Katricia Kariuki, known as Coco, is an actress who originates from Kenya. Since graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Art in Acting from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, Coco has been in multiple feature films and has now embarked in writing and producing her own projects.
In an exclusive interview, we sat down with Coco to talk about her film “Life After College”.
Welcome Coco! Tell us about life in Los Angeles so far.
Life’s good! I can’t complain. I’ve been busy with auditions and filming, which is such a blessing. I have a movie shooting in November and have just wrapped filming the first two scenes for my personal project, life after college.
You have been very busy with different Hollywood studio projects, but tell us about your own “Life After College” what’s it about?
The show is about college students trying to navigate their personal and new professional careers, while still being financially unstable. It navigates their love lives, while also speaking to the truth of what it takes to build strong friendships in your 20’s. The girls grow together and learn to love, respect and take care of one another.
How did you begin writing the project?
I thought about what it is that I would like to see in television that I haven’t been able to just yet. I also wanted to portray young women in their 20’s in a realistic, diverse and truthful way.
Tell us about the characters in the movie.
The story centers around three girls in their early 20’s, Jess, Miah and Kiki. Jess, played by Nina Ortega, is an associate at a law firm. She is the ambition’s one out of the three girls; she works hard and has always had a plan.
Miah, played by Adya Kumar, is a wild card. She constantly throws caution to the wind and goes wherever the wind blows her. She is temperamental but is also the one who reminds the girls to live a little and enjoy their journey into adulthood. They in exchange, keep her grounded and out of jail.
Kiki, played by me, is the glue that holds the girls together. She meets both of them in the middle. Kiki grew up pretty privileged, and now finds herself cut off and estranged from her parents. She takes refuge in this friendship and is starting out on a journey of self-discovery, independence and learning how to fend for herself.
As the writer and producer of the film, what have been some of the challenges?
The biggest challenges I’ve faced so far are scheduling issues, because of working acting jobs, the production process has been slower than I anticipated.
Do you plan to take the film on the film festival circuit?
I do! I plan on submitting it to festivals in 2025.
What do you hope audiences will take away from the film?
I hope that young women in the audience will see the importance of making good decisions when it comes to friendships. I hope that through humor, I can encourage young women to build stronger communities and build one another up more.
What’s coming up next for you?
I will be filming a film titled ‘Nyumbani’ or ‘Home’ in English.
We are excited to see it. What’s the best way to follow you online?
Thank you! Please check out my Katricia Kariuki – IMDb and Instagram