Kelly Marie Tran - wikipedia Kelly Marie Tran American actress Kelly Marie Tran Marie Tran as Rose Tico in The Last Jedi ( 2017 ) ( 1989 - 01 - 17 ) January 17, 1989 ( age 29 ) San Diego, California, United States Nationality American Alma mater University of California, Los Angeles Occupation Actress Years active 2011 - present Known for Rose Tico in Star Wars : The Last Jedi Kelly Marie Tran ( born January 17, 1989 ) is an American actress. She has had roles in short films and television episodes, and came to wider attention for her role as Rose Tico in Star Wars : The Last Jedi, the eighth episodic film in the Star Wars series. Contents 1 Early life and education 2 Career 3 Filmography 4 References 5 External links Early life and education Tran was born on January 17, 1989 in San Diego, California. Her parents are refugee migrants from Vietnam who fled the country following the Vietnam War. As a child, her father was homeless and grew up on the streets of Vietnam. After moving to the United States, he worked at Burger King to support the family, and his wife worked at a funeral home. Tran attended Westview High School in San Diego and worked at a yogurt shop, Golden Spoon, in Rancho Penasquitos to earn money for head shots. Tran then graduated from University of California, Los Angeles ( UCLA ) with a B.A. in Communications. Career Tran spent her early years in Los Angeles auditioning for small parts and doing improv at the Upright Citizens Brigade and The Second City. In 2013, she starred in the web series Ladies Like Us. She also appeared in various CollegeHumor videos. In 2015, Tran was cast as Rose Tico in Star Wars : The Last Jedi. Rose Tico is a rebel mechanic who joins up with main character Finn after the sacrifice of her oldest sister, Paige Tico ( Veronica Ngo ), a gunner trained by Resistance commander Poe Dameron. She was unable to tell her family that she had won the role. When she went to film her scenes at Pinewood Studios in early 2016, she said she was filming a small movie in Canada. With her role in The Last Jedi, Tran became the first Asian - American woman to play a leading role in a Star Wars film. In 2017, she also became the first Asian woman to appear on the cover of Vanity Fair when she appeared on the cover of the summer 2017 issue with John Boyega and Oscar Isaac. Despite the critical and box office success of The Last Jedi, Tran received racially charged online attacks from people who disliked the character of Rose Tico. In addition, right - wing vlogger Paul Ray Ramsey posted a tweet attacking Tran 's appearance. In response to racially tinged fan criticism, attorney Anthony Nguyen praised Tran for being `` the first woman of color to be cast in a leading role in the Star Wars franchise ''. Condemning the racist attacks, Nguyen remarked that `` people of color, especially Asian - Americans, are grossly underrepresented in TV and film. '' In addition, freelance writer and journalist Nicole Karlis opined that attacks on Tran 's race and appearance reflected a fear of women who broke sexist stereotypes. Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 2011 Untouchable Jamie Short film 2011 The Rising Cost of Cosmetics Chun Hei Park Short film 2011 Impressions Alice Short film 2011 Hot Girls on the Beach Boba Chick / Student Segment : `` Great White Shark Movie '' 2012 The Cohasset Snuff Film Christine Chan Uncredited 2013 Andy 's CDs Kelly Short film 2016 XOXO Butterfly Rave Girl 2017 Star Wars : The Last Jedi Rose Tico Pending -- Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated -- Empire Award for Best Female Newcomer Television Year Title Role Notes 2011 This Indie Girl Hero Girl Episode : `` Just the Way It Is '' 2012 Fabulous High Sierra Mar Student # 4 Television film 2013 -- 15 Ladies Like Us Kelly / Larry Television series 2014 -- 16 CollegeHumor Originals Full Asian / Kate / Kelly / Startup `` Foodler '' Girl / Melissa / Amber Television series 2014 -- 16 Life on Normal Street Sara 3 episodes 2014 To the Bridge Lydia Pilot episode 2014 About a Boy Marguerite 2 episodes 2014 Hope & Randy Tina Television mini-series 2014 Currently Cool Jenny Episode : `` Baby Daddy Daddy Daddy '' 2015 Comedy Bang ! Bang ! Teen Friend Episode : `` Thomas Middleditch Wears an Enigmatic Sweatshirt and Sweatpants with Pockets '' 2015 Ladies Like Us : The Rise of Neighborhood Watch Larry 2 episodes 2015 Adam Ruins Everything Sharon / Phone Woman 2 episodes 2015 Discount Fitness Betsy Episode : `` Goal Met '' 2016 Pub Quiz Asia Television film 2016 History of the World... For Now Daughter Episode # 1.4 2016 Fall Into Me Eva Episode : `` British Billionaire '' 2016 Sing It ! Twinkle Twinkle Auditioner Episode : `` THE SHOW BEGINS ! '' 2018 Star Wars : Forces of Destiny Rose Tico Episode : `` Shuttle Shock '' 2018 Sorry for Your Loss Jules Series regular References Jump up ^ Yee, Lawrence ( April 14, 2017 ). `` Meet Rose, the ' Biggest New Part ' in ' Star Wars : The Last Jedi ' ''. Variety. Jump up ^ Yam, Kimberly ( November 30, 2017 ). `` Kelly Marie Tran Promotes ' The Last Jedi ' In Traditional Vietnamese Garb ''. HuffPost. Jump up ^ Jasper, Marykate ( December 10, 2017 ). `` Kelly Marie Tran, the Daughter of Refugees, Could n't Help Crying with Joy at the Last Jedi Premiere ''. The Mary Sue. ^ Jump up to : Flaherty, Keely ( November 14, 2017 ). `` Kelly Marie Tran : The Rise of Rose ''. Buzzfeed News. ^ Jump up to : Plattner, Seth ( December 10, 2017 ). `` Kelly Marie Tran Is Bringing a New Brand of Hero to Star Wars ''. Elle. Jump up ^ Rocha, Michael James ( February 15, 2016 ). `` San Diego native joins ' Star Wars : The Last Jedi ' cast ''. San Diego Union - Tribune. Jump up ^ Dornbush, Jonathon ( February 15, 2016 ). `` Who is Star Wars : Episode VIII actress Kelly Marie Tran ? ''. Entertainment Weekly. ^ Jump up to : Hiatt, Brian ( December 12, 2017 ). `` ' The Last Jedi 's New Hope : Meet ' Star Wars ' Breakout Kelly Marie Tran ''. Rolling Stone. Jump up ^ Kamp, David ( March 24, 2017 ). `` Cover Story : Star Wars : The Last Jedi, the Definitive Preview ''. Vanity Fair. Jump up ^ Yee, Lawrence ( April 14, 2017 ). `` Meet Rose, the ' Biggest New Part ' in ' Star Wars : The Last Jedi ' ''. Variety. Jump up ^ Truffaut - Wong, Olivia ( May 24, 2017 ). `` ' The Last Jedi ' Star Kelly Marie Tran Is The First Asian Woman To Cover ' Vanity Fair ' & Her Appearance Could n't Matter More ''. Bustle. Jump up ^ Menta, Anna ( 19 December 2017 ). `` Racist Attacks Against Kelly Marie Tran posted to Rose Tico 's Wookieepedia page ''. Newsweek. Retrieved 4 January 2018. Jump up ^ Moye, David ( 27 December 2017 ). `` Kelly Marie Tran Of ' Last Jedi ' Facing Racist, Sexist Comments Online ''. HuffPost. Retrieved 4 January 2018. Jump up ^ @ ramzpaul ( 28 December 2017 ). `` Huffington Post claims I am `` racist '' because I prefer a thin Korean actress over a chubby Vietnamese actress '' ( Tweet ) -- via Twitter. Jump up ^ `` Attorney Anthony Nguyen Comments on the Racist Backlash Against Vietnamese - American Actress Kelly Marie Tran ''. Cision. Retrieved 4 January 2018. Jump up ^ Karlis, Nicole ( 29 December 2017 ). `` Threats against Kelly Marie Tran highlight a fear of women who break sexist stereotypes ''. Salon. Retrieved 4 January 2018. External links Kelly Marie Tran on IMDb Kelly Marie Tran at Rotten Tomatoes Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kelly_Marie_Tran&oldid=843355565 '' Categories : Living people 21st - century American actresses Actresses from San Diego American film actresses American television actresses American women of Vietnamese descent Upright Citizens Brigade Theater performers 1989 births University of California, Los Angeles alumni Actresses of Vietnamese descent Hidden categories : Articles with short description Pages to import images to Wikidata Articles with hCards Talk Contents About Wikipedia Asturianu বাংলা Deutsch Español Euskara فارسی Français Bahasa Indonesia Italiano Norsk Português Svenska Tiếng Việt 4 more Edit links This page was last edited on 28 May 2018, at 16 : 21. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. 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Question: actress who plays rose in the last jedi
Answer: Kelly Marie Tran