Irene

About the Job

Irene Kim is KOREAN-AMERICAN and in her 50's to 70's. She is a familiar and powerful presence in the Venice Beach community. Originally from South Korea, she migrated to the United States decades ago with little more than ambition and survival instinct, eventually building a small café that has become both her livelihood and her sanctuary. Irene maintains calm authority and deep emotional intelligence: warm but never sentimental, practical, sharp, and quietly funny, tough in a way that comes from lived experience. Physically, she can be any shape or size but must be 50's to 70's. There is a wisdom about her. As a surrogate mother figure, Irene offers steadiness, guidance, and belonging, and motherly nurturing. Must be a very strong dramatic actress. Ideally, this actress is fluent in both Korean and English and could switch back and forth, perhaps with an accent.