Kelly Marie Tran, whose birth name is Loan and who was born on January 17, 1989, is an American actress of Vietnamese heritage. She is known for her portrayal of Rose Tico, a technician within the Resistance. After her parents emigrated from Vietnam to the United States, she pursued her acting aspirations, adopting the stage name Kelly Marie Tran. Notably, she played Rose Tico in the 2017 release, _Star Wars_: Episode VIII The Last Jedi.
In 2019, Tran returned to the role in _Star Wars_: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker. Additionally, Tran lent her voice to the audiobook adaptation of The Last Jedi: Cobalt Squadron, and she voiced Tico in the Star Wars Forces of Destiny episode titled "Shuttle Shock."
During her early career, Tran dedicated several years to refining her acting skills in Los Angeles at institutions such as the Upright Citizens Brigade, The Second City, and iO West. Her resume includes appearances in various CollegeHumor productions, the web series Ladies Like Us (2013) and Ladies Like Us: The Rise of Neighborhood Watch (2015), the NBC sitcom About a Boy (2014), and the Netflix movie XOXO (2016). Furthermore, she is an avid fan of the Harry Potter series.
The announcement of Tran joining the cast of Star Wars: Episode VIII The Last Jedi occurred on February 15, 2016. The character of Rose Tico, a Resistance mechanic, was first revealed in a Vanity Fair article published on May 24, 2017.
Despite The Last Jedi's success with critics and at the box office, Tran became the target of online harassment from individuals who disliked her character, Rose. This abuse included racist edits to her character's page on Wookieepedia and misogynistic comments on Twitter by conservative vlogger Paul Ray Ramsey. In response, attorney Anthony Nguyen celebrated Tran as the first "woman of color" to secure a leading role in the Star Wars franchise. Simultaneously, journalist Nicole Karlis criticized the attacks on Tran, viewing them as a manifestation of fear towards women who challenge sexist norms.
Following months of racist and sexist harassment, Tran removed all posts from her Instagram account on May 6, 2018. An anti-feminist Facebook group claimed responsibility for driving Tran off Instagram. In support of Tran, The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson, Star Wars co-stars Mark Hamill and John Boyega, and The Late Show host Stephen Colbert all issued statements defending her. Subsequently, Tran authored an article in The New York Times, sharing her experiences as a "woman of color" in American society.
Tran once again played Rose Tico in Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker, which premiered on December 20, 2019. She also attended Celebration Chicago alongside other cast members to promote the movie.
On December 9, 2020, Tran presented a Star Wars YouTube video to announce the LEGO Star Wars Holiday Contest, which was inspired by The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special, where she had returned to her part as Rose Tico. Star Wars: Force for Change, robotics builders club FIRST, and the LEGO Group sponsored the LEGO building competition.
- Star Wars: Episode VIII Now Filming on StarWars.com (backup link)
- The Star Wars Show: Kelly Marie Tran's The Last Jedi Prank and Google Home's Star Wars Trivia BTS on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link)
- Star Wars: The Last Jedi | Training Featurette on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link)
- Hear Kelly Marie Tran in the New Cobalt Squadron Audiobook – Exclusive Preview on StarWars.com (backup link)
- Star Wars: The Last Jedi | Becoming Rose on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link)
- Star Wars: Episode IX Panel | Star Wars Celebration Chicago 2019 on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link)
- The Star Wars Show: J.J. Abrams & Kelly Marie Tran At SWCC 2019 | The Star Wars Show Live! on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link)
- Star Wars: Force for Change, FIRST, and the LEGO® Group Launch "LEGO Star Wars Holiday Contest" on StarWars.com (backup link)
- Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga – The Official Collector's Edition
- "Imagine Yourself Doing Impossible Things": A Conversation with Kelly Marie Tran for AANHPI Heritage Month on StarWars.com (backup link)
- Kelly Marie Tran and Billie Lourd join us at SWCA 2022 | Star Wars Celebration LIVE! on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link)
- Star Wars Celebration LIVE! - DAY 4 on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link)
- LEGO Star Wars Summer Vacation
- LEGO Star Wars Summer Vacation | Booth to Beach | Disney+ on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link)
- 20 Easter Eggs from LEGO Star Wars Summer Vacation on StarWars.com (backup link)
- D23 2024: New Official Trailer for LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy Revealed on StarWars.com (backup link)
- Meet the Cast and Creators Mixing Things Up with LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy on StarWars.com (backup link)
- Behind the Bricks: Our Favorite Easter Eggs from LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy - Updated on StarWars.com (backup link)
- Kelly Marie Tran on Wikipedia
- Kelly Marie Tran at the Internet Movie Database
- Kelly Marie Tran: I Won't Be Marginalized by Online Harassment on The New York Times (archived from the original on January 23, 2020)