What is Kelly Marie Tran’s net worth? Kelly Marie Tran is the first Asian-American to land a cover on Vanity Fair, but she is better known as an actor who got started in a television series called Ladies Like Us back in 2013, but who has since become part of the Star Wars universe in her role as the mechanic Rose Tico in two Star Wars films. She landed another major role in Raya and the Last Dragon and continues to make a name for herself as a rising star after nearly quitting the business altogether.
©Walt Disney Co./courtesy Everett / Everett Collection
About Kelly Marie Tran
Kelly Marie Tran was born in 1989 in San Diego, California. Her parents were refugees from the Vietnam war, and the early days for the family weren’t without struggle; her father worked at a Burger King while Tran’s mother worked at a funeral home. According to some sources that may have been a step up as Tran’s father was, according to some sources, reportedly to have spent part of his earlier life in Vietnam as a homeless person before leaving the country.
Tran herself would earn money to buy actor’s headshots at a yogurt shop while in high school. She went on to graduate from UCLA with a Bachelor’s degree in Communications. It’s said that part of her earnings from the Star Wars films went to pay off her student loans–a smart move, and an enviable one.
Kelly Marie Tran landed what some would consider to be a dream role in Hollywood (see below) but on her journey toward her current success in acting, she experienced a high degree of anti-Asian hatred and discrimination. Much of it, according to interviews and news stories about Tran’s experiences as a member of the Star Wars canon, came from Star Wars fandom–something that was disheartening to be sure, but an experience Tran describes as originating from people who lack the imagination needed to envision a world where such divisions don’t exist.
Kelly Marie Tran’s Career
Kelly Marie Tran has had an impressive career even the earliest days of the career back in 2011 and beyond may have felt to the actor (in her words) like a struggle to rise above “quirky” roles that seemed to play to her ethnicity.
Tran told the Detroit Free Press that after starring in a comedy video clip made by CollegeHumor.com titled, “Are You Asian Enough?” she was beginning to think she would “just the weird side character who always talks about being Asian and brings kimchi to the party”. But Tran’s career speaks for itself and her current credits include:
- Ladies Like Us, 2013 to 2015
- CollegeHumor Originals, 2014 to 2016
- The Indie Thing
- Incredible Crew
- About a Boy
- Currently Cool
- To the Bridge
- Comedy Bang! Bang
- Ladies Like Us: The Rise of Neighborhood Watch
- Adams Ruins Everything
- Discount Fitness, History of the World… For Now
- Fall Into Me
- Sing It!
- Star Wars Forces of Destiny.
- Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi
Kelly Marie Tran has been nominated for a Teen Choice Award, and she also earned a Saturn Award for Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi in 2018. We’ve mentioned elsewhere that Tran has been featured on magazine covers, but her work does not seem to branch out into modeling–her primary source of income is her work as an actor and performer. And her jobs in that milieu keep getting more impressive.
Controversy
Tran was attacked online following her roles in the Star Wars films (see above); the misogyny and racial discrimination leveled at Tran for the audacity of being cast in a science-fiction franchise was fairly unbelievable.
Yet it happened. IndieWire.com reports Tran received a high level of attention for this harassment; much attention turned to her deleting social media posts she had made; posts that received floods of sexist and racist comments. Tran has publicly handled all of that attention (negative and otherwise) with poise. Her comments on the issue tend to focus on moving forward, pushing back on hate, and being a better person.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSh_D4r16fc
Following some of this controversy, Tran told reporters enough was enough–she turned down some roles and withdrew from the feeding frenzy of social media long enough to get her head together, sort out her feelings about what had been happening, and take on new roles to further her career. Looking for the good in the bad, she says, is a very important part of how she deals with these issues.
Kelly Marie Tran’s Net Worth: $3 Million
Kelly Marie Tran earns her net worth from her acting career; her many roles in film and television have earned her a reputation as a performer, and her association with the highest-grossing film franchise in American cinema history–Star Wars–has assured her a place among contemporary up-and-coming actors. Kelly Marie Tran is the first Asian-American on the cover of Vanity Fair.
Tran’s future as a “name” in the industry seems sure after moving from Star Wars to Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon as the title character. Her net worth is sure to climb on the heels of such major roles. It’s only a matter of time before Kelly Marie Tran is just as visible as other Star Wars and Disney alums such as Carrie Fisher, Mark Hammill, Jeff Bridges (people forget his role in the 80s Disney film Tron), and many others.
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Joe Wallace specializes in personal finance, military affairs, and consumer protection topics. Since 1995, his work has appeared on Air Force Television News, The Pentagon Channel, ABC and a variety of print and online publications. He is a 13-year Air Force veteran and collects unusual vinyl records, which gives him an excuse to write the vinyl blog Turntabling.net.
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