was absolutely a moment,” Tran tells EW. “When I turned 25, I had been at it for some years and I was struggling to pay my bills. I was tired. I had been working [my day job] 40-plus hours a week, plus sometimes I’d have two auditions in the day and then I would write a sketch or do improv at night, or rehearse for the next auditions the next day. So, my days, I would get up at 5 a.m. and then I wouldn’t be home until 11:00 p.m. The days were like that for years.”
