Behind Closed Doors with Katricia Kariuki

Movie Marker Magazine went behind closed doors with Kenyan-born leading lady Katricia Kariuki to chat about her starring role in the movie ‘Lunchtime’ where she plays the role of a fierce office gossip, and she shares three fun facts about herself!

Welcome to Movie Marker Katricia! Tell us a little about yourself.

Hello, my name is Katricia, but my friends call me Coco. I was born in Kenya, but now live in Los Angeles. At a young age I attended the Aga Khan Academy in Nairobi, where I found my love for stage productions, and vocal training. Since then, I have graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Art in Acting from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, trained in stage combat; armed and unarmed, acting for film and television, as well as stage performance.

What are some of your early acting experiences?

The first performance I was ever in was rumpus in the rainforest. I was in grade 3, and I played the jaguar. I thought it was the coolest thing ever and had a whole solo to perform. I always hated having to go for tuition after school, but I remember just how enthused I was every time I had to go to the dance studio to rehearse my choreography. I was a pretty un-athletic kid, but I would sprint to the thematic room to go over my songs, arriving to the scene out of breath, but on time.

Congratulations on your role in the movie, ‘Lunchtime.’ What is the movie about?

‘Lunchtime’ is a movie about an office gossip, Angela who takes the audience on her journey through working in a corporation, her friendships, as well as navigating her personal dating life in her 20’s.  I play the lead character Angela. She is a fierce office gossip in the finance department that everyone loves to hate. On one hand she feels deeply, loves hard, is loyal to her friends, stands up for people, is very hardworking and reliable, but on the other, she is harsh, two-faced, intimidating, sly, judgmental and manipulative. She listens to other people’s problems and twists them to her own gain. 

Would you say you were anything like your character? 

Both fortunately and unfortunately, I am not like Angela. I would rather just part ways with someone who has wronged me, instead of going to war with them. I also wouldn’t go through such extreme lengths to get and keep a man. I believe that people should just be themselves and see if they are compatible or not. However, I admire Angelas dedication to the goal. She isn’t a quitter and will do whatever it takes to achieve her goals. 

How did you prepare for the role? 

I prepared for the role by playing around with levels. I am quite calm when it comes to conflict resolution, and so I needed to start at 12, which reads as a 10 on screen. I observed women in my life with fiery personalities and drew from them what worked for Angela. 

How did you feel about the role? 

I enjoyed the challenge of this character. Physically, I can pinpoint where I feel my emotions in my body. I definitely felt a lot of emotions in my chest and upper belly when playing Angela. So, this was a new and interesting discovery for me. 

There were definitely points where I felt bad for my scene partner on the receiving end of Angela’s rage, but my scene partner/nemesis and I actually became good friends throughout this project. 

Can you share any fun facts from set?

There was a helicopter that kept flying above the location so shooting outside was definitely a challenge. Jaymes, our director, handled it well though. We surprisingly only ran like an hour behind schedule. 

Other than the helicopter delays, we had such a great time filming, the set was full of humor, and we kept things running on schedule.

Hair and makeup was definitely where the party was at. Myishia, our makeup artist, gave me tips and tricks on how to do the perfect nude lip combo.

Can you tell us 3 fun facts about you?

I love singing! Singing different genres feels the same as playing different characters. I don’t know how to explain it, but it’s fun and therapeutic. I’m not the best at dancing improvisationally. If I practice, I can get some choreography down, but I stick to two stepping whenever at social events and I like to cook!

Thank you, Katricia! How can people keep up with you online?

It’s best to check out my Katricia Kariuki – IMDb and Instagram