Pop Culturalist Chats with NCIS: Los Angeles’ Andrea Bordeaux

You never know when or where your next opportunity will come from—just ask Andrea Bordeaux. The talented actress initially auditioned for a one-day guest spot on NCIS: Los Angeles, and ended up landing the role of a lifetime playing recurring character Special Agent Hidoko. Like her character, Andrea grew up as an army brat and was able to draw many parallels between their respective journeys. We spoke with her about the role, why her mom is her biggest influence in life, and the exciting shift in the industry.

PC: Tell us about NCIS: Los Angeles and what drew you to this project.
Andrea: When I first went in to audition for NCIS: Los Angeles, I went in for a much smaller role. I went in for a one-day guest star that was basically a nightclub manager. She didn’t even have a full name! When I auditioned for the role, it was in a producer session which means I got to audition for the producers and casting directors. When I arrived, I saw all these women dressed in business suits, so I knew they weren’t auditioning for the role that I went out for. [laughs] I went in and did my audition, and before I left the room, one of the producers asked one of the casting directors, Jason, if I could read for a different role. I went into the hallway, got the sides for the role, and it turned out to be for Special Agent Harley. I went back in and did a quick cold read for the part and I got a callback for it! A week later, I came back for a full audition and landed the part. So I can’t say that anything in particular drew me to the project. I kind of got it by accident, and it ended up being one of the happiest accidents ever, and it changed my life.

PC: Were you familiar with the show before your audition?
Andrea: Oh yeah! I was definitely familiar with the show before the audition. One of the first jobs that I booked when I moved to Los Angeles was NCIS. So I had already auditioned for Jason and Caroline—they do the casting for the show. I’m assuming that’s why I was able to skip the pre-read and went to audition for the producers for the nightclub manager role.

PC: How did you prepare to step into the shoes of your character, and did you draw on any personal experiences?
Andrea: At first, I didn’t have a lot of information on her. That’s sort of the hard thing about auditioning for these bigger roles. You don’t get a backstory; you have to make it up on your own. And once you book the role, you finally get the real backstory and you have to adapt. In the beginning, I knew that she was a Special Agent, so there has to be some sort of discipline and strength. It was very easy to tap into that because I usually play stronger characters in general. Being an army brat and growing up in the military, I imagined she had a regime she followed, and that led her to this field of work. I pulled from my own childhood experiences of being an army brat and having a really structured living environment.

PC: What is the biggest challenge of joining a show and a cast that has so much history together?
Andrea: Oh my gosh. [laughs] The biggest challenge? I think trying not to be too intimidated by it all. You have to remember that you got the job and that you booked this role. You’re there for a reason, and your bosses want you to be there. I had to keep that in the back of my mind. When I walked onto the set on the first day, there was no soft easing into the show. You have to go in and they expect you to know your lines, hit your mark, and fit in seamlessly. With it being in the ninth season, it’s such a well-oiled machine. It was so easy to get comfortable with the cast. Everyone is so incredibly kind and welcoming. From day one, I was treated like a member of the family.

PC: What can you tease about your character’s arc this season?
Andrea: Now that Hetty has been rescued from Vietnam, the storylines will all pick up a lot more. Expect more action this season! What’s great about that is, even though Hidoko is an executive assistant, she’s also a field agent, an analyst, she does ops, and we’ll see her out in the field a little more. We’ll also see different pairings that we haven’t seen before. You’re going to see Hidoko paired off with Deeks in an episode that’s probably the darkest, craziest one of the season, in my opinion. We’re also going to learn a little bit more about Hidoko’s personal life and where her Asian last name comes from.

