Katricia Kariuki, the Kenyan-born actress is back on the big screen with her next film project “Nyumbani”. The actress, who having graduated from the American College of the Performing Arts with a BFA in Acting, has been living in Los Angeles and was invited to join the cast without any audition. A testament to her extraordinary ability as one of Kenya’s biggest emerging stars.
The feature film “Nyumbani”, which means “at home” in Swahili, follows two young African culinary chefs as they start out their careers and work on opening up a restaurant together. They have lived in the US for a while but miss Kenyan delicacies and want to showcase East African food to the American market. The film sees the ups and downs of young entrepreneurship and the toll it takes on their friendship as they find their feet after graduation.
“The writer and director Alana Muchemi reached out to my team and wrote a lovely letter detailing how she saw me online and was hoping to have me play the lead character Wachera, a few months ago,” stated Kariuki. “She stressed her passion for bringing African stories to America and portraying our culture in a modern and truthful way. I’m happy that I get to play a part in bringing her vision to life. It was a pretty smooth transition getting onboard. I loved the script, and my team wrapped up negotiations promptly!”
Katricia, who is known in the entertainment industry by her family nickname “Coco” plays the lead protagonist, Wachera, which in Swahili means “the one who travels”.
“Wachera is a young Kenyan culinary graduate, trying to figure out her professional career. We see her wrestling with self-doubt and pressure from her parents who expect a lot from her. She embarks on opening up her own restaurant but encounters turbulence as tensions build between her and her business partner,” explained Kariuki. “I am definitely similar to my character, which is what really spoke to me about this role. Wachera is very independent but struggles with the difficulty of living so far away from home. It can be very lonely at times and overwhelming. I’ve definitely experienced that struggle in the past, but like Wachera, I love what I do and am fully committed to sacrificing whatever is needed for me to achieve my creative goals.”
Pre-production for the movie “Nyumbani” has begun in Los Angeles, with filming dates set for later this month.
You can stay up to date with Coco and the new movie by visiting her Katricia Kariuki – IMDb and Instagram.
