Interview with Good Trouble star Ken Kirby

HR: Since you come from a comedy background would you like to see more of that in Ben or is that not really who he is?

KK: It’s more of who I am but I guess it does come out in moments where people end up laughing on lines where I think I’m being serious. It’s hard to tell sometimes how it’s going to edit and how the audience will respond.

HR: He’s a little snarky sometimes so you still get a little of the humor.

KK: Yeah, I think people laugh at him not getting his way. People like to see characters like Ben get whats coming to them.

HR: Judge Wilson nurtures that competitive environment. Like in the episode where they all go to his house, I loved that episode. I liked to see the three law clerks competing for his attention.

KK: That episode was a lot of fun to film because we actually spent all day at that table because there were seven of us to shoot coverage on. By the end of the day we had shot the same scene – I don’t even know how many times – because we had to get it from everyone’s angle and Roger (Judge Wilson) was having a lot of fun with us and we were trying to stimulate each other in different ways.

HR: And outside of Good Trouble, you were on The Gifted this past season too. 

KK: Correct, I did a recurring role as a character named Noah, a mutant doctor who worked for a good/evil clinic. It was really fun to go shoot down in Atlanta. Natalie Lynn was great, and they left things open-ended with my character. We don’t know if he’s actually dead or not.

HR: The Gifted is obviously very different in tone than Good Trouble, do you have a preference? Do you like doing more grounded realistic shows or do you prefer doing genre shows?

KK: I don’t think I have a preference. I enjoy both! I think it’s really fun to play a character like Ben, for who you can draw on real issues and carry some of that energy of what Asian-American men go through but then it’s also fun to play a scientist-mutant character like Noah whose going to blow a bunch of stuff up.

I remember that day where I blew up the lab, they were like, “you scream at the top of your lungs” and you’re shaking and vibrating – you can only do that so many times before you lose your voice. It truly is an acting exercise. I don’t know if you’ve ever tried to scream in a shower or a mirror as loud as you can but you’ve only got so many in you before you’re tapped out.

So on one hand it’s really cool you get to do stuff like that but it can be scary and to really test your physical capabilities as an actor versus a role you might be tapping into more mentally.

HR: Yeah that makes total sense. Do you have a dream role or project?

KK: My goal is to get some of the creative stuff I’ve been working on made. I wrote a comedy feature that we’re moving around town right now. We’re almost finished with a second feature. I want to write my own stuff and act in it, in the same vein as Issa Rae or like Sandler or Rogen or any of those guys who write their own comedy.

The whole reason I moved down here was to entertain people and make them laugh. If I could have my voice amplified on a larger scale through a film or TV show, I think that would be so satisfying as an artist.

HR: When you write your own stuff, it comes from such a personal, realistic place and people are drawn to that.

KK: Right, who is going to tell this story better than me? It can sometimes make things more difficult to get made if you’re not a name yet but people are more willing to give you a chance if you find the right person to understand your vision.

HR: So coming up next you’ve got Grand Hotel, the Eva Longoria show, that sounds exciting!

KK: Correct, that’s going to be a fun show for the audience. It’s based off the telenovela and it’s a really fun, sexy network show set in Miami with a great cast. I play Byron who is an Asian billionaire looking to buy hotel properties in Miami. I’ll leave it at that, but there are a lot of twists and turns. It’s a fun ride. I think the audience is really going to enjoy it.

HR: Thank you so much for talking to me Ken! I wish you all the luck with your future projects and getting them made.

KK: Awesome, thanks it’s been great talking to you and we’ll pick up another conversation for sure down the road when another project comes up!

Ken currently has a few other projects in development he’s hoping to get made soon. For fans of Good Trouble, the second season is set to premiere June 18th on Freeform. As for Grand Hotel, the salacious new Eva Longoria-produced drama begins on June 17th!