The world of Emily in Paris may mostly center on Lily Collins (she plays the titular character, after all). From time to time, however, Ashley Park, undeniably, steals the spotlight on this Netflix show.
In the series, Park plays Mindy, the first person who genuinely wants to be friends with Emily in the story. As the show progressed, the two do become the closest of friends. And while Mindy helps Emily adjust to life in Paris, she encourages Mindy to pursue a singing career.
In fact, as the show progressed, fans also got to see more of Mindy. More importantly, they also got to see her perform more often, including that time when she performed a cover of the hit BTS song Dynamite.
With her acting and singing talent, people can’t help but wonder what Park’s exposure to the business was prior to getting cast on the show. And as it turns out, the actress is far from being a rookie.
Prior To Doing Any Onscreen Work, Ashley Park Was A Broadway Star
Long before she took her talents to the screen, Park was a constant performer onstage. In fact, she made her Broadway debut way back in 2014 when she served as an understudy for the production of Mamma Mia.
Shortly after, Park also joined the cast of The King and I and Sunday in the Park with George, where she was cast to play four distinct roles.
And although she wasn’t the most experienced theater actress around yet, Park’s talent certainly showed through, so much so that she ended up getting cast as Gretchen Wieners in Tina Fey’s Broadway adaptation of Mean Girls. And as it turns out, Park got the part after standing in front of Fey for less than 10 minutes.
“So I [flew to New York and] went in that morning, it was like a seven minute long audition. I sang the song, I did some of the scenes, I talked with them a little bit, and then I left,” Park told The Interval.
“Then a few hours later I got the call from my agent that I had gotten it, and I was just so surprised it didn’t even sink in.” The actress later earned a Tony nomination for her performance.
Ashley Park Also Starred In A Couple Of Shows Before ‘Emily In Paris’
Even before she booked a part in Emily in Paris, Park had already been busy with some television work in the last few years. First, she joined the cast of the comedy Nightcap. Park worked on the show while also doing Sunday in the Park with George with Jake Gyllenhaal on Broadway.
As expected, juggling both projects was tricky but the actress wouldn’t have it any other way. "With Broadway, it's eight shows a week, so it takes a lot out of you doing double duty I was lucky enough to be able to do both jobs at the same time,” Park told M Live.
“The TV schedule was early morning into the evening, Monday through Friday, though, so I didn't really have a day off."
Just a couple of years later, Park also got cast in the Netflix series Tales of the City with Laura Linney, Olympia Dukakis, and Elliot Page.
It is essentially a reboot based on the Tales of the City that was released in 1994, which sees Linney and Dukakis reprise their roles as Mary Ann Singleton and Anna Madrigal, respectively.
“It's just a magical group of people. It takes place twenty years later. There's a whole new slew of characters living in Barbary Lane,” Park told Broadway.com. “I won't forget the first table read of it.”
Even While Working On ‘Emily In Paris’ Ashley Park Gamely Reunited With Tina Fey
Park may have been quite busy with Emily in Paris lately, but that doesn’t mean she’s not open to other projects. Especially not when it involves Fey. This time, it’s for the Emmy-nominated series Girls5eva.
“The fact that I got to be in a ’90s girl group, who didn’t dream of that?” Park told British Vogue of the show. “I was just really happy to be back in the Tina Fey world and getting to do something that was, again, intended to bring joy and humor to people when we are all still amid the pandemic.”
Recently, it was announced that Netflix has renewed Emily in Paris for two more seasons so fans will certainly be seeing more of Park as Mindy. As expected, however, the actress also has other projects on the horizon.
For starters, Park is starring in a comedy directed by Crazy Rich Asians writer Adele Lim and produced by Seth Rogen. Currently untitled, this film also represents an important milestone for the actress.
“It’s a very hard comedy with a lot of heart, but it was the first time I was the number one on a call sheet,” she revealed. “Even in Broadway, I haven’t been ‘the lead.’”
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