Coco Kariuki
Actor
About
Katricia’s training began at a young age at the Agakhan Academy, where she would be found on stage in productions, or taking up classes for vocal training. Since then, she has graduated with a BFA in Acting from the American Musical and Dramatic academy. Throughout her career, she has been trained in stage combat; armed and unarmed, acting for film and television, as well as stage performance.
We sat down with Coco to learn her method behind staying positive and some insights in her audition process.
'The Kenyan Actress Taking Over Hollywood'
Interview
Tell us about your name Coco and what prompted the update?
I sat with my agent and manager, and they brought up that a lot of people in the industry refer to me as Coco. It’s actually my childhood nickname and I always introduce myself as Katricia Kariuki but mention that they can call me Coco. People gravitate towards Coco more, which I have no problem with. I love both of my names and think Coco Kariuki has a nice ring to it! So that’s what I’m going by now.
As a busy actor, can you run through your typical day?
I wake up around 8:30am, I have my Bible study and then I get up and get ready for the day. I typically have about two or three auditions a week, the turnaround is pretty fast as well. If I get an audition Monday it’ll typically be due Wednesday, and so on and so forth. So yeah, my weeks are busy in the best way!
What does a positive mental attitude mean to you?
A positive mental attitude to me is having confidence in the fact that what is for me will find me. I try not to beat myself up about anything but give myself grace and try to do better the next time. This helps me get over slumps quickly and look at what people may perceive as failures, as learning curves and opportunities for improvement.
How important is confidence to you?
When it comes to acting, you need to be confident in your choices or it just won’t read as natural, and no one on a professional set has the time to tell you you’re doing a good job. It’s best to work on your role and walk into the performance with confidence. In addition to this, if I mess up or need to restart a take, I don’t beat myself up in front of everyone, I’ve learned to pause, keep my composure and just start again.
Composure is key, and just good professional etiquette as an actor in my opinion. My rule is just fake it till you feel it.
You just booked a big audition; can you tell us about it?
Yes, I did! I auditioned for an HBO production. My character was a performer at a karaoke bar at a birthday party, and so I got to sing in the audition as well. It was a really fun role to work on, and I read with my acting coach Reece Rios, who was, as always, super helpful!
What was your process for the audition?
The first thing I did was look for clues in the description as to the tone of the scene. I also took some time to practice the song. I then broke down my script (Internal/external dialogue, beats etc.) and started playing with it. I did the takes a couple of different ways and did a few acting exercises to find what choices felt the strongest and most authentic. Once I solidified my choices, I got off-book, which wasn’t hard because having worked on the script, the dialogue was already in my body.
What is the role / character?
The character was a young wide eyed aspiring singer, trying to make it big in the industry!
Are you anything like the character?
I would say that I am! The character was bubbly and full of optimism, she was also outgoing, and I resonate with her creative ambition.
What is one piece of advice someone has ever given you that you live by?
The best piece of advice someone has given me is to walk by faith and not by sight. To put God first in all the things I do, and he will make a straight path for me. I know that no matter what happens in my life, God is in control, and he will bring my way all the things he has planned for me.
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