Interview with new ‘The Expanse’ cast member Patti Kim

In her spare time, Patti is making a difference in our world with her work with labor and social injustice movements. Get to know this talented actress who is known for “The Expanse,” “Sacred Lies,” and “The Killing,” and more.

Colleen Bement: “The Expanse” is one of the best Sci-Fi shows on TV, and season 4 now on Amazon will be brilliant. What can you share about your new character Carol Chiewewe?

Patti Kim: Carol Chiwewe is the leader of a group of Belters who made it through the recently opened Ring Gates and established a settlement on the planet we call Ilus. As multiple groups start to land on Ilus, tensions rise as everyone jockeys for control while around the corner there is a larger force that is about to rock them all.

Carol does her best to uphold the interests of the settlement while trying to keep her people safe from corporate soldiers with ulterior motives. I like Carol so much because she’s balancing so many responsibilities and just wants to do right by and for her people. I appreciate the loyalty she feels to the Belters, her protective instincts as well as the difficult decisions she had to face in order to keep her people safe.

CB: How did you react when you found out that you landed the role?

PK: I was at my full-time job that day, going between meetings when I got the call from my agent. She told me I booked it and it took me a few moments to remember what the part/project was because after I audition for something, I put it out of my mind…it’s one of my actor tools for self-preservation.

Once I realized, I was absolutely elated because due to the research I did for my audition I knew what a great show ‘The Expanse’ was, and I had a tiny hint of the amazing fan base they have and that I’d have the opportunity to shoot in Toronto. The cherry on top…the call came in on my birthday!

CB: Do you have any projects in the works that you’re allowed to share?

PK: I have a feature film that is likely coming out sometime in 2020, a Blumhouse production called The Lie.”

I loved working on that movie because it reunited me with “The Killing” team of Veena Sud, Mireille Enos plus other ‘The Killing’ alumni Peter Sarsgaard and Nicholas Lea. It also gave me the opportunity to work with Cas Anvar prior to working with him in “The Expanse.”

CB: I remember you as Sheriff Yolanda Harjo in Facebook Watch’s “Sacred Lies.” What was that experience like?

PK: You saw “Sacred Lies”…!?! That’s so great to hear. Thank you. I had such a blast working on this show and will always cherish the experience. I was most thankful for being able to work with Raelle Tucker; she’s truly a creative powerhouse and she set such an inclusive, nurturing, professional tone for production from day one. A highlight was that I got to work with my friend, Kathryn Kirkpatrick who played Mrs. New. It was refreshing to be a part of such a diverse, talented cast and tell such a unique story.

Sheriff Harjo will always have a soft spot in my heart because she just wanted to protect her community and find out what happened to Minnow. She discovers that all is not what it seems but ultimately, Harjo weighs out what is right and wrong but also what is in the best interests of her town.

I met so many dedicated, kind people on that show, many of whom continue to cross paths with me. Earlier this evening, I ran into Leah Gibson at the hair salon co-owned by one of the ‘Sacred Lies’ hair team. When I was filming ‘The Expanse’, a man approached me and asked me if I worked on “Sacred Lies”, only to find out he was the father of Kiana Madeira who played Angel. Kiana’s younger sister Kyla had been cast on ‘The Expanse’. These are just a few examples of how the threads of “Sacred Lies” continue to weave themselves throughout my life and spark little moments of wonder for me.

CB: I’m interested in the labor and social justice movements that you’re involved with. Please tell us a little about them.

PK: For as long as I can remember, I was always pulled to cheer for the underdog, wanted to protect the vulnerable, and stick up for the people who can’t fight for themselves. It feels a bit boastful to list organizations that I support but I can tell you that as an individual I do what I can when I can and it looks different depending on the day. Sometimes it’s me volunteering my time to support organizations that provide services to people on Vancouver’s downtown east-side, sometimes it’s providing monetary or physical donations where I think they can be of most use.

I’m a member of two unions and I sit on the Women’s Committee for both of them to stay educated on the myriad of issues facing women and girls, to further the push towards equality and to eliminate violence against women. I love the energy of the community when attending rallies and protests for various causes such as climate awareness, women’s issues, and missing and murdered indigenous women, to name a few.

I believe it’s important to be where you are, realize what privilege you’ve been afforded and lend a hand to someone in a lesser position to give them a boost. Those small choices can have a big impact on someone’s life and work towards the greater goal of a more just, equal society where we can all thrive and succeed.