“And one man in his time plays many parts, His acts being seven ages.” This is Lawrence’s favorite quote by Shakespeare that uses symbolism that we can be many different people and often change and morph into other things at different times in life.
“That speaks to me as an actor and as a human being, that there are always small transformations that take place and that we're constantly changing, and we should be acceptance of it, or just to flow forward.”
Breakout Star on Netflix TV Series and Film In the 2019 Netflix series “Wu Assassins,” Lawrence Kao stars as Tommy Wah’s character. The sequel to Wu Assassins is the Netflix Film FISTFUL OF VENGEANCE which debuted in February 2022. In this film, Super-powered assassin Kai and friends Lu Xin and Tommy (Kao) track a killer from San Francisco's Chinatown to Thailand to avenge the death of a loved one. But their hunt soon entangles them with old enemies, a mysterious billionaire and an ancient mystical force bent on taking over the world in this fast-and-furious martial arts action film.
From the series Wu Assassins to the film Fistful of Vengeance, Tommy is a character that is a drug addict in search of recovery as his parents look him over in favor of his younger sister Jenny Wah. Kao helps his character change his trajectory from addict to protagonist in honor of the retaliation for the death of his sister Jenny.
“We see Tommy make a huge transformation from the first season. From Wu Assassin to the movie pitfall vengeance. I think part of that is because he's dealing with an extreme loss. In the film, the audience understands that his sister gets murdered, and he's out here in Thailand with his brothers, Lucian and Kai, and they're just on a quest to seek vengeance.” One thing that Kao credits that he and his character Tommy share is the point, not seeking validation but the fulfillment of sharing yourself to the world and what you have to offer yourself. “I think that's a common theme in human nature for people to want to seek acceptance and to be respected, especially for me. In the entertainment industry, and my craft, it's always like a man; I want people to see how much work I put in into like, into these roles and like, you know, but over time, you come to realize that you find fulfillment within yourself and other people. I can be clumsy, not as hot-headed as Tommy.”
California Love
Lawrence, a southern California native, personifies his talents where it all began in Hacienda Heights. When he stepped onto high school grounds, his curiosity was drawn toward music, and then he discovered the drama club.
“I was in marching band for a bit, and I was in the jazz band. I liked playing the saxophone. I just always had a strong inclination towards the arts and writing in English just as a creative outlet and that kind of way. There were these auditions for some sketch productions in my high school. My friend was in drama club, and then he’s like, you know, try it; it’s fun.”
As teenagers, we try to blend into different communities, lifestyles, or activities. As a teenager, what became an enjoyable activity turned into a self-discovery moment for Lawrence.
“I started doing some improv. It felt so freeing to be on stage to be somebody else. At that time, I was trying to find my identity. Being in high school not knowing what your identity was but being able to make up one on stage was interesting to help me find out who I was. I was developing myself in that kind of experience; it pushed me to continue to be intrigued about acting as an art form.”
For attempted murder. Lawrence was forced to spend a week in jail and potentially faced the maximum sentence of life in prison. While going to class and participating in the drama club, Lawrence is assigned a lead role in Midsummer Night’s Dream. On the play’s opening night, Lawrence was arrested and forced to spend a week in jail for attempted murder on his 18th birthday. Because of an eyewitness who wrongfully placed him at the scene of the crime, Lawrence eventually was released just in time to be able to perform on the closing night of the play successfully.'
“At the time, it was just such a surreal experience. It's been so long already. Recounting it is just so interesting. At that time, I was thinking about what I would do when I came out. I was under the impression that I would be in there for a while. I was like, man, I don't know what I'm going to do, and it just made me think about what I wanted to do with my life. That's what got me through that week.” After his release, facing the uncertainty of his future and with time to reflect on what truly mattered to him, Lawrence knew that he would fully pursue his love for acting once he made it out of that situation. He realized that his future was essential to him, and that life could turn into a twist in a blink of an eye. “Being able to finally perform afterward, realizing that time was such a blessing in disguise because now it’s like divine intervention.”
I Feel Like Dancing
After graduating high school, Lawrence enrolled at the University of California Irvine to complete his theater and performing arts degree. Another art form grabbed his attention while on campus when he saw a dance group, Kaba Modern.
“I've always been fascinated by dancing. Once I got into the University of California Irvine, I saw the number of dance teams throughout the campus. I was like, man, there's this other world, this other art form like with a bunch of people on stage doing the same choreography, and it just fascinated me; I was like, I want to do that, so I started taking classes.”
Joining Kaba Modern kept his creative juices flowing and helped him develop kinesthetically in terms of storytelling with movement. Time to Grind.
After graduating from college in 2008, Lawrence put his work to the forefront as a dancer by booking gigs worldwide and competing on MTV’s “America’s Best Dance Crew” with his dance group Kaba Modern and later joined another dance group Kinjaz “Brotherhood of Ninjas.”
“On the first season, I was on the show with Kaba Modern, and two of the guys that I danced with, Tony Tran and Mike Shaw, are in Kinjaz. Kinjaz began as a group of guys (about 30 people) from different dance teams. We had met along the way, and then we got together, and we were like, let us dance for fun. There were many community shows that were happening around that time; we started doing shows. Eventually, there was the opportunity to go on America's Best Dance Crew.” Lawrence did not compete with the Kinjaz crew on ABDC, but there were still opportunities with the team with engagements; they’re all still friends and family even as they continue their projects.
“I was not on the show with Kinjaz, but I was repping them hard because I tried to get my foot into the door with acting. But Kinjaz, as a group, we keep our feet into many business ventures under the umbrella, so there’s a lot of things going on. There are still performances here and there. It's been a while since I've performed with them; hopefully, down the line, if time permits, we can all jump on the stage together again.”
After ABDC, Lawrence shifted his priorities toward his original love and passion for acting. He began auditioning for television and film roles, including recurring roles and appearances in CW's "The Originals," AMC's "The Walking Dead," IMDBTV's "Leverage Redemption," USA's. "The Purge," SILVER LAKE, and MAX STEEL, to name a few.
Enjoying Life Off-Camera
Like any other person, hobbies benefit us by keeping us aware of life beyond work. Lawrence enjoys exercising, reading, photography, and meditation when not working.
“It's easy to think about things that have happened in the past or have nervous energy surrounding life; I like taking the time to rest and adjust accordingly. I like taking pictures; it’s more to capture specific moments. I'm still a student in that department. I like reading a lot. Running has always been so huge in my life. I feel like it's such a therapeutic activity that I started when I was in middle school; it’s sort of like a meditation for me. I also like meditating too. I think that is the best way for me to be present at the moment. This has helped me navigate my life as an artist and my life as Lawrence Kao.”
What’s next for Lawrence
Recently Lawrence has been cast in the new spinoff series Walker: Independence, where he states this series will be making it more of a classic Old Western tale.
“I'm working on a pilot, and we are crossing our fingers that it gets picked up. We will do the best that we can; we will be shooting in New Mexico. I'm super excited about it.”
With all the outrageous hate crimes in the Asian American community, Lawrence wants to make it essential to be a vessel for other people from his ethnic background to be seen and heard on screen and for different cultures to be able to empathize with them. “My goal is to represent my community in a powerful viewpoint on a show like this. I also want to bring more empathy toward the people of my culture to the forefront while giving a peek back in time on how Chinese people were in the 1800s in America.”
Creative Credits
- Written by
- Marshelle R. Sanders
- Photography
- Meagan Shuptar
- Retouching
- Brianna Kish
- Styling
- Irena Iverson
- Hair & Makeup
- Jean Ramos
- Fashion direction
- Katie Schuppler
