Kea Ho – Urge

By starrymag | June 3, 2016

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

Q) What are the recent projects that you are working on?

 

A) Urge starring Pierce Brosnan and Ashley Greene is about to be in theaters and I have a comedy called Flock of Dudes with an amazing cast including Chris D’Elia, Hannibal Buress and Ray Liotta coming out in September. And I’m really excited to have just been cast as the lead in a thriller that will go into production later this year and will be announced soon.

 

Q) Please tell us the premise for the film Urge and about your character Xiomara. 

 

A) Urge is about a group of friends who discover a new wonder-drug which they think is perfect but has one important rule — you can only do it once. My character Xiomara is the star performer of The Man’s lair, Club Volcano, where the group of friends is first introduced to the world of “Urge.” My character is sort of the turning point in the movie where the friends discover that there is much more to this world than meets the eye.

 

Q) What made you want to be a part of the film?

 

A) I read the script and really liked the dramatic elements of the film. Xiomara was supposed to be the personification of the drug and having to emote in a performance being angelic and ethereal and at the same time very dark, dangerous and overtly sexy appealed to me. Doing a big stage performance sequence in a film was something that’s always been appealing to me, especially with my background growing up in live stage shows. Making something dynamic, intense and raw is what inspires me.

 

Q) Was there anything you added to your role that wasn’t originally scripted for you?

 

A) Xiomara was always written as the femme fatale type character that is showcased with the big performance piece of the movie and lures the group into this world of Urge. But I was lucky enough to be able to build and produce the show sequence from the ground up to basically tell the story of the movie to that point. I wanted to juxtapose the overt sexiness she was always written with a performance that was more high-concept and conceptual. So, I collaborated with modern dance choreographer Laurie Devito and Joffrey ballet dancers to tell the story of the drug “Urge.”

 

Q) What did you find challenging about portraying Xiomara? 

 

A) The role was always supposed to be similar to Salma Hayek’s character and performance sequence in From Dusk till Dawn. Portraying that femme fatale type character that has so strong a presence and visually based takes a lot of confidence and sometimes you have to dig deep to project that confidence.

 

Q) You got to work with an incredible cast like Pierce Brosnan and Ashley Greene. Did any of them give you advice while filming that you took to heart?

 

A) I got great advice from Danny Masterson, who is such a pro during our scene together. I learned so much just watching Pierce’s scenes because he brings such a level of gravitas and power to his performances, it’s truly fascinating. His presence, charisma and that intangible X-factor that is something you can’t learn or buy is just something he has in spades. He’s brilliant, funny, scary and intimidating in this role all at the same time and watching him deliver a line is truly something special.

 

Q) What was it like working with director Aaron Kaufman?

 

A) Aaron is an amazing director and a true visionary. His taste level, instincts and vision are something I respect so much and are really hard to come by. He always has the bigger picture in mind and a unique vision. It’s a real art to pull all that together and pull it off well. You have to really trust your director, especially in such a sexy role and with him you always know that anything he does will be at a certain level of artistry and scale. This movie is so different because of him and his vision for it. Merging a high-end cinematic looking thriller with a horror film is something I don’t think has been done very often.

 

Q) What were some of your most memorable moments from filming?

 

A) Just working with such great people from the cast to the crew. Everyone working toward the common goal of bringing such a large-scale shared vision into reality is an incredible experience.

 

Q) What do you hope viewers take away from watching Urge?

 

A) I hope people get the underlying concepts and deeper meanings – the stuff that is never overtly said but you read between-the-lines. That’s what makes a great film to me; what you garner from it that makes you think which isn’t overtly displayed on the surface layer.

 

Q) You are a part of social media. Why is that such an important way for you to interact with fans?

 

A) To be honest, I’m pretty shy and introverted so I really had to make an effort to be social on social media at first. But once I realized how easy it was to interact with people from all over the world and all walks of life. I really loved it for that. It’s really cool being able to meet people you would never normally cross paths with. I’m not sure I have many fans compared to most girls out there, but I appreciate all of them and hope they like what I’m doing.

 

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of your work?

 

A) I appreciate every single fan and supporter. My dad (famed musician Don Ho) would always say “never take a fan for granted or the people who support you.” He knew the value and respect you should have for your fans and he instilled that in me. So, I would just say thank you so much for supporting my work and if I inspire one person to create and follow their passion I’ll be happy.