Keiko Agena is best known for playing Lane Kim on Gilmore Girls and she's recently talked about her experiences. Agena spoke with Juliet Litman about playing Rory Gilmore's bestie and the challenges of portraying a Korean American character as a Japanese American. Though there were challenges, Agena expressed gratitude for her time on the show and discussed how she's letting go of self-imposed pressures.
Agena opens up about playing Lane Kim on Gilmore Girls in the early 2000s
During her interview with journalist Juliet Litman on Dear Felicity, a podcast focusing on the WB television series Felicity, the actress, 50, reflected on her time as the music-loving best friend of Rory Gilmore throughout all seven seasons of Gilmore Girls — and the complex emotions that accompanied it.
Agena was asked how it felt to play a Korean American character on the show when she is Japanese American.
“The best thing is to have a Korean American writer [and a] Korean American actor,” Agena said. "This role, cast that way, would never happen today. It was such a different time back then, in 2000, that I would never have said no or pulled myself out of that situation."
In response to fans' questions about what it is like to still be known for playing such an iconic character, Agena explained that she has a different perspective on Lane compared to others.
AdvertisementThe role's significance to fans, especially young Asian viewers, differed from her personal experience, Keiko Agena said. Agena explained it was separate because what the role meant to people was different from what it meant to her. She describes her own experience as being in "survival mode." She didn't view it that way at the time, "but now feels a mixture of gratitude for having gone through it."
Keiko is stepping away from expectations at a new stage of her life
The character that Lane plays is a transitional point in Agena's life, where she must let go of the pressure that she places on herself to be the best version of the person she thinks Lane loves. “Because I love her too," she said. She also shared that she can tell, when meeting someone who knows Gilmore Girls or loves Lane, it's like recognizing that love. She sees that affection for the character.
AdvertisementIn three episodes of Felicity, Agera played Leila Foster, a student who inspired Felicity (Keri Russell) to lead a protest on campus. She has also appeared on Shameless, 13 Reasons Why, and Better Call Saul.
"I always think it's funny that my last name [on the show] is Foster, and then Felicity asks my parents to stand up, and they are both Asian, which seems natural to me," Agena said. “But we have no idea how I got that last name.”
Even though her roles weren't specifically written for Asians, Agena liked auditioning for both. "I liked that I could audition for both types of roles," she said.
Regarding Gilmore Girls, Agena said that she still regularly keeps in touch with John Cabrera and Sean Gunn, who played Lane's bandmates Brian and Kirk.
"There is this kind of lovely nostalgia for that time, but there have also been many years since then," Agena said. She described their friendship as a blend of their shared experiences on the show, appreciation for that memorable period, and countless other things that make them friends.
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