Netflix's Find Me Falling has viewers looking up Ali Fumiko Whitney's bio, as they hope to find out new facts about her.
Starring musician/actor Harry Connick Jr., Find Me Falling highlights a rock star whose latest record release tanks, leading him to move to a remote house in the Middle Eastern country Cypress.
The film also features 28-year-old Ali Fumiko Whitney (born October 10, 1995) in her first leading role in a feature-length film, putting the 5'3" UCLA graduate (currently living in New York) into a new kind of spotlight.
Meet Ali Fumiko Whitney - Biography Details
Ali Is Passionate About Musical Theater
Along with her acting career, Ali spent years on stage performing in musical theater, fostering a love and passion for the art.
According to her resume, she played roles in multiple musicals in her formative years, including Marilyn!, In the Heights, A Little Night Music, and The Lyric Project.
Speaking with Medium, she also shared more insight into her passion for musical theater. She revealed that she volunteers at the Harlem Village Academies charter school in New York City (NYC), wanting to incorporate music and performing arts into the curriculum.
She even joined the school's young leadership program after moving to the city and participates in the literacy buddy program at least once a month.
Whitney's mother (Elizabeth Reiko Kubota) worked as an actress and got her into the arts early by "taking the family to see Broadway shows," leading her to start her successful acting career:
"My mom, Elizabeth Reiko Kubota (Whitney), was an actress and introduced me to the arts at a young age by taking the family to see Broadway shows. When I was 17, I had the opportunity to play the leading role of Adelaide in my high school’s production of 'Guys and Dolls.' Being in that show gave me the confidence to audition for my dream school, UCLA, and the rest is history!"
Broadway is one of her biggest goals (per New Scene Magazine), wanting to "[make] it to the big stage in NYC," which also comes alongside hopes to be in action movies and use her sports background:
"I would like to be on Broadway at some point during my career. Musical Theater is what made me fall in love with the arts and I have always dreamed of making it to the big stage in NYC! Aside from that, I would love to star in an action TV series or Film. It would be cool to incorporate my sports background with acting in this way."
Ali Pushes for Diversity in Hollywood Casting
Largely due to her background (Japanese/English/Scottish), Whitney feels a responsibility to push for diversity across the film industry, specifically for Asian American stories to be told.
In her chat with Medium, she shared her three biggest reasons why this diversity is important in movies and TV.
Firstly, she argues that fans should see things on screen that "reflect what we see in real life," wanting kids from "all different walks of life" to feel seen:
"What we see on screen should reflect what we see in real life. Kids from all different walks of life should see themselves represented. It is important that they feel seen, so they grow up knowing they are not alone in the world."
She believes having this kind of diversity will "help to broaden viewers' minds" and teach kids that it does not matter what the leading character looks like:
"Having more diverse leading roles that are not projecting gender or ethnicity stereotypes will only help to broaden viewers' minds. It also teaches younger kids that anyone can be the main character, no matter what they look like or how they identify."
She also emphasizes having "ethnically diverse actresses" portraying strong female characters, wanting to give young girls imagery she did not have growing up:
"Having strong female characters played by ethnically diverse actresses. Empowering young girls is important to me because I remember growing up wishing I saw more actors like me on television playing those roles."
Ali Wants To Work With Zendaya
The biggest name on Whitney's list of actors she wants to work with is Emmy-winner Zendaya, best known for her work as the MCU's Michelle Jones and Euphoria's Rue Bennett.
When asked who she wants to work with by New Scene Magazine, she openly admitted to "girl-crushing on Zendaya" also noting the actress' "transition into producing" and wanting to emulate that same path:
"This is a hard question because there are truly so many!! I have been girl-crushing on Zendaya for forever, so she is probably number one on my list. She seems like the most down-to-earth and genuine person to work with. Her transition into producing is something I aspire to do as well one day so I would love to work with her and learn from her experiences."
Ali Has Multiple Dream Roles
Whitney revealed that she has several dream roles she wants to play, including a desire to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Speaking with Jejune Magazine and about her ambition to be in action movies, she confirmed she is "a huge fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe" and wants to "take on a badass action role" in that franchise:
"I would love to work on an action film in the future! I have always been a huge fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so putting it out there into the Universe that I would love to take on a badass action role in that world!"
Per Naluda Magazine, her other goal is to play somebody with the same background as her, tying back to her quote about representation.
Specifically, she mentioned her grandparents and wanting to tell the story about how they "met in the internment camps during World War II (WWII):"
"My dream is to play a character who has the same ethnic background as me. My Grandparents, Florence and Tsugio Kubota, met in the internment camps during WWII. I would love to tell their story one day and bring more Japanese American stories to stages/screens."
How To Follow Ali Online
Fans who want to follow Ali Fumiko Whitney online can do so on Instagram (@alifumikowhitney) and TikTok (@awhitty1010).
Find Me Falling is now streaming on Netflix.
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