Keiko Agena – The First

By starrymag | September 25, 2018

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

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

A) The one that just came out that I’m super proud of is “The First,” which just launched on Hulu. I get to be a part of a team that goes to Mars! I love the whole series and I hope people get to see it.

Q) How was the series originally pitched to you?

A) Well, when I first heard about the show it was really through an audition where I got three scenes and I did a taped audition here in Los Angeles. And the writing off the bat I really loved. The story I sort of found out more and more once I got to New Orleans and go to read more of the scripts and got to read more about the overall arc of it. But I think for me it was more of a journey over time as the scripts came in and the story unfolded for me.

Q) Talk about how your character Aiko Hakari was described to you.

A) Well, I knew that she was an engineer and an astronaut that the goal was to go to Mars. Also, the show was slightly sci-fi and about thirteen years into the future. Even though I knew that she was an engineer and an astronaut the scenes I got were great because it really dealt with her family life. That was really attractive, too. I think the sci-fi aspect was secondary to the human aspect of the characters and how they deal with the challenges of having such a big ambition of going to Mars.

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

A) I do know that when they were auditioning Aiko originally had a different name because initially she was going to be Chinese-American. So, with the discussions I had with Beau [Willimon] when I first got to New Orleans. They were amazing because we got to sit down and have talks about who this person was and what her relationship was with her mother. We sort of mutually came to the decision of how it would be if Aiko was Japanese or even Okinawan (which is what I actually am). That was not necessarily mentioned in the show, but Aiko and the fact her last name is Hakari is because of our discussion since she is now is Okinawan – very similar to me who is Okinawan from Hawaii. So, that sort of influenced how we cast Sharon Omi who plays my mom. We had a discussion about who my husband would be and we talked a lot about that, too.

Q) What did you find challenging about your portrayal?

A) I think the challenge that a lot of us felt in approaching this project was just wanting to be as truthful as we could to the people who have actually gone through these experiences – to the astronauts who are working at NASA and dedicated their lives. I think that was more of the pressure than anything – just wanting to do them justice.

Q) What kind of research did you do into Mars and space?

A) We did! We did have a reading list and videos that we sort of passed around to watch to get more and more familiar with space, flight and how that would relate to our project because a lot of it is fiction. It’s a fictionalized show, but I think Beau went to great lengths to make it feel as realistic as possible. So, all of the elements that are slightly sci-fi that we bring into the show are definitely based off of real advancements that are currently in the works so that all the futuristic elements and space elements could be as realistic as possible. So, we were definitely involved in that process of learning as much as we could from there astronauts that we met and also Beau kind of breaking down all of the aspects of our mission to Mars and how that all works out.

Q) Talk about working with costar Sean Penn.

A) I adore Sean Penn! I thought it was so interesting to work with him. I think he’s a really phenomenal actor. I think the work that he has done on this show alongside the amazing discovery (I think we can call her) in Anna [Jacoby-Heron]. There are really some great scenes. Also, with Natascha [McElhone] she is just so fabulous! She’s just so, so great right from the beginning in the very first episode. It was just being a part of that is totally inspiring.

Q) Were you familiar with any of your other costars before working with them on the series?

A) I hadn’t so much been. They are all amazing actors, but I think I got to know them through the process of working on it.

Q) What were some of your most memorable moments from filming “The First?’

A) I loved getting to go NASA. They have one piece of equipment where they simulate zero gravity. We didn’t do the zero-gravity plane ride, which I’m kind of glad for because I did not want to get so nauseous. But they have another piece of equipment where it is a harness you strap into and they have it situated where it balances out your weight exactly so that in this harness you can just barley touch a piece of railing and it kind of simulates what the drift would be like in space. And that was the most fun ever! I got only go to spend fifteen minutes on it, but I would love to get to spend the whole day in this piece of equipment. It was so much fun. We got to the part where we were filming with the harness on that do not feel as realistic. There is no way to build it so you can just actually push yourself out it and float across the room. But we tried to as much as possible simulate that feeling even though we’re in harnesses that kind of require us to hold our own balance to mimic that weightlessness without actually feeling the weightlessness.

Q) What makes “The First” such a good fit for Hulu?

A) I think that Hulu is an incredible platform, especially after “The Handmaid’s Tale,” which is so perfect for this time. I hope that for “The First,” if people get a chance to check it out I think it’s similar in that the timing of a show that I think really promotes women, Science and a view of the future (as difficult as it is) that is aspirational and hopeful. [laughs] I know that for myself in watching it that as an audience member that I really attach to that hope. So, I hope that people who are fans of Hulu and the stellar content they are putting out will give them a chance to win them over.

Q) What else about the series do you want to be sure fans know?

A) The thing that I really attached to is that there so many women that are at the forefront of this show that are smart and capable and knowledgeable. They are very three-dimensional characters. Also, there is a lot of different ethnicities represented in the show, too. So, I do hope that people that are interested in that will take a look at the show. I just don’t want people to miss it that might not necessarily check out a sci-fi show.

Q) You have been a part of several incredible series lately, like “13 Reasons Why.” What do you hope viewers take away from the series?

A) “13 Reasons Why” is such an intense show. Right? It addresses a lot of very serious issues. I do hope that people when they are watching that show they can first and foremost realize when women have those stories to share that we value those statements.

Q) Congrats on the recent success of your book! What inspired you to take on this journey?

A) So, the book is called No Mistakes and when I was writing it and doing the pitch for it, I really wanted to think about, “Well, if I’m going to create a book that is about my philosophy and what it means to be artist then there are a couple of things…One is I wanted to make sure it is the kind of book that I would have to have in my home and would survive a purge if I ever got rid of anything or a lot of extraneous stuff that I have that I would want to actually keep it.” [laughs] That was sort of the bar that I wanted to reach. And I called it No Mistakes because in improv (which is something I’m obsessed with) mistakes are looked at in a different way. It’s really an opportunity. When someone makes a mistake on stage all the other people kind of jump on it and support it and create something surprising and magical out of it. I thought, “Well, that’s a great way to live life.” It’s a really wonderful thing to think of yourself as an artist because we try so hard to homogenize ourselves where I think the things that we think are mistakes are things about us that are great if we just took the time to appreciate our unique style.

Q) We saw you recently reunited with former “Gilmore Girls” costar Emily Kuroda and we loved seeing you in “Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life.” Is there any chance for another chapter in this beautiful story?

A) Well, it’s not up to me, but of course I would love to get to work with all of those people again. It is just the most stellar cast!

Q) You are a part of social media. Do you enjoy the instant fan feedback you receive to the projects that you do?

A) Social media is such a strange thing. I think it is awesome and terrible all at once. I do think that it is really, really, really nice all of the support that “Gilmore Girls” gets out there. The “Gilmore Girls” fans are just spectacular, and they have always been really supportive of me and the things I do. That part of it is just stellar. I hope people write about “The First.” I do hope so. That would thrill me beyond belief. The time that I got to spend on this project is some of my favorite ever. So, if we get to do more episodes and people fall in love with the show nothing would make me happier.

Q) What would you like to say to fans and supporters of you and your work?

A) Well, I would say to check out “The First.” [laughs] It’s on Hulu. Click like somewhere if there is an option somewhere. It seems a little funny to say such great things about it, but I really am a fan of this show and I hope people can give it a chance.

 

Grab A Copy of No Mistakes:

http://bit.ly/Keiko-Agena-Book