(July 2003) By Sara Stokoe
Five foot one inch Japanese-American actress Keiko Agena is not one to underestimate. In addition to her recurring role as Lane Kim, Rory’s best friend on the WB’s “Gilmore Girls,” Agena is also somewhat of an activist, and is very involved in the Asian-American community.
When she is not filming episodes of the hit television series, Agena spends her weekends traveling to Asian festivals around Los Angeles with Blacklava clothing company; a grassroots organization whose mission is to raise questions as to how Asian-Americans are viewed in today’s society. Their t-shirts contain clever counter-stereotypical slogans such as, “I suck at math” and “Asian is not oriental.”
Although she is no longer with them, Agena once belonged to an Asian-American theater company called hereandnow. She performed at colleges and festivals around the country with the theater group, performing interwoven stories from an Asian-American perspective, many of which were taken directly from the lives of the performers themselves. Even though she has successfully moved on from hereandnow Agena continues to support their cause, and Blacklava sponsors them.
Her activism against racial stereotyping also plays a major role in her career as an actress. “As an actor, you have certain responsibilities to choose roles that will be positive images. I wouldn’t do anything that was stereotypical or demeaning.” In a recent interview with APA, Keiko commented on how she chooses the roles that she will play and the ones that she will pass up. “I call up my friends and ask them, ‘What do you think, should I do it? Is it really cheesy? Is it really stereotypical?'” But she notes that it is very difficult in choosing which roles to let slide because “there are not many roles out there.”
But because of this lack of desirable, un-stereotypical roles in Hollywood for Asian Americans, Keiko appears to be reluctantly accepting of some of the stereotypes, and acknowledges that some may criticize her for her stance. She commented on how she believes that what Lucy Liu is doing for Asian American actors is great, because “if you prove that you are marketable, and people will pay money to go see you then that will give you some amount of power, and then you can go on to the things you want to do” She notes that while Asian-Americans do not want to be “pigeon holed in just one area…it is really an important first step.”
So, while Keiko fights to promote greater racial understanding and end stereotyping, she also has to work with what is out there, and hope that for her, being a high profile success doesn’t mean being restricted by her ethnicity.
http://www.asiaarts.ucla.edu/070303/20030703_keiko.html
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Full Interview with Keiko Agena (May 16, 2003)
Interviewed by Lynna Kim
Transcription by Carol Soon
Lynna: Can you please introduce yourself?
Keiko: Sure. Hi, I am Keiko Agena. I play Lane Kim on “Gilmore Girls.”
Lynna: First question, can you tell us where we may have recognized your familiar face?
Keiko: I am from “Gilmore Girls.” I have also been on “Felicity”; I had a small recurring role on that, and then just little guest star roles, stuff like that and short films. I am doing more short films now.
Lynna: Tell us something about yourself that the public would never expect, like quirks or eccentricities?
Keiko: Well, I usually say that I ride a motorcycle or that I had a motorcycle, but I’ve said that a lot so I don’t know if people do know that about me, but I used to have a GS 500 Suzuki, black and white motorcycle. That was my primary mode of transportation for a few years and I play the drums, but that’s not kind of quirky because that is on the show. I play the drums.
Lynna: How long have you been playing and do you play professionally?
Keiko: Amazingly enough, we have been trying to put a group together. Well, I do have some actual musician friends. I have been playing for about a year, but the name of the band is “Mosaic” and we are going to be playing in June on Tuesday nights at the café, which is a great event, first and third Tuesdays in front of the East West Players building, do a quick plug for that. But the curator for that is letting us play. So we are going to play like three songs, I think. “Mosaic”!
Lynna: Do you play professionally or just as an amateur?
Keiko: I think a lot of people want to play, especially the drums, because the drums are a lot of fun. But there is such an awkward period at the beginning that if it wasn’t for the “Gilmore Girls” that kind of forced me to practice, I don’t think I would have gotten past that very awkward stage where you are so bad and loud. But because of the show, I kind of had to practice and so now it’s getting to be a little bit more fun. Yeah, it’s that secret desire that’s coming out.
Lynna: The penetration of Asian Americans into the film and television industry finally seems to be breaking through with well-known celebrities such as yourself. But compared with the infiltration of Caucasians, African Americans, and Europeans, the number of Asian faces still remains slim. How were you able to make it as one of the few Asian American regulars on television?
