8 DAYS | 451
HER AUDITION TO PLAY ROSE TICO
LASTED FIVE MONTHS.
“The first one was a cold read, which meant it
was so secretive that I didn’t have the information
beforehand to prepare for anything,” recalls Tran,
who was recently in Singapore on a promo trip. Every
callback entailed a different challenge, but it was
the fourth tryout that proved to be most terrifying:
A surprise chemistry read with John Boyega, who
plays stormtrooper-turned-Resistance fighter Finn.
“They had flown him down [to LA] and didn’t tell any
of us,” says the bubbly 28-year-old San Diego native,
who’s previously appeared in web comedies and
late-night TV sketches. She reportedly beat out Gina
Rodriguez, Tatiana Maslany and Olivia Cooke for the
part.
2
SHE READ UP ON THE
VIETNAM WAR.
Besides “nerding out” on all things Star Wars
(“A New Hope is my favourite”) and engineering, Tran
also studied the Vietnam War. “Because my parents
have such a specific relationship with that war that
it’s our blood,” says Tran, whose family migrated to
the US after the war in the late ’70s. “Rose Tico also
has a specific relationship with the war [with the First
Order], and I wanted to make sure that I felt [real] in
those scenes.” Does Tran speak Vietnamese? “I can
speak conversational Vietnamese [but] my parents
told me that I speak the equivalent of Street Viet,”
she tells us, laughing.
3
HER FIRST DAY ON THE LAST JEDI
SET WAS SURREAL.
“The first thing I realised was that there were
entire departments of people working on this film
before the actors came on set. And so when the
actors got there, everything felt real. To see [John
Boyega and Oscar Isaac], walking by in
costume and their hair and make-up
done, R2-D2, and C-3PO — he gave
me a hug! — it was very weird! I
remember how I felt that first day. It
was this out-of-body experience, and it
still is. You know when your senses are
just so heightened that you just want to be
present for the entire experience. It’s almost
like you’re a deer being chased by a wolf. I
felt like I was about to play the Super Bowl.”
4
SHE WAS STAR-STRUCK BY
CARRIE FISHER.
Tran can’t confirm or deny that she shared
a scene with the late actress, but would only reveal
that she did meet and spend some time with her.
“She has no definition,” says Tran. “She is someone
who was shamelessly and openly herself. That
sounds easy, but it’s really hard when you’re in front
of millions of people, and she was unapologetic
about it. That’s something I completely look up to
and strive for.” Luke Skywalker himself Mark Hamill
is swell, too. “When you meet him, it’s just like
meeting a friend,” Tran quips. “It’s just great to be a
part of something that he’s also a part of.”5
SHE’S PROUD TO BE AN
ASIAN IN A GALAXY FAR,
FA R AWAY.
While it’s an honour and a responsibility
to represent Asians in the franchise, Tran
hopes the takeaway homily from playing Rose
is “the idea that even if you’re born into a
situation where you’re not a princess, in a position
of privilege, a star pilot or someone with magical
powers, you can still make a difference. You’re still
important in whatever it is you believe in. If you
believe in it, and you work towards it, you can
really do amazing things. I remember growing up
and feeling like I hadn’t seen anyone that looked
like me [on screen], and now I’m like, ‘I can’t
believe I am in this.’”Plastic fantastic:
Tran immortalised
as an action figure. “I
have one!” says Tran.
“Isn’t that weird? It’s
so insane.”Buckle up: Tran’s Rose on a mission with John Boyega’s Finn.
During the filming of The Last Jedi, Tran lied to her parents that she
was filming an indie movie in Canada. In a People interview, she
confessed, “I lied hard... I’m pretty sure I told some people [it was]
Toronto and some people Vancouver and then I had to wrap around
my lie. I even bought maple syrup to give to people to convince
them I’d really been to Canada.”I'm afraid
of heights??