Tigertail’s Christine Ko – 8 things to know about the Taiwanese-American star of Netflix’s new drama
The directional feature debut of writer-producer Alan Yang, Tigertail – Netflix’s new movie – stars upcoming Asian actress Christine Ko
Tigertail, Alan Yang's feature directorial debut, just dropped on Netflix earlier this month, and viewers already want to find out more about Christine Ko, the young actress who plays Angela. The film, which centres on a father-daughter relationship, came at a tough time for Ko, whose uncle was battling cancer when she auditioned for the role. Here, we find out more about this 31-year-old Taiwanese-American talent.
We can only imagine the words on Christine Ko’s lips when she heard Netflix was looking for a Taiwanese-American lead. She was used to being cast as the Asian sidekick, a role she knew too well, so when an audition was called out, she knew she couldn't miss it. Oh, but she did.
Yep – she missed her audition for Tigertail
She cancelled her audition because she received a call that her uncle was slowly losing a battle to cancer and she had to say goodbye before he succumbed to it. So she flew to Atlanta and didn’t regret this decision – but we still saw her play the role of Angela, proof the role really was meant for her.
She has biological and adoptive parents
Both of whom she recognises and appreciates. The backstory: Ko was born in Atlanta to superstar Taiwanese parents and raised in Georgia by her aunt and uncle, who adopted her when she was three.
Yes – her biological parents are famous in Taiwan. Her father was a singer and performer, Frankie Kao, who passed away in 2014, and her mother is an actress, Wen Chieh. But neither of them wanted her to leap into show business. Instead her parents went back to Taiwan, leaving the young Ko in America, and she only got to connect with her biological parents when she was in her twenties.
She first appeared larger than life for Georgia Aquarium