Keiko: Well, for me, I was just lucky enough to get the part. I mean, I like “Gilmore Girls” because it feels like it is kind of an eclectic cast. I like the way they cast it and the way they wrote it. I wish I can take credit for that, but unfortunately I can’t. Amy Sherman-Palladino has a best friend by the name of Helen Pai, who I have gotten to know very well. So my character is actually based on her, and unfortunately, some of the things that have happened to me on the show have actually happened to her in her life. But obviously, we stretch it for comic effect on “Gilmore Girls.” Her parents were very strict, and the fact that she was Korean was Amy’s idea. She was a good friend of hers, and Amy was just fascinated with her life, that she grew up in such a different way. So she brought that storyline into it. And I would like to see more characters, just more on television and film, just so that we had some variety. That would be nice.
Lynna: On the all-to-popular WB series “Gilmore Girls” you play the role of Lane Kim, the knowledge-hungry, word-hungry, eccentric best friend of Rory Gilmore. How accurately do you feel Lane Kim embodies a typical Asian American 16-year-old?
Keiko: Well, it’s T.V. so a lot of the things are not exactly the way they are in real life, but I don’t know. That would be a good question to ask other people, like how they perceive the way it is played or written. I kind of get both, as far as feedback. Some people recognize aspects of it, certain things about the relationship that they can relate to, but not the whole thing. Every comment I get is that Mrs. Kim is way too strict, you know, she is just extreme, and your mother is never like that. But there are certain little things that people can relate to.
Lynna: You have played the brainy Lane, a romantic lead in “Red Thread,” an inspirational college student in “Felicity,” and recently a comedic role. What role would you like to pursue in the future? What role fits you best?
Keiko: Well, there are certain things that I feel I can play better just because of my whole life experience, so I tend to gravitate toward those types of roles. There are certain things that I won’t audition for because I am just like, “Ugh, I can’t” and I struggle. Believe me I struggle! I call up my friends and ask them, “Well what do you think, it has this kind of character name, it has this sort of attribute. What do you think, should I do it? Is it really cheesy? Is it really stereotypical?” And I have some really good friends who go, “Yeah!” and I say, “Ok I won’t do it. I won’t audition for it.” But it is hard because there are not that many roles out there! So you really have to decide that you really don’t want to do it if you going to pass on something.
Lynna: Do you think your own personality resonates with the character, Lane? If so, in what way?
Keiko: I think she was written in a different way, but I think this sort of happens with television. It’s that it sort of becomes who you are and a little bit with what they envisioned. I always think, and I haven’t talked to Amy about this, but I always think that Lane originally was much more cool. I don’t know, a little more sarcastic and more laid back, but whatever they gave me, regarding things that were quirky or extreme or goofy, I think I kind of excelled at that for whatever reason. So I think it becomes a little bit of a mix of that aspect of my personality and Lane, however she was originally intended to be.
Lynna: How do you feel about playing a Korean American actress, when in reality, you are Japanese American? Why do you think it was pertinent to the show that you play a character of this certain nationality?
Keiko: I still think that it was just that Helen happens to be Korean American. I don’t really know, but I think Amy sort of just saw a good storyline. I think writers just go around and say, “Well that interests me or that doesn’t interest me.” Amy Palladino and Dan Palladino are married and are two of the executive producers and, just from observing them, I see that this is how they sort of go about doing things. Whatever resonates with them and clicks with them, and is going to hold their interest over a long period of time, that is what they are going to write about. If is sort like, “Eh, I don’t know,” it has got to hold their interest for a long period of time. Apparently, the storyline is going to hold on to their attention for a very long time.
Lynna: Once a year, Ammy Awards, a take off of Emmy Awards, honors Asian American talent in film and television. Congrats on your win as the Best Female Actor in a TV production!
Keiko: Why, thank you. Whoo!
Lynna: Finally, Asians are being recognized as being phenomenal talents in Hollywood. What did it mean for you to win this award?
Keiko: I was surprised and really happy. I mean you always… Always? Like I get nominated for these things, but when you go, you want to play it all cool, but inside you are like, “Please pick me, there is no chance but please pick me!” So that was kind of the situation I was in. Even though you don’t want to be, you heart is kind of racing. I don’t know, I was really surprised. I was really glad that people were watching the show and don’t hate you. I don’t know about other people, but actors are always like, “Do they hate me? No? Alright, I am safe, I am alright. I am ok.”
Lynna: Did winning this award make you more confident in your acting abilities?
Keiko: Well, thank goodness, I have gotten a little more confident over time. In general, because you know in this business, in any business you kind of have to increase your confidence level, so I think that is one aspect among other things that has sort of helped me be more confident or at least appear more confident.
Lynna: Who do you see as role models in Hollywood, particularly to Asian Americans? Why?
Keiko: Oh, I might get a lot of criticism for this, because I know that there are better role models (oh but now I am going to get criticism for what I am going to say), but I think it is great what Lucy Liu is doing because she is making money for studios and people are going to argue with me about stuff like that. But I think that if you prove that you are marketable and people will pay money to go see you, then that will give you some amount of power, and then you can go on to do the sorts of things you want to do. So I think that everyone who serves as a high profile actor or performer, who is proving that they can be successful is a big help to all of us. I know that it may not be what we want ultimately because we don’t want to be pigeon holed in just one area, but I think it is really an important first step. I support everyone who is going out there and working, you know, doing well for people.
