Who is Kelly Marie Tran? 5 Things to Know About Star Wars' Rose Tico!

Kelly Marie Tran is without a doubt the breakout star of Star Wars: The Last Jedi thanks to her work as Rose Tico, one of the heroes of the film.

The 28-year-old actress has been seen in some minor roles in the past, including a guest role on NBC’s About a Boy, but this is her first lead role!

Here are five things to know about Kelly:

• 1. She had never seen a Star Wars movie before auditioning! “In 10th grade, my teacher was obsessed with [Star Wars] and played it in the background, but I was reading Harry Potter so I wasn’t listening to it,” she told BuzzFeed.
• 2. Kelly is the first Asian-American woman to star in a Star Wars movie. “I think from the moment I got this part�”and it was also because this is a Star Wars movie�”I just wanted to do the whole thing justice,” she told Rolling Stone.
• 3. She couldn’t tell her family she landed the role! “I said I was in Canada working on an indie movie,” she told People. “I’m pretty sure I told some people 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.” Why she did this is unclear, but it’s incredible.
• 4. Kelly worked many odd jobs before being cast as Rose. “I’ve done pretty much everything. I was a food tour guide�”I took people on a tour to different restaurants in the area,” she told People. “I also nannied and worked in offices as an assistant, I cleaned a yoga studio, I passed out flyers�”I worked every weird job.”
• 5. She took a year off after wrapping The Last Jedi. “I ran away!” she told BuzzFeed. “I wanted to center myself and remember who I was. My life had just changed so much, and I needed that time to reflect.”

Go see Star Wars: The Last Jedi, now playing in theaters!