Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kim Ko. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Kim, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

I published my first novel – “July Seventeenth” – in 2020, in the midst of Melbourne’s first Covid lockdown. It was inspired by true events, particularly the loss of a friend in the Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17 tragedy in Ukraine. It was also loosely based on my own journey to becoming a doctor-actor-author.

It is a story about the trials and tribulations of three international students’ (from 🇲🇾🇰🇷🇸🇬) adventures in Melbourne, from language barriers to culture shock, love found and love lost.

I wrote the fiction novel in memory of my friend Elaine, as a tribute to everyone who supported me and made me who I am today, and hope that my story will inspire others to also strive for their dreams.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I was born and raised in Malaysia, in a conservative Chinese family. I’ve always loved performing and storytelling ever since I could remember, from directing my own plays with my Barbie dolls to writing and directing and acting in school plays. I also performed well academically, so  there was an expectation that I would become a doctor when I grew up.

Medical school at the University of Melbourne was tough, and I eventually found myself signing up for additional Acting classes at night and Voice classes on weekends to fill that void in my soul. It was a challenging few years, but fortunately, I had very supportive friends and family who stuck with me all the way.

After working as a doctor for a year, I decided to take a gap year and enrolled into full-time acting training at the Howard Fine Acting Studio Australia in Melbourne, where I learnt my craft from the best teachers from Los Angeles and Australia. It was the happiest year of my twenties, but I still had doubts about whether to embark on a new career pathway as an actor, or to return to being a doctor.

On July 17th 2014, one of my friends was shot down with her partner on flight MH17. She was 27 years old. Like the rest of the world, I was shocked to my core, and realised that life was too short to not try pursuing my dreams.

I now work both as a doctor and as an actor, and my most recent project is the TV series “Bay of Fires” now streaming on ABC iView.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

When I first graduated from acting school and was looking for agents, I obtained a meeting with a well-established agency because they were looking for Asian actresses to submit for a TV series. I was so excited and thought I had the best luck of starting out in the industry at the perfect time, when Asian representation in the industry in Australia was kicking off.

The meeting was not long. The two representatives from the agency only had a few questions to clarify with me.
1. “In your demo reel, your face looked like it had no angles, like a moon face.” — How exactly should my features have looked like?
2. “Your accent is not very Aussie-like. That will make it hard for you to get a job in the industry in this country.” — How exactly should I have sounded like, in order to get a job.
3. “Do you know Kung Fu? Because most of the roles that look for Asian actors are for Kung Fu or action stuff.” — sorry, not every Asian kid grew up learning Kung Fu.

Of course, I did not get signed, and I left the meeting feeling worthless and hopeless. I eventually got signed with other agencies, and booked some roles here and there. In an ever-changing and unpredictable industry that is heavily influenced by social media, I managed to hang on to being my authentic self.

In early 2022, I booked a recurring role in the TV series “Bay Of Fires” on ABC. The creators rewrote the character to fit with my own heritage, gave me the freedom to name my own character, and requested that I use my natural accent to play my role. It is currently the #1 trending show on ABC iView.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My goal in my creative journey is to always do my best to tell authentic stories, because when we can relate to each other, we can communicate with each other, learn from each other, and grow together. Diversity should not be a mere tickbox for funding or box office purposes, it should be an authentic collaboration and authentic storytelling with real people of diversity.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @dr.kim.ko
• IMDB — <imdb.me/kimko>

Image Credits
Photographers – Alex Vaughn, Sarah Clarke. Book cover – Brolga Publishing.