Kelly Marie Tran

“So much of me is because of what my parents experienced in this country. So much of me is because of the things my parents overcame so that I could have the luxury of having a dream.”

“I want to work with amazing filmmakers and tell important stories, and if I have to audition to do that, I will.”

“Seeing someone dressed up as your character is incredible.”

“I have a great family and great friends, and I think that they'll keep me grounded.”

“If I am just, like, on a run by myself, I've never been stopped. Even if I'm at Target buying my own action figure, people would not believe that it's me. I actually was like, 'This is me!'”

“My parents didn't get to have a dream. Their dream was to live in a country where their kids would have choice.”

“Carrie Fisher will always be an icon as Leia, but also as Carrie. She will live on forever.”

“I'm totally pro-porg! I would not eat a porg. They're so cute; you can't eat them. They're friends!”

“I was working a full-time job but not having anything in my savings account at the end of the month because of my bills and because acting in the beginning costs money.”

“I think anytime you go into anything that's different and new, there's a bit of fear.”

“I believe if you can have an open dialogue about anything, whether it's a book or a movie or TV show, it's this door that suddenly opens your mind to new ideas.”

“My mom works in funerals, and my dad works at Burger King.”

“I think there are many ways to be brave and that being brave and vulnerable in terms of a romantic situation is one of the hardest things to do in real life.”

“I still just sort of live my life the way that I was before. I don't know when I will feel that it's different.”

“My parents are not of this world. I've had to work multiple jobs, been in a position where I cannot pay off student loans.”

“Even if someone doesn't like it, or just likes it for me, storytelling has been the one true love story of my entire life.”

“I think, as an actor, you create things for your character that you think will make it more personal to you, because on the day, you want to make sure that you're truly there in the moment.”

“I was not on social media for a really long time because I was afraid of being seen.”

“I eventually want to write and direct and produce my own stuff.”

“Growing up, I've always felt I was from two different worlds. I was born in the U.S., but my parents were born in Vietnam, and they raised my sisters and I with the parenting methods of the Vietnamese culture.”