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'It Was A Survival Mode Situation': Gilmore Girls Star Keiko Agena Opens Up About Having Mixed Feelings On Playing Lane Kim
Keiko Agena, who played Lane Kim in hit TV Series Gilmore Girls, has shared her thoughts on her seven-season journey as an Asian character in the 2000s show.
Recently, Keiko Agena revealed that she has complicated emotions about playing Lane Kim on Gilmore Girls. She mentioned that her thoughts about the character are contrary to those of fans, in an in-depth discussion alongside Juliet Litman, going over some episodes of the iconic TV series from the 2000s.
Agena expressed her rawest emotions and reasons behind taking up the role of the Asian best friend on TV during a year when she was in survival mode.
Keiko Agena opens up about complexities of her feelings on her Gilmore Girls character
Keiko Agena reminisced about the mixed emotions she has over playing Lane Kim since Season 1 of Gilmore Girls. She played the best friend to Rory Gilmore (Alexis Bledel) for all seven seasons from 2000 to 2007. In a recent episode of the Dear Felicity rewatch podcast, she disclosed having a different opinion on the character compared to how fans view Lane Kim.
Agena said that the audience attached a lot of significance to the Lane Kim character, especially young Asian viewers who could see themselves on television. However, her experience was not as colorful as what it meant to have such individualism.
She also wanted to respect fans and understand why seeing someone like Lane on TV mattered so much. Yet, when she considers her time taking up this role in retrospect, she speaks of how being Lane was a savior mission without realizing it then.
The Better Call Saul actress said, "For me, it’s this separate thing a little bit because I think what [Lane Kim] was for people was different than what it was for me. And so, in a weird way, I feel like I want to honor the experience that people had from the show, and what it meant to them, especially young Asian people, because I get that comment a lot, about what it was like for them to see someone like that on screen.” Her wish would be to pay tribute to what the character symbolized for fans.
Agena has learned not to feel obligated by fans’ expectations anymore
During the episode, Litman asked Agena questions regarding acting as a Korean American while actually being Japanese American herself. The actress insisted on having more Korean Americans working behind the scenes and playing their roles. Casting choices like this were more prevalent back in 2000 than they are now, especially after more inclusivity and awareness, as well as the Hallyu wave. At that time, she couldn’t let go of such an opportunity even if the cultural context was wrong.
Almost 20 years since the end of Gilmore Girls, The First star has come to terms with ignoring fan pressure. She said that she’s at a point in life where she doesn’t need or want to be the perfect version of her career-defining role anymore. She said, "I think I’m at a transition point in my life where I have to let go of the pressure that I put on myself to be the best version of who it is that I think that you love. Because I love her too."
She continued, "I can tell, when I meet someone who knows Gilmore Girls or who loves Lane, it’s like, I recognize that love." Agena went back to playing Lane Kim in 2016’s revival Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, thereby reuniting with her role and the viewership of this series.
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