Photo Credit: CBS

PC: Hidoko is obviously an incredibly strong character. Who were some of the strong women you looked up to growing up?
Andrea: Number one would be my mom. One of the greatest things about playing this character is the parallels that I’m able to draw between me as an individual and Hidoko as a character. We both have these military backgrounds. Even though we don’t know much about Hidoko’s childhood, I have incorporated a lot of elements from my own. I grew up with a mom who was a sergeant in the military. She’s the definition of a strong woman. The military is such a difficult field for women, and even more so back in the ’80s when my mom served. She was in a position of authority, and I witnessed all the things that she went through, and how she was able to overcome a lot of obstacles she faced, like sexism and racism. She’s the biggest influence of my life.

PC: When did you first realized you wanted to pursue a character in acting?
Andrea: It was probably when I was nine or ten. My mom is funny. [laughs] When she wanted to see a movie, we went to see THAT movie. She didn’t care if it was rated R. Of course, we didn’t see anything that had too much blood, sexual scenes, or violence, but as long as it was a film with a powerful message that resonated with her, we would go see it. The first memory that I had of a film that changed my life was A Time to Kill. I remember sitting in the theater and watching the story of the girl—Tonya—who was the rape victim and her father who avenged her assault. We were the same age at the time. I remember seeing what happened to her and the fall out and how it affected her family and the town. Me being the same age as her, it was the first time I’d see a story of that magnitude reflected in my age group, and the performances were incredible. I remember seeing that film and feeling emotions that I had never felt before, and thinking, “wow, there are people who make other people feel this way, and I want to make other people feel things.”

PC: What’s the biggest thing you learned from being in this industry?
Andrea: You have to keep pushing. You can’t give up. You never know where your opportunities will come from. I’m turning thirty-one in a couple of weeks. I moved to New York City when I was eighteen to pursue acting and I just got my big break. There have been so many times over the years where I wanted to give up or I felt that I couldn’t push anymore, and there was something in the back of my mind that kept pushing me forward and kept me motivated. Eventually your tenacity will win out. Going back to what I was saying about never knowing where your opportunities will come from…I went in for a one-day guest star, and it was a role that, if I’m being honest, I was frustrated by. It was such a small role. I had already done so many one-day guest stars, and I didn’t feel like I needed to do anymore of these roles. I went in anyway and I appreciated that I was sent straight to the producers and that the casting directors remembered me, and here I am now. I’m a recurring character on one of the biggest shows.

Photo Credit: Ian Spanier

PC: Do you have a dream role or someone you’d love to work with in the future?
Andrea: Oh my goodness! I have so many people that I want to work with. [laughs] Obviously, as a black woman, as a black actor, I’m so proud of Black Panther and A Wrinkle in Time—all of the actors, the crew, directors, and all the people attached to these films. I’m so grateful and excited that actors of color, specifically black actors, are really getting the shine that we’ve been working so hard for and that we deserve. Our stories are being told!

I would love to play Storm from X-Men. I think she is one of the most fascinating, interesting, and badass characters from that entire franchise, and I think she’s the most under-used. I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that Hollywood, in general, doesn’t tell stories for powerful black women, and that’s changing now. I think it’s time for Storm to get a standalone film.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
Andrea: So many! [laughs] I love The Real Housewives franchise. Don’t care. I’m not ashamed of it at all. I’m obsessed with New Jersey, Beverly Hills, and Atlanta specifically. I also love Vanderpump Rules. This isn’t bad TV but I love HGTV.

PC: Guilty pleasure movie?
Andrea: Grease 2. It’s better than the original. I get so much slack for it from my musical theatre friends. Don’t @ me!

PC: Favorite play or musical?
Andrea: I love Rent, The Light in the Piazza, and Bachelorette.

PC: Favorite social media platform?
Andrea: I’m really into Twitter and Instagram.

PC: Last person you texted?
Andrea: My boyfriend

PC: Last show you binge-watched?
Andrea: The Killing

PC: Hidden talent?
Andrea: I use to be a power lifter!

Make sure to follow Andrea on Twitter and Instagram, and catch NCIS: Los Angeles every Sunday at 9/8c.

Photo Credit: Ian Spanier