At first glance, "Ratatouille the Musical," "Mean Girls" and "Emily in Paris" do not have anything in common. But after a closer look, all those productions include performances by Ashley Park, a star on Broadway and television.
Opening in 2017, Park played Gretchen Wieners in the original Broadway production of "Mean Girls." Based on the well-known movie, the play centers on Cady Heron, a new student at an Illinois high school, who finds herself involved with three of the most popular girls in school, The Plastics. Through comedic twists and turns, Heron exposes high school cliques and the dark side of shallow friendships and petty drama. Just recently, Park had a cameo in the 2024 film adaptation of the play as the high school French teacher.
The 32-year-old actress told Billboard she resonated with her character, Gretchen Wieners, who has a bright pink exterior and fragile interior. She said, "When I got the song 'What's Wrong with Me?' I connected with her so deeply. As we developed the show, it truly did feel like the role evolved …Tina (Fey) is so amazing in finding the honesty in a person and really writing for them."
Ashley was born in California but grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan. When Park was 15, she was diagnosed with leukemia, and it was then she decided to become a professional actor and singer. She said she didn't want to be "identified as just the sick girl," and wanted to temporarily escape her life by acting out characters.
Park attended the University of Michigan, which is one of the best musical theater schools in the U.S. During college, she met her best friends, Erika Henningsen and Taylor Louderman, who became her costars in "Mean Girls" on Broadway.
Park started her career with music videos and short films, and in 2014, she appeared in her first television episode on "My Dirty Little Secret." The same year, she performed as an ensemble member in "Mamma Mia!" on Broadway. In 2015, she played Tuptim in "The King and I," and was nominated for a Grammy Award on the original record.
"Ratatouille" was never intended to be adapted as a musical, but when TikTok users put their heads together, anything can be accomplished. In support of the Entertainment Community Fund during the COVID-19 pandemic, Park and other Broadway stars performed a virtual musical about the beloved Pixar movie in August 2020. Park played Colette Tatou, the female chef who ends up helping Alfredo Linguini on his journey to becoming a chef.
In 2021, Park landed a recurring role on the sitcom "Girls5eva" and has since appeared in 10 episodes. The show follows a '90s one-hit wonder band that gets a second shot after a young rapper samples their song. The cast is stacked with former Broadway performers like Renée Elise Goldsberry of "Hamilton," Sara Bareilles of "Waitress: The Musical" and Daniel Breaker of "Shrek the Musical."
The cast of "Girls5eva" is extremely talented, and Park is paving her way in the industry by working on projects like that.
In July 2023, Park starred in "Joy Ride," an R-rated comedy about four Asian American best friends journeying through China as one searches for her birth mother. The film received incredible reviews, including a 90% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Marisa Mirabal of IndieWire said, "'Joy Ride' is a prime example of how important representation is on screen and proves that Asian American comedians can be just as funny, raunchy and successful as their white male counterparts."
Park has spoken multiple times about being an Asian American actress. She told E! News she often felt she needed to hide certain parts of her identity to protect herself, avoid embarrassment and land roles in the film industry. Now, she is at a point in her career where she can be proud of her heritage. She connected with her character Audrey in "Joy Ride" because they deal with the same struggles of assimilating into white-dominated environments. Park has been active on social media about prejudices in the workforce.
Park currently stars in the Netflix show "Emily in Paris" as Mindy Chen, the main character's best friend. The show opened in 2020 and has been confirmed for another season in 2024.
In December 2023, Park was hospitalized for critical septic shock. In early February, she was medically cleared to return to filming season four of "Emily in Paris." She has promised her fans that she will be taking care of herself as she recovers.
Park is a talented artist on and off the Broadway stage. Her singing ability alone proves she deserves all the accolades she has earned so far and hopefully will continue to gain.
