Exclusive Interview: Gia Kim Talks XO, Kitty, Her Character Exploration, and the Fan Response

Gia Kim is an actress on the rise and one to watch. The gifted storyteller is best known for her work on the stage. Earlier this year, she made the transition to the screen with her first series regular role in Netflix’s XO, Kitty, and what a debut it’s been.

Teen matchmaker Kitty Song Covey thinks she knows everything there is to know about love. But when she moves halfway across the world to reunite with her long-distance boyfriend, she’ll soon realize that relationships are a lot more complicated when it’s your own heart on the line. Gia shines as Yuri, the queen bee at Korean International School (K.I.S.), who’s on her own path of self-discovery.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with Gia about XO, Kitty, how she peeled back the layers of her character, and the fan response to the show.

PC: Yuri is a character whom you shared more differences than similarities with, and it was during your preparation process that you started to peel back the layers of who she is. How did that exercise help you connect with her as a character?
Gia: It was peeling the layers to find out who Yuri is on the inside. It took me a while to peel those layers, but what really helped was imagining her life journey from childhood to her sixteen-year-old self. I had to imagine what pivotal life events could have happened to shape her the way she is. How did her mom treat her when she was a kid? Were there any public events that could have shaped the way she acts in public? What kind of persona does she have to put on? I found that her motto is, “I’m fine (but I’m not).” I feel like that’s something she carried with her throughout her entire life to protect herself and survive. All of those imaginative explorations that I did with the help of my acting teachers really helped me.

PC: So much of her journey in Season 1 is about finding her identity and exploring those vulnerabilities, which you brought so much nuance to. As an actress, how did you create the space for yourself to dive into the arc that unfolds? Were you able to channel any of your own personal experiences when shaping this character?
Gia: Thank you so much. Inevitably, I always have to try and draw from my own experiences because that’s the way that I can quickly relate to the character. At the core of it, I realized that we both want to be loved for the person that we are and not someone that is expected of us. Once I found that connection and that human need within Yuri that drives her in her life and throughout her hero’s journey, that really helped me.

PC: In the series, we get to see the students and teachers celebrate the Korean equivalent of Thanksgiving where they honor the past and the future. Who were the people in your own life who shaped the storyteller and artist that you are today?
Gia: I have to thank my parents because they were the ones that allowed me to have the life experiences that I had as a Korean kid growing up in Korea and abroad in an international school, just like Yuri did. I feel like Yuri and I are both TCKs (third culture kids), which is a very fundamental identity that I have because I feel like I’m somewhere in between Western Asian-Americans, Korean-Americans, and Koreans who grew up in Korea. I’ve dipped my toes in those worlds.

PC: This is one of your biggest roles to date on the screen. Did anything surprise you about the filming experience? What’s been the biggest takeaway thus far?
Gia: There was so much learning that I did on set even from day one. The first few days were the most hectic and craziest. I was trying to adjust to set, but you’re not even really able to do that because you have a job to do. I had to learn and execute at the same time. But as challenging as it was, I learned so much from this whole experience. I was very thankful to have a supportive crew, directors, writers, and showrunners. They made it easier for me. If I was working with anyone who was horrible that would have been so much more stressful. [laughs] But thankfully, everyone was very nice and it made it easier for me to focus on my job as well.

PC: You were speaking of support earlier. You were able to share this experience with your real-life brother. How helpful was that as you both headed into your biggest TV role to date?
Gia: Honestly, I know it happened, but I’m like, “Did it really happen?” [laughs] Just getting the role was a huge blessing, but getting to do it with my brother was a double blessing for our family. Having one more familiar face to do everything with helped a lot. Even though we didn’t have many scenes together, one on one directly or anything like that, it really helped to know there’s someone who I can be completely 100% with on set and throughout this whole thing. In retrospect, it made a big difference.

PC: You’re such a standout in this series. Was there a particular scene that you were excited for audiences to see? Which was the most challenging for you to film?
Gia: Definitely the scene with my mom where I finally stand my ground and come out to her. That was the most anticipated scene for me and also the most nerve-wracking scene for me because I knew it was coming. But I also couldn’t focus on that. I had to focus on what was happening now in order to get there. That day, I was really nervous because that was Yuri’s big moment when she steps into her power. I love Yunjin [Kim] who plays my mother. She and I spent a lot of time together in the green room. We had a lot of one on one conversations which helped us bond as human beings. That really helped me get comfortable by the end of that. Also, Katina [Medina Mora], our director, is an amazing person. She really knew how to get me there because she’s also done theater directing before. We spoke the same lingo. It really helped. She really helped me reach that point.

PC: This project and character mean so much to a community that wants to see their stories represented on screen authentically, and this is a much-needed step forward in terms of representation. Have you had a chance to reflect on your own contributions to this movement? What has it been like getting to see that response on social media?
Gia: We do see that it’s number one in some countries or it’s number one here and there. Yes, that means a lot because it means people are watching. But also what means more to me than anyone else’s opinions are the viewers who directly DM me being like, “I really enjoy this show” or “I really enjoy Yuri and I love that character” or the more specific ones where they’re like, “I relate to Yuri because I’m going through my own journey of trying to discover myself and Yuri’s helped me a lot throughout this journey.” Hearing that is what I want as the actor who’s portraying this character. To be able to know that people can relate to it on a personal level and that it’s helped them in any sort of way, my job is done there. That makes me really happy.

PC: There are so many different directions where Yuri’s storyline could head in the future. If we’re lucky enough to get a second season, what else would you like to dive deep into? Is there another character that you would like to see her interact more with?
Gia: It’s so open-ended. It could go in a lot of different directions. But I definitely want to see more of Yuri and Juliana. I also want to see the evolution with my family. What is life after she’s stepped into her own? How does her dad react when he finds out? That’s a whole other thing because he’s the scarier one. [laughs] Also more of Kitty and how she’s going to navigate her own self-discovery. How does that relate to Yuri too?

PC: We just chatted with Peter and he wants to do more scenes with you as well.
Gia: Yes! That’s also something I’m really curious about. I don’t know what’s really in store for us there, but I definitely want to see where that missing, long family tie is going to go. That would be really interesting.

PC: You’re such a dynamic storyteller and presence on the screen and stage. As you look ahead, is there a dream role that you would love to bring to life?
Gia: I feel like this is only the beginning for me. I want to try everything and anything. Maybe something that’s psychologically challenging where this character is going through some dark things in her life and trying to figure things out. Maybe something very drastically different from Yuri on XO, Kitty. I want to try the different ranges and see what I can do as an actor. Obviously on the other end of things, I would love to do a romantic comedy. I’m not very confident in my comedy right now, so that would be a challenge. I want to try everything.

To keep up with Gia, follow her on Instagram. Watch XO, Kitty today on Netflix.

Photo Credit: Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images for Netflix