Exclusive Interview: Kanoa Goo Talks CBS’ Fire Country, the Changing Media Landscape, and His Love for Collaboration

Kanoa Goo is one of the industry’s most exciting storytellers. He’s quickly made a name for himself with his transformative performances in projects including I Was A Simple Man, The Rookie, and Endings, Beginnings. This spring, he can be seen in a heavily recurring role in CBS’ Fire Country.

The must-see drama follows a young convict who joins a firefighting program as he searches for redemption and a shortened prison sentence. He and other inmates work alongside elite firefighters to extinguish massive blazes across the region. Kanoa shines as Kyle, a swim Adonis, who arrives into town and has a shared past with one of the characters.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with Kanoa about his character’s arc on Fire Country, representing his community, the changing media landscape, and his love for collaboration.

PC: You discovered your passion for storytelling at a young age and have been doing it professionally ever since. Can you describe that feeling that you felt when you were eight, performing at the acting camp, and how you knew you wanted to do this forever?
Kanoa: I remember having that nervous, excited feeling when I was on stage. That has stayed with me. No matter what I’m working on now, I still get that feeling, whether it’s doing an audition or being on set. It’s still that very pure, innocent, excited energy that fuels you as a performer.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Kanoa: I was just having this conversation with someone. I know this has been a part of the conversation for a bit now, but the success of Crazy Rich Asians had a big impact on stepping into a new chapter in my career. I would argue that’s the case for a lot of other mixed and API actors. Having someone like Henry Golding in that role and leading that movie, and then the success that it had, truly did do a lot in giving studios and networks confidence. They were like, “What if our lead actor isn’t what you all expect and what we’ve been doing up to this point?”

They afforded some of those opportunities to other minority groups, but not really to the API community. That’s truly when I felt a palpable shift in opportunities that were being afforded to me, even just to read for those types of parts and actually compete for them.

PC: Growing up, you didn’t see yourself represented on screen. What has it meant to you to know that you’re part of that movement that will ensure that current and future generations won’t have to experience something similar?
Kanoa: To stop and think that there may be other young people who dream of being an actor and won’t have to have that internal conflict that, for me and maybe others, was a bit more subconscious because we didn’t know anything else. To know that others coming up will be a bit freer in their own dreams and visions for what they can do in their life is huge.

PC: Having found your love for storytelling on the stage, what has that transition been like going from theater to the screen?
Kanoa: That was and is my first love. It’s funny. As you continue to work with more and more people, you get to know each other, you learn that for most actors that’s what they did as kids. That was our way to experience what it’s like to be an actor.

That being said, it’s been a beautiful transition for me post-college. I really have fallen so deeply in love with creating in film and television and being on set. I love the energy of being on set—it’s so collaborative, just like theater. It takes hundreds of people to create a show and movie. It’s that family feeling that we’re all doing this together. That’s such a familiar feeling from theater.

I did get to return to the stage this past fall at Pasadena Playhouse in LA. It’s one of the two big theaters here. I got to do an incredible play called Sanctuary City, and it truly sent me back to my roots and reminded me of why and how I fell in love with this whole thing.

PC: In addition to acting, you’ve also produced and written. How have your experiences behind the camera impacted the way that you’ve approached your work on screen and vice versa?
Kanoa: Most actors have ideas that pop into their heads. I have so much respect for my writer friends. I have friends who are finding great success as writers, and I have so much respect for what they do. I’m not sure if I totally have the exact same skillset, but I definitely want to be a part of creating projects from the ground up, moving forward. It goes back to that collaborative feeling that I’m drawn to, and I think there’s something really exciting about someone, whether it’s me or somebody else, having an idea and then putting the puzzle pieces together to execute it.

PC: You’re currently on Fire Country, and it feels like a full-circle moment for you because you auditioned for the pilot. What was it about this character and series that resonated with you?
Kanoa: It’s funny. I get a lot of auditions for these characters who pop up in a show and seemingly have it all. They’re really put together, but there’s something going on under the surface that you learn more about as you keep watching the show. That’s what seemed really interesting about Kyle on Fire Country.

I didn’t know a lot going into the audition. I knew that he and Gabriela were super close friends and were really easy together, but he might have other intentions. That was enough information for me to dive into approaching the character in a way that could go in so many different directions. As an actor, it’s fun to play a scene in a way that’s toeing the line and exploring what’s going on beneath the surface. I was definitely drawn to that. I also remembered the show from auditioning for the pilot, and I’m really excited to be a part of it.

PC: For Gabriela, Kyle plays such a huge role in reminding her of the person that she used to be. You and Stephanie [Arcila] have such fantastic chemistry. How were the two of you able to build that so quickly, and what was it like getting to collaborate with her?
Kanoa: It was amazing. Stephanie is such a great human being. Chemistry is always a bit of a gamble. Being in LA and shooting in Vancouver, I didn’t get to have a chemistry read with Stephanie; we were just hoping for the best.

When I landed in Vancouver, before I met her, she reached out to me personally and said, “If you want to talk about our scene or if you need dinner recommendations, please let me know.” That immediately let me in on who she is as a person. Then, it continued when we first met and started working together. We had such an easy rapport. We both share a lot of the same values, just as people, and so obviously that helps translate to the work we’re able to do and the connection we’re able to have together on screen.

PC: Similarly to Gabriela, Kyle has changed for what seems to be the better. What backstory did you create for him as you prepared to step into his shoes?
Kanoa: It’s interesting when you’re working in TV; you’re rolling with the punches, and you get the scripts as they’re being written. In this third episode, you get to see a bit more of Kyle’s heart and that he’s a good guy, and that he is looking out for Gabriela. He does have good intentions. That’s fascinating as a human to look at someone who’s fighting for something they believe in. Someone else could see that as ill-intended, but for them, it might be a pure intention. That’s fun to think about.

PC: While the clinic that has brought Kyle into town is over, he seems to have grown fond of Edgewater. What can you tease about what’s ahead for him?
Kanoa: They have definitely left it open-ended. We’ll see what happens. He certainly has high hopes for his friendship and relationship with Gabriela. I know that there’s a possibility for more there and more in Edgewater, so we’ll see.

PC: This is such an exciting time in your career, and you’ve had so many experiences on the stage and screen. As you look ahead, is there a dream role that you’d love to bring to life?
Kanoa: What a question. I just want to continue being a part of this positive moment of API representation in this industry and especially in these types of roles that weren’t being given. API actors weren’t even considered to lead a project. I just want to continue stepping into those shoes and those characters that aren’t just a supporting character or a sidekick for the main protagonist. I’m happy to do that as well, of course—there are no small characters in a story—but what’s exciting is to feel like there’s an openness to what I have to offer in my essence and what I look like and that’s a viable option for somebody’s story. That’s really exciting. I feel really open to whatever that might be. I just want to keep going on this train.

To keep up with Kanoa, follow him on Instagram. Watch new episodes of Fire Country every Friday at 9/8c on CBS.

Photo Credit: Status PR