This Tuesday, Feb. 16th “Kenan” comes to TV screens and Elaine Kao took out some time to share her experience on the set. Along with her spot on the new NBC series, she also can be seen in season 2 of TNT’s “Snowpiercer.” The actress/producer has plenty of projects on her plate with her feature film “Manifest West” about a family who decides to move off the grid and feels the repercussions that follow. She is also in a short film called “Biased” coming out soon. Viewers definitely know her for her roles in “Upside-Down Magic,” “American Koko,” and most recently the beautiful film “Paper Tiger.”
Along with the energy and passion that Kao puts into her acting, she also encourages us all to come together to take a stand against racism in all forms. She explained that Anti-Asian hate crimes have risen by 1900% since Covid. Nerd Alert News encourages our readers to spread love and joy.
Colleen Bement: Big congrats on your role in the new series “Kenan.” What can you tell us about your character, and do you have any stories from the set that you can share?
Elaine Kao: Thank you! I play a doula who is promoting her bestselling book Get This Thing Out of Me: Tips and Tricks for Your Best Birth. It was so great working with Kenan Thompson. He is so kind and welcoming and of course, super funny. We did have to shut down in the middle of filming due to covid as a safety precaution but we resumed filming 2 weeks later.
CB: “Snowpiercer” fans are excited to see you in the second season. What was that filming experience like?
EK: It was one of my favorite experiences on a set. Everyone was so supportive and open to collaboration from the director, writer, and actors. Mike O’Malley who plays my husband was wonderful in encouraging me to take my time and he said that we wouldn’t move on from a scene until I felt good about it. That really allowed us to relax into our characters and explore our scenes. The sets were also incredible. The train cars were built from shipping containers and designed with meticulous detail. It was amazing. Also, I’m a big fan of “Orphan Black” so it was cool to work on a Graeme Manson show!
CB: When it comes to roles, do you enjoy more: Comedy or drama?
EK: I think I enjoy dramatic roles a bit more but I do need comedy to balance it out. I enjoy both but I do love a good, dark, tragic role, lol!
CB: What are you allowed to share about your other projects “Manifest West” and “Biased?”
EK: “Manifest West” is a feature film I worked on last year about a family who decides to move off the grid and the repercussions that follow. I play a social worker who checks in on the children and makes some tough calls. And “Biased” is a short film written and directed by one of my dear friends, Andrea Lwin. It’s about the biases we all have and how that affects our judgment and decision making. I’m looking forward to seeing both films!
CB: What or who inspired you to become an actress?
EK: In college, I learned about an Asian American theatre called East West Players. I didn’t even know such a thing existed! I enrolled in their summer conservatory program and met so many Asian American actors like Francois Chau, Tzi Ma, Lucy Liu, Emily Kuroda, and many others who are working actors. I never even considered that it could be a viable career choice until I saw others who were doing it successfully. So after college, I decided to get my MFA in acting and never looked back.
CB: Do you happen to have any causes close to your heart?
EK: At the moment I’d like to raise awareness to the rise of hate crimes against Asian Americans. Anti-Asian hate crimes have risen by 1900% since Covid. Recently there was a surge of attacks on the elderly in the Bay Area which is heartbreaking and disturbing. I hope that by bringing attention to these tragic attacks we can all come together to take a stand against racism in all forms.
Mark those calendars for Feb. 16th.
Written by Colleen Bement
Lynn Makes
Evan Conroy
Ron Peterson