Meet Kira Griffin

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kira Griffin. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kira below.

Hi Kira, thank you so much for opening up with us about some important, but sometimes personal topics. One that really matters to us is overcoming Imposter Syndrome because we’ve seen how so many people are held back in life because of this and so we’d really appreciate hearing about how you overcame Imposter Syndrome.

Since I was young, I’ve always been aware that I’m half Asian, but I’ve also always been aware that I don’t really look enough like it to fully associate myself with that culture. I never grew up knowing the language, eating the food, or immersing myself in Korean culture in any way. Before I began acting, it was more of just a strange little fact that I didn’t really know what to do with. It was kind of just, there. Now, as an actor, I’ve found it to be an increasingly more prominent part of me (sometimes it feels like the lack thereof) that sets me apart in auditions in a negative way. I look too white to be cast as any sort of Asian role or story line, but too “ethnic” to be your typical white role. There aren’t really roles written for me – most screenwriters and casting directors have a specific image in mind when creating these worlds and I don’t typically fit the “image” as easily as white girls or fully Asian girls might. In a country where white is the “norm,” any roles of color are only of color as a vehicle for the plot, and only half-color just doesn’t cut it. While we are progressing as a society to be more inclusive and “color-blind,” I still find myself in an awkward grey-area that has led me to discover how to move around it. I experiment with hairstyles, makeup, color, and jewelry when preparing for an audition that can help to insert myself into the “image” more than just my face. I audition for any and every role that I can find that I could even remotely fit, because that’s the thing with acting – looks can only do so much, you need to be character on the inside as well in order to truly bring the story to life. Learning to accept this fact and this part of myself has made me more confident both in and out of the acting world, bringing creativity and comfort to my every day life.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I am an aspiring film and TV actor in Austin who is working every day towards my dream of being a big-screen movie star! On top of auditioning for anything and everything I can find, I am also one of many Co-Founders of RagTag Productions, an indie film production company full of some of the hardest working self-starters I know! Through this company and others, I’ve been able mark the start of not only my on-camera journey, but also dabble in some BTS work. I’ve done a little bit of everything from writing to SFX makeup to boom op to choreography to editing. And I love it all!

Several of the film projects I have been on so far are additionally planning to submit/premiere at local film festivals, such as Locks & Lies (RagTag Prod., submitting to the 2025 Austin Film Festival, among others) and Let There Be Light (a UT student pilot project, premiering at the Paramount Theater at the 2025 ATX TV Festival)! While it’s a little daunting to create the basis of a name for myself in such a demanding and competitive industry, I know and trust that I have the independence, drive, and passion to achieve and surpass my goals for my future.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

The way I see it, if you want to live your own life and do what *you* want, as opposed to what other people want from you, you need first and foremost passion for what you’re doing, as well as discipline and the ability to self-advocate. If you don’t truly want to do it, then what is going to keep you persistent when times get tough? Especially in an industry such as this one, where there are so many naysayers who will tell you all the reasons why you shouldn’t, you’re going to be the only one to speak up on why you should, and you need to truly believe it. You also need discipline. Film is a competitive industry, and there will be a lot of “no’s” involved. There will be a lot of projects that fall through, a lot of people who stop responding, and a lot of rejection emails. But that doesn’t mean you stop. That just means you accept that, learn from it, and move forward to the next audition or the next project. Having good discipline helps to maintain a positive outlook and keep on keepin’ on. Finally, the ability to self-advocate is incredibly necessary because you won’t just be simply handed everything in your life, and you won’t necessarily see a clear path right away. Self-advocacy is key in a self-started industry – you need to put yourself out there, meet people, make connections, and ask for what you want. No one can read your mind, no one can see your wants or your talents just by looking at you. So you can’t expect people to do things for you.

We’ve all got limited resources, time, energy, focus etc – so if you had to choose between going all in on your strengths or working on areas where you aren’t as strong, what would you choose?

While it is absolutely important to be aware of your strengths and know where you can be most utilized both on and off set, I believe it is always better to focus on improving weaker areas. You never know what could be a make or break deal for a role and it would be really awful to have to have a weakness that you could have improved be the difference between whether you get a big role. Additionally, being able to be utilized in more areas than one, either on or off camera, not only gains you more experience but also creates a path for more connections to be made. Demonstrating versatility on and off set is a strength in and of itself, it shows those around you that you are a team player and that you are willing to do what it takes and what is needed.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: kira.lgriffin
• Facebook: kira.lgriffin
• Other: IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm15051538/?ref_=fn_all_nme_2