XO, Kitty’s Gia Kim on Identity, Confidence & Representation

About this episode

Gia Kim discusses her role in XO, Kitty and shares her personal journey of identity and representation.

On this episode of Reppin, we talk with Gia Kim from Netflix’s hit teen series XO, Kitty about her role as Yuri Han, LGBTQ+ representation, and turning life challenges into confidence and personal power. Gia opens up about playing Yuri, the confident “queen bee” at an international school in Seoul, navigating friendship, love, identity, and being one of the few openly gay characters at the center of a global teen drama. She also shares her own journey across Seoul, Hong Kong, New York, and Beijing, facing imposter syndrome and painful challenges—and in this conversation, she reveals a deeply personal experience she’s never talked about before and how she transformed it into resilience, personal power, and growth. This conversation goes beyond acting. It’s about representation, multicultural identity, and the real-life experiences that shape who we are. And it’s a story about storytelling—how a character or show can inspire, give voice, and even change a life. Why Listen: See how Gia channels her life into Yuri Han, making the character authentic and relatable. Hear a raw conversation about self-doubt, growth, and confidence. Understand why Netflix teen hits like XO, Kitty matter…

People in this episode

Host: Evelien Kong

Guest: Gia Kim

Topics covered

• identity
• confidence
• representation
• LGBTQ+
• multicultural experiences
• personal growth

Keywords

• XO, Kitty
• Gia Kim
• LGBTQ+ representation
• confidence
• personal power
• imposter syndrome
• storytelling

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Netflix

Books & works: XO, Kitty

Places: Seoul, Hong Kong, New York, Beijing

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