Gia Kim describes the lead-up to her TV debut as "a melting pot of emotions," which itself is an apt description of the high school setting of her new show , "XO, Kitty." "It's an exciting, nervous, and anxious feeling at the same time," she tells Bustle from her studio apartment in Los Angeles.
Her 10-episode Netflix show, a spin-off of the To All the Boys series, focuses on the Soongkowi family's youngest daughter, Katie (played by Anna Cathcart), who attends a boarding school in Seoul. The show pits Kitty against Kim's character Yuri, a popular teen who is closeted.
“I’d never seen a character like [Yuri] before, a gay Asian queen bee type,” said Kim, 30, who grew up in South Korea and China before eventually arriving in Los Angeles in 2021 to train at the Arts Performance Studio. Even if it wasn't me, I would be happy to see this character come to life."
She first saw the casting of Yuri in November 2021, sent out the audition tape, and after a chemistry reading with Cathcart and actor Minying Choi (Dae), Kim finally received a call from her agent "Shameless " phone call. "He said, 'Hey, remember that audition you did?' He was talking about another audition I did after XO Kitty. "They wanted to meet you for a second tape, but I told them you weren't available because you To do ‘XO Kitty,’” the actor recalled. “I just burst into tears. "
Kim hopes the diverse representation brought by Yuri, Kitty and their classmates will help normalize LGBTQ+ identities. “I wish I had seen more of this when I was growing up,” she said.
Below, Kim talks about working with her brother, shipping the XO, Kitty and her favorite manifestation rituals.
Congratulations on your TV debut! What challenges do you face as a newcomer?
I was diagnosed with COVID-19 the day before I was supposed to go on set. My schedule was pushed back another two weeks, which meant I had to shoot all the scenes for the first block in three days. It felt like a three-day training camp [because] I realized you just have to learn by doing, just like blocking. Don't stand here because you'll be blocked by the light .
How did you juggle Yuri's emotional journey with learning all of these techniques?
When I was diagnosed with COVID-19, I had to self-isolate. At first, I was frustrated, but then I thought, this happens for a reason. I'm going to use this time to get back to the character development process.
[Yuri] looks like she has it all on the outside, but she feels terrible on the inside because she can never truly be herself. When you're a teenager, you're impressionable and vulnerable, and at the same time you feel like you have to do something for others because you have expectations that need to be met. I tried to explore this in depth. I connected with her through the basic human need to be loved for who I am.
I didn't know your brother Sang Heon Lee also played Min Ho in "XO, Kitty" . What was it like working with him?
It's so surreal. I'm still trying to process [it]. We don't have many scenes together. It was nice because (it was like) having another familiar face throughout the process. For both of us, this is our first big TV project, so it's nice to have this [feeling] that we're going to be working on this together.
Do you have any favorite memories from the set?
All the actors are lovely people. We were all staying in a hotel, so we would have random picnics (in each other's rooms). There were a lot of birthdays during the production. I prepared a surprise birthday gift for my brother. We all snuck into his room before he came in and we were stunned!
Sounds interesting! The season ends with plenty of love triangles and twists. What do you think of the love between Katie and Yuri?
This would be really cute. But then again, I didn’t want to leave out [Yuri’s] girlfriend Juliana. But it's like one of those classic romantic comedy storylines, an "avengers turned best friends turned lovers" type situation, so I can definitely understand why some people might give up on their relationship.
What's next for you? Do you have any upcoming projects?
I'm auditioning for other things and showing up to be busy this year with XO, Kitty Season 2 and maybe a movie.
What is your manifestation ritual ?
My favorite thing about it is that I journal a lot. I have been keeping a diary since high school. I usually write down what I want and then forget about it. Later, when I thought back on it, I thought, oh my God, all of these things came true.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
