K. MERCEDES

Originally from the Twin Cities, K. Mercedes found her way into acting by idolizing sci-fi and action movies from a young age. Seeing strong female characters, especially women of color, in Star Trek and other sci-fi movies inspired her pursue acting professionally. As the daughter of a mixed race couple in Minnesota, growing up she often felt “other.” Watching movies and pretending she was in them was her way of finding her voice in this world.

After working in musical theater and Shakespeare productions in Minneapolis and New York, she moved to Los Angeles to attend California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) for four years, where she was classically trained by some of the world’s best teachers, including Mirjana Jokovic, Lars Jan, Daniel Passer, and Marissa Chibas.

Passionate about comic books, science-fiction, and all things “nerd,” