The CAF Presents: A Conversation with Kelly Marie Tran

Kelly Marie Tran

Kelly Marie Tran has quickly become known as a captivating on-screen presence. The highly sought after actress made The Hollywood Reporter’s “Next Gen Class of 2017” list and was named one of ABC News’ “Actors to Watch” in 2018.

Tran starred in Hulu’s Anthology drama series Monsterland, based on the collection of stories from Nathan Ballingrud. The series premiered on Hulu in October 2020. Tran voiced Dawn in DreamWorks' The Croods 2, a sequel to the Oscar-nominated animated feature about a caveman family.

She made history by voicing Disney’s first South-East Asian Princess with her role in the upcoming Raya and the Last Dragon. Set in a fantasy land called Kumandra, the film follows Raya, a fearless warrior princess, as she saves the world from evil. The film was released in March 2021.

In 2019, Tran reprised her role as Rose Tico in Star Wars: Episode IX. The film was a smash hit and grossed over $1 billion at the worldwide box office.

In 2017, Tran made her big screen debut in Star Wars: Episode VIII: The Last Jedi as Resistance mechanic worker, Rose Tico. Her performance and character were widely praised, and made headlines across the globe as Tran became the first Asian- American woman cast in a lead role for the franchise.

Tran’s past credits include the Netflix Original XOXO; TruTV’s Adam Ruins Everything; NBC’s About a Boy and Lifetime’s Fall Into Me among others.