Some actors seem to have been here forever. Some have made their mark with just one character. Others are just getting started, introducing themselves, exploring opportunities, and taking up space. Frankly speaking, other actors just come and go. But when we got the chance to have a one-on-one interview with actress Gia Kim, she was a reminder that there are endless possibilities when pursuing one's career—and in Hollywood, no less.
"It's okay to take up space and I feel like that says a lot in itself," the 32-year-old XO, Kitty star told Cosmopolitan Philippines. The thought has stuck with her whenever she thinks about her career, which began even before XO, Kitty. But before starring in her first major Netflix role, Gia was actually interested in directing.
Gia is wearing a cropped shirt from Radica Studio, jeans from The Manmei, shoes from Francesca Bellavita, belt from the Helsa Studio, and jewelry from Bruna and H&M Studio.
She first thought that she'd be more involved in the production process behind the cameras. "But in a funny way that the universe works," as she described it, she knew she needed to be a "performer" at all costs. More than being able to sing and dance onstage for theater, there was something meaningful in acting that Gia just couldn't let go of. "I was immediately in love with the whole process of acting because it allowed me to dive deep into me as a person and other people as human beings and it's a very anthropological thing to do," she says.
During the pandemic, Gia was prepping to be Yuri, even when she was in quarantine. Season 1 was more rigorous as she was trying to establish the character. "I was trying to walk like her, be her in her private space. How does she interact with other people? I was trying to come up with these things and put them into my body. After doing that foundational work in Season 1, it came a lot easier because I can tap into her more instinctively, rather than analytically. I just left it to what my body remembers for Season 2," Gia recalled.
Gia's two-season embodiment of Yuri has been a fan fave—and so we asked: what's next? Apparently, there's a lot to look forward to. She'll be acting in a new project and hopefully producing a theater play by the end of 2025. Not to mention, she's writing stories as well. But if she'll ever work on her first-ever directing project, it'd be comedy or more on the drama side. She says the quiet day-to-day depiction of life kind of drama sounds perfect for a directorial debut.
"I do have that ambition to diversify my range a little more as characters on the screen. So, something very different from Yuri is what I would want to do next." But she's staying open to a lot of possibilities—she might even explore the world of music as she grew up singing in the choir and playing the piano.
Needless to say, Gia's an all-arounder. She's out to get more in her career with one ultimate goal—and no, it's not all about fame for her. Gia wants to make her audience feel something through her work—whether she's acting in it or producing it behind the cameras.
Our chat with Gia might be surprising to people who have only seen her as Yuri of XO, Kitty. Because as much as she loved playing Yuri (and as much as we loved watching her), she's actually more than amped to get into the ins and outs of the entertainment industry. "I'm a very ambitious person," Gia declares.
Editor's note: XO, Kitty spoilers ahead!
Gia Kim On 'XO, Kitty' Season 2
First, the kiss with Kitty. Can you share with us Yuri's thought process with her coming out then being friends with Kitty, and then having a relationship with Juliana?
Gia: In two seasons, so much has happened to her. A part of me wonders if all of these things actually happened to a teenager in real life.
In Season 1, I remember thinking, "Oh my god, Yuri is never happy." Like she can never stay happy for more than a minute until something else comes along and breaks that bubble. Talking to Juliana is the only time she's happy and then everything else is she's just pretending to be okay when she's not. And so I thought she was a very—not miserable—but very unhappy person in Season 1. The circumstances made it so, and even though at heart she wants nothing but to be happy.
In Season 2, I feel like she gets what she wants by having Juliana in person and not having her be kicked out of school and it's everything I [as Yuri] ever wanted but then now what do I do with it? I remember when I was so clueless in high school. So I feel very empathetic towards all the characters in this season, especially working with the whole Juliana-Kitty dynamic. I've personally never experienced having feelings for more than one person at a time, so I don't know how that would feel. But I can imagine through Yuri that that's not something you can really control.
So, you're confirming that Yuri has feelings for both of them—Kitty and Juliana?
Gia: Yeah, I think so. I mean, in different layers—like different colors. Juliana is definitely 100% romantic. We're girlfriends. We're a couple. But then Kitty...we started out as enemies and then we became friends. And so it's a more complex and interesting journey in that regard and having such a strong foundation for friendship makes it easier to go into romantic as well.
If you were Juliana, would you be able to give Yuri a second chance after what happened, and why?
Gia: I think I would, just because I am a second-chance person in general. I think everyone deserves a second chance because everyone evolves and grows. I do believe in "fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me." I think Juliana loves Yuri enough that she would want to give her a second chance even though she's heartbroken over what she did.