Lynna: What would you say about the B-rated films that aren’t as marketable as other films, but are still great films?
Keiko: Well, that is a good question, because I think talent always rises. I wouldn’t call it a B-rated film, but I know a lot of people who are watching this or you guys know, but “Better Luck Tomorrow” just came out. It’s an independent film, it’s an amazing film, it’s so talented, it’s getting so much buzz because it is good. It is Asian American but I don’t support it because it is Asian American, but because it is good, because talent is there, direction is there, the production value is there, and the actors are good. And when you have a product that is like that, people are going to notice, whether it got the funding originally or not. I think it is hard because we are harder on ourselves, sometimes we are too hard on ourselves and on the people of our community, but on the other hand, I think that when you support something it should be for the right reasons. I want to support it because it is good, the talent is there, and that primarily, and of course, because it is helping all of us in the community as Asian Americans.
Lynna: How do you decide what movies you want to be a part of?
Keiko: Most actors would say this, primarily it has to be a good script and you like the writing, and secondly, it’s a part that you think that you can shine in, bring out the best in, and I guess the question of whether or not it is going to be successful comes after that. The first two things need to be there, otherwise, why do it? Maybe in two years, I will think “Yay! Big budget. Give me the money,” I don’t know.
Lynna: How much do you challenge yourself, in regards to taking roles different from what you normally play?
Keiko: That is a good question. I am a little bit of a chicken. I challenge myself all the time, but not where there is evidence. If you get me something like an improv class or some place where it is a friendly environment, I think I let myself go a lot farther. If it is for something, even like a short film or something like that, or television, I think I am much more conservative. I’m much more protective of that, which is something I just shoot for, being experimental in that field. I don’t know, everything is a balance.
Lynna: Many critics may say that the entertainment industry does not fuel the minds of young people; in fact, they claim that it fills their minds with violence, sex, profanity, and a warped sense of reality. How do you respond to these attacks?
Keiko: That is really a hot button issue. You are talking about like “Jack Ass” and stuff like that, that are kind of like violent movies?
Lynna: Yeah, yeah, but even normal series, TV series that people might look on and say, “Oh that contributes nothing, it is just entertainment, you don’t learn anything or gain from it.”
Keiko: I think for myself, I have been thinking about that question a lot, but to be honest I don’t really know where I come down on that issue because it is really hard to say. I don’t think you can go either way a hundred percent because to say that it is the responsibility of the media to educate us on how to raise our kids, I can’t go there, but then I can’t completely excuse the images that are being pumped into our minds from all kinds of media, video games, television, and film. So I think there is a responsibility, but I haven’t decided where I stand completely on that. I am still thinking about it. I think it is an important question to answer, but I think there is a lot at stake.
Lynna: How did you decide to pursue acting?
Keiko: I just decided that I was going to act professionally just this year, to say to myself that this is what I really want to do. I don’t know how other people feel but this is actually a hard question to really commit yourself to because the chances are so slim. I think a lot of people have crazy ideas of how easy it is in this business, but the odds are so slim to be successful, and even just to make a living doing what you like to do. That is what I want, I want to make my money, my income doing creative things and if I can do that and be eighty-eight years old sitting on my rocking chair and looking back on my life, and can say that “I have done that!” and done things that I am proud of, I think that will make me feel successful. So I am putting that out there. That is what I want.
Lynna: What did you want to be when you were younger, before you starting acting?
Keiko: I was pretty young when I did my first play; I was ten. There is that famous quote that someone told me when I was in high school, that Betty Davis said that if you can imagine yourself doing anything other than acting, then you should do it. I kept thinking about that: “Is there anything else? Is there anything else that I can possibly do besides this business, because I should do it” and I think that is kind of what happened in the beginning of this year when I decided, “No, it has been a long process, but this is what I really like to do and you only go around once, unless you believe in reincarnation, but you only go around once, so you should go for it.” If you are going to go for it, the time is now to make that decision so I finally decided.
Lynna: Tell us about your future plans.
Keiko: There is a short film by writer and director of “Red Thread,” which I am in, and I think she was calling me on the way over here that it was in the film festival coming up here in LA, so you can go check it out there. The other film that I am working on, which I think will be good anyways, even though I am doing costuming for it, but go see it, is going to be called “Sad Happy Sucker.” It is going to come out in a while.
Lynna: Thank you for your time
Keiko: Thank you.
Gilmore Girls Memories 