Many people know the insanity that is traveling for the holidays, especially at airports where crowds seem endless. Anxiety is through the roof that you may miss your flight despite showing up two hours before your flight. All of that dread, and much more, is brilliantly captured in Netflix’s latest hit, the action-packed Carry-On, starring Taron Egerton, Jason Bateman, Sofia Carson and Danielle Deadwyler. Among the supporting cast Edwin Kho who sat down with us to talk about his experience with the film, the tight-knit bond the film’s TSA cast formed, and looks back at his career, advising young actors to prioritize readiness over representation.
The Early Years
Born and raised in California, Edwin Kho grew up a theatre kid and multi-instrumentalist, playing the cello and clarinet. Classmate and fellow actor Kara Wang (Good Trouble, Top Gun: Maverick) was set to pursue an acting career after high school, something that Kho never considered to be an option for him. “Maybe I should give this a shot,” he thought, living only an hour from Los Angeles.
He recalled seeing a special edition of Disney Channel’s hit High School Musical that revealed casting was looking for an actor who could play the cello but were unsuccessful. “That could have been that person!” Kho laughed. “I got an agent and one of my first auditions was for season four of Heroes and they were looking for a cellist, and it was with the same casting director of High School Musical, Jason LaPadura and Natalie Hart. I got a callback, booked it Monday, had a fitting Tuesday and shot it on Wednesday.” The same team would go on to cast Kho in a recurring role on the CBS medical drama Code Black
After attending UC Berkeley as a music major, Kho felt it wasn’t where he wanted to be. “I really wanted to be in LA acting, so I took a leave of absence after one semester.” He convinced his parents to let him try out acting for a few years before returning to school, soon appearing on Scandal, feature films Crush and Cupid’s Arrow, and Code Black. He continued his acting training at renowned studios like Anthony Meindl’s Actor Workshop, John Rosenfeld Studios, and Beverly Hills Playhouse. Kho returned to Berkeley to earn his B.A. in Theater, Dance & Performance Studies in 2016.
Working on Carry-On
Fast forwarding to Carry-On, which reportedly amassed nearly 100 million views within its first 10 days of streaming, Kho looked back at his experience filming. Rounding out the cast of Carry-On was an ensemble of TSA agents including Kho, Gil Perez Abraham (The Batman), Dean Norris (Breaking Bad), Sinqua Wallis (Power), Reisha Reynolds (I’m a Virgo), and Joe Williamson (Black Bird). “We had a whole week-long prep with the TSA group,” he explained. “The shoot was about 9 weeks total, with a break for the holidays in between; we were there from the beginning til the very end. We filmed in New Orleans so I didn’t really know anyone there, so when we weren’t too tired we’d spend time together off-set. We all became super close.”
Kho also shared that he had a meeting after our interview with one of his castmates regarding an upcoming project. Stay tuned on that!
Looking back at his time on set, Kho shared he learned not to be afraid and to trust himself and his instincts. “I was nervous working with so many people who’ve been in this business for so long, I was nervous, thinking ‘can I keep up?’” Carry-On director Jaume Collet-Serra encouraged Kho and his co-stars to watch playback after a few takes to watch their own performances. “You’re pretending to do these things, you have to actually do them,” he advised. “You look nervous, you have to be present and be there in the moment.”
Advice For Young Actors
Kho reflected on the importance of training before trying to book work, sharing, “I got my first agent and started taking acting classes all at the same time. I was auditioning for shows and movies when I wasn’t really prepared,” he explained. “Young actors want to jump in and be seen by these big casting directors, but if you’re not ready, they’re not going to see you again.” Incredibly sound advice for young actors who are prioritizing the wrong things before they’re even ready to get the ball rolling on their careers.
Kho has several projects due to come out in 2025 that we’ll get him on the Actors With Issues podcast to discuss. Stay tuned!
You can see Edwin Kho in Carry-On, now streaming on Netflix and follow him on Instagram at @EdwinKho