I'm actually surprised at how calm Yuri was when she found out that her family's now broke. What was the reasoning behind portraying her like that?
Gia: In that specific instance, she was going through what she thought was the biggest breakup of her life and getting her heart broken again, and seeing [Juliana] with someone else. I think that was overpowering any other problems in her life. Maybe that even helped her family being broke become seemingly less of a problem than it actually is. Because I'm like, "I'm already heartbroken... I feel like I can't go any lower than this." And then when that news comes, it's like, "But I guess a part of me also thinks naively that my family will figure it out. It's not really my problem." I don't think the problems have really quite hit her yet.
I feel like the whole season gravitated around self-awareness, friendship, and love. But some viewers might see it as too chaotic with how everyone's a bit indecisive, especially with their romantic relationships. What's your take on how the characters evolved in Season 2?
Gia: Those frustrations are valid, but I also think that their inability to make decisions very swiftly is also valid, especially given that they're all teenagers trying to figure things out for the first time. You need to give them the grace and benefit of the doubt that they're really just trying their best.
And everything is so much easier outside looking in than when you're in it—everything. Everyone knows the answer when you're outside. I heard this from one of my acting teachers and he said something like, "You know, everyone in the audience seat is a genius and anyone who's on stage is an idiot." That's so accurate when it comes to anything. Like everyone, it's just like with anything in life, it's easy to judge someone when you're not in that place, but then when you're in it, you're gonna be the same mumbling idiot that you saw someone else be.
If you could swap lives with one of the characters—who would it be (except Yuri) and why?
Gia: Hmm...I would like to be Min Ho.
Because?
Gia: Because [laughs] you know what? I would like to know what it's like to be a man in this world, first of all. What a life. And secondly, because he's the heartthrob of the story and it's always fun to be the heartthrob of a story.
I actually agree with you. It's so much easier with Min Ho. Looking at the female characters— Kitty, Yuri, Juliana, and even Praveena or Stella—everything's so hard for them. But, with Min Ho, one smile and it's okay. Even with Dae! He could work his way around, right?
Gia: Yeah, you know what? Not to minimize or validate their experiences as boys, but in general, we all know it's just different being men in this world and women in this world at this time. So yeah, that would be really interesting to be Min Ho.
What's a scene in Season 2 that you're particularly proud of?
Gia: I don't know if being proud is the right adjective, but I really liked my scene with Juliana in the art studio. It's one of the first scenes where it's just the two of us being in our own little bubble physically and not having anyone else interrupt. I have fond memories of just being on set that day and everything just felt so calm and easygoing and both of us were comfortable. The set was closed off—it was literally three walls around us.
What are the challenges that you've encountered filming for an LGBTQIA+ character and some insights that you learned, too?
Gia: I don't know if there were challenges that were pertinent specifically to portraying a gay character because I feel like at least in this show, obviously Yuri has struggles. Literally the portrayal of her struggle with her mom and her coming out to her and being accepted by her family for her identity and sexual identity. Everything in that regard, it's like she's struggling.
But as an actor, I feel like it's all the same kind of approach to go about it, in a way. Her struggles with her sexual identity are a big struggle in her life, but also her struggle with Juliana and her relationship with her is a big struggle. I feel like as an actor approaching these different problems that my character has—the process is not that different from one to the other and her being gay is also in this, especially in this show: Love is love is love.
Obviously, we show her struggle as a gay character in the show, but for everyone in the show, love is love. At the end of the day on set, we're not really thinking about that specifically. It's just like, how do we portray the intricacies of challenges between these two characters, whether they're queer or straight?
So, what's your advice for Kitty and Minho, who left us hanging again this season and after all that chaos?
Gia: I think the same goal, honestly—follow your heart and learn from the mistakes in that pursuit of following your heart, I think.
If there's a Season 3—which I think there is—what do you think should Yuri do after breaking up with Juliana and also discovering her family's problem? What should be next for Yuri?
Gia: Obviously, I hope that Season 2, people love it enough that we get Season 3. She's done the family, the Juliana, and like the cheating aspect, and all of that. And I feel like [with] her family being broke, maybe something will come out of that where she has to struggle with not having financial freedom or comfort in her life and what does that do to a teenager. And I do hope that her family dynamics, part of it, comes back too, but we'll see.
Gia Kim's life on- and off-cam and her future projects
Editor's note: The interview touches on eating disorders and may be sensitive for some readers.
How has acting and being Yuri shaped your personal growth or outlook in life right now?
Gia: Yuri has been such a big blessing to say the very least—not just in terms of "this is my big Netflix role" kind of way. It's another thing that one of my teachers told me is the role finds you at the right time and place when you need it. I feel like we found each other at the place and time that I needed her and Yuri needed me. She helped me dig deeper into the person that I am in order to find the commonality between me and someone else who seems different.
That comes with any character that I've done so far, with Yuri especially. Everything about this character and the show was out of left field for me—and that in itself was a big learning curve for me because it's like accepting that life just doesn't give you what you think you're gonna get. The tenacity and fierceness that Yuri has in her is something that I think I've had, but I feel like it made me bring it out even more.
Gia is wearing a dress from Mariusz Brzezi?ski, tights from Calzedonia, boots from Francesca Bellavita, and jewelry from Bruna.
Do you see acting as a lifelong passion now? Are there other career paths you'd like to explore down the road?
Gia: Acting is definitely for life. I love and respect this craft so much...There are so many things I wanna do in life that I get overwhelmed sometimes by the amount of things I wanna cross off my list. But definitely, I wanna direct, write, produce...I wanna wear all the hats in this creative industry. I have a lot of ideas that I wanna bring to life myself.
This year seems quite packed for you. What does a day off look like for Gia Kim?
Gia: Today, for instance, I just cleaned and reorganized furniture and it just felt really good. I finished setting up things that were unresolved around the house. It's like a refresh every time I do it because I spend a lot of time at home. I'm kind of a hermit. So it matters to me—the energy and cleanliness of my environment.
And then, I love yoga, meditation, all of that. I try to do that daily as well. If I'm not creating, I'll try to consume as much art as I can, like watch good TV shows, and films, read books, and do all of that.
Is there a beauty or fitness hack that you discovered recently and that you wish you'd known earlier?
Gia: I've had a long time to experiment with my own body in terms of dieting and exercising and eating. It's been a whole decade-plus long journey, and I've also struggled with eating disorder too. I think right now at this point in my life, my hack is really just to listen to my body.
That's something that XO, Kitty also taught me. Acting and being the whole physical aspect of it, the emotional aspect of it, everything was really exhausting in ways that I've never experienced before. I think that it forced me to be like, "Hey, maybe you should be more in tune with listening to your body," because I don't think that's something that I've ever worked on.
I'm sorry to hear that you've experienced an eating disorder. May I ask how you handled it? And was it something that happened to you while filming XO, Kitty?
Gia: Actually, XO Kitty Season 1 came on the heels of a year into my recovery journey from the eating disorder. And that's why I've gone through so many weight fluctuations throughout all of my 20s because of it. When I was in my 20s—well, first of all, I needed to acknowledge the fact that I had an eating disorder, which I didn't [do] until way later because I didn't think that I had a problem. But then I was like, "Oh, actually, this is an eating disorder." And then after the acknowledgment came my willingness to recover from it—and that meant seeking experts' help and advice. And I did that.
Gia is wearing a skirt and blouse from Mariusz Brzezi?ski, blazer from The Manmei, tights from Calzedonia, jewelry from stylist's Own.
I really just started to learn to realize what it means to love myself into evolution rather than hating myself into change. That's a quote I read somewhere and I didn't really know what that meant until this recovery journey happened, and then, I was like, "Wow actually now I'm gonna focus on my health"—not really the size of my waist. This is my personal opinion. I feel like some people are healthier thin. I feel like some people are healthier chubby. Healthy comes in different forms. And for me, I'm still trying to find what healthy means for me personally.
What does the future hold for Gia Kim? Where do you see yourself in five years?
Gia: You know what? I ask myself that occasionally and I think as for now, I'd like to know that in five years' time, I would have had my directorial debut. And have a lot more experience onscreen playing different characters of different genres as an actor. And just be a creative person and artist that I've always seen myself to my fullest potential. In five years, I'd be very happy if that's happened for me for my career and myself as an artist.
If there's one thing that you'd like people to remember you for, what would it be?
Gia: I'd like people to remember me as someone who made me feel good about themselves after meeting me. As an actor, I would like them to think of me as an actor they want to see more of on screen.
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PHOTOGRAPHER: Tiziano Lugli
ART DIRECTOR: Ica Del Mundo
ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Ida Aldana
PRODUCER: Kate Sarmiento
CO-PRODUCER: Ida Aldana
STYLIST/LEAD STYLIST: Tracy Shapoff
MAKEUP: Suzie K using Chanel for skin, Dear Dahlia for lips and Dior Beauty for color on eyes
HAIRSTYLING: Brian Fisher at Forward Artists for Oribe
STORY: Kate Sarmiento
Special thanks to Platform Public Relations
