Coco Kariuki is an actress born in Kenya and now living in Los Angeles. She graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Art in Acting from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. Coco, a childhood nickname for Katricia, is trained in stage combat; armed and unarmed, acting for film and television, as well as stage performance.

In an exclusive interview, we sat down with Coco to talk about her project ‘School Girl Figure’ and mingling with the stars of Hollywood.  

Welcome Coco! Tell us about the project ‘School Girl Figure.’

Hi guys! The story follows a group of high school seniors. They’re definitely what you would call the popular mean girls. They are extremely competitive when it comes to looks and make a pact that none of them are allowed to lose weight through plastic surgery or augment their faces and bodies in any way because that would be considered cheating.

These girls are very superficial, suffer with eating disorders and definitely have some mental health issues. It sounds trivial, but they definitely took this challenge seriously. This whole project highlights the issues of body dysmorphia a lot of young people are faced with these days. 

What character do you play?

I play Genine. A sweet but sassy girl who would do anything to win the competition. She actually goes under the knife in order to lose some weight and sparks rumors and conflicts among the group by doing so. 

Do you think you are like your character, or did you have to dig deep for this role?

I definitely had to leave my comfort zone! I am nothing like Genine. It was actually a difficult role to play, as I had to glamorize self-hate and body dysmorphia. I pitied her a lot, she was very intelligent but was focused on all the wrong things. The one thing I did enjoyed was playing with the ‘popular/mean girl' trope.  

With that came preparation. How did you prepare for the role? 

Yes. I prepared for the role by researching symptoms and mannerisms of people with eating disorders and fully worked on wrapping my mind around the issue, not judging my character, but finding ways to advocate for and justify her and her actions. 

Can you share any fun facts from production?

We had an extensive wardrobe to choose from and I discovered my love for coats and hair clips through these projects. I’d say the one thing my character and I had in common was definitely a love for fashion. 

We shot really early in the morning a lot and so I was definitely over caffeinated at 6 in the morning. 

We had a playlist we would listen to in the makeup room to get into that preppy, spoiled highschooler headspace and I thought it was the funniest thing ever. 

How are you enjoying living in Los Angeles?

I love it! I am busy auditioning for major TV and film roles and meeting some wonderful people in the entertainment industry. Recently I attended The Pump Group 2024 VIP Summer Soirée in the Gardens at The Beverly Hilton Hotel. I was invited to the event by a friend who works with CBS, Herb Bohanon. It was a lovely evening, where I met Cedrick the Entertainer, as well as sit down with comedian Russel Peters and discuss all things entertainment and being a foreigner in the entertainment space. It was an evening full of networking and very insightful conversation with industry veterans!

I also met Eric Rhone, a producer at CBS studios, currently working on the show The Neighborhood, starring Cedrick the Entertainer, Max Greenfield, Tichina Arnold among other amazing actors. The show is a comedy centered around a young couple who accidentally had a child and now are raising him together. 

Having gotten along well, Eric invited me to the set, and I watched their live rehearsal at CBS, which was such an honor.   

Wow that sounds fun! What have you got coming up next?

I am working on a few new projects with my management team and agent. We are excited for filming this Fall. Stay tuned for those details!

How can we follow your acting career?

You can follow my news and updates at Katricia Kariuki - IMDb and Instagram