Phuong Kubacki might not be a familiar name to many but her face just might be. Appearing in AMC’s hit show Better Call Saul, M Night Shalahan’s Apple TV thriller series Servant, and Netflix’s horror-comedy We Have a Ghost, Kubacki is likely to have graced your screen, no matter what flavour of TV you prefer.
Her latest claim to fame is a role in The Bikeriders, which features a stellar cast including Jodie Comer, Austin Butler, Tom Hardy, and Norman Reedus. Indeed, for a relatively unknown name, Kubacki has already garnered quite an eclectic acting CV.
To find out more about the first-generation Vietnamese actress, Resonate chatted with the Wisconsin-born soon-to-be star about her career thus far.
RT: Hey Phuong! Well done on your acting career so far! What made you want to get into the industry?
PK: Hey! I’ve always wanted to be an actor. I loved watching TV and movies and had a passion for performing even in school with dance and cheerleading. I started doing print work, modeling, and doing commercials and eventually, that led me to TV and film.
My acting idols are Viola Davis, Reese Witherspoon, Michelle Yeoh, Lucy Liu, Amy Poehler and Meryl Streep!
RT: What was your first big “break”?
PK: My first big break was a really fun Lifetime movie called ‘Dying for a Baby’. I had a fake baby bump and had so much fun on this project.
RT: We’re big fans of Better Call Saul. Tell us about your experience playing Casa Tranquila Nurse.
PK: Booking Better Call Saul was a dream come true! I’ve been a fan of Vince Gilligan’s work for a while. I had also auditioned for this show many times over the course of 4 years until I finally booked it, so it was a real lesson in hard work and consistency paying off.
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It was filmed in Albuquerque, NM and everything was top secret! I didn’t even get the full script for the episode because they wanted to make sure there were no story leaks. It was an honor working on that set!
RT: How did The Bikeriders gig come about?
PK: I got an audition from my agent and did it quickly in just a few takes with a friend. I was excited to see who was attached to it, but quickly forgot about it as time went on. Not long after, I received an email from my agent saying I had a callback. I wasn’t able to attend the callback because I was going to the Emmys that scheduled day, but luckily they were able to reschedule. When I got to the callback, they offered me the role! I was thrilled!
RT: What was working with the star-studded cast like?
PK: Austin Butler was amazing to work with! He was very kind and supportive. I felt really comfortable having him as a scene partner. It was also such a pleasure even being on the same set as everyone else. They are all so talented in their own ways and I just loved watching all of them work. I really respected that they all were trying to put in their best efforts.
RT: Can you tell us about your character and whether you can relate to her?
PK: My character’s name is Gail. She’s based on a real person actually. All of the characters were inspired by real people in the photo book called ‘The Bikeriders’ by Danny Lyon. She is also Vietnamese and was dating a member of the biker gang named Brucie. Brucie is in the movie and played by Damon Herriman.
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RT: What are your thoughts on Asian representation in the media?
PK: Asian representation in the media is improving in my opinion, especially with projects like Crazy Rich Asians, Warrior, and Parasite. I still think we have a long way to go, however. Currently, Asians only make up 2% in lead roles in TV and film. I do think there are efforts being made so I’m hopeful we can get that number to increase.
In my experience, we’ve come a long way from small supporting characters who were only written to be the butt of the joke to now, I’m, seeing more roles who aren’t required to be fluent in another language or have martial arts experience.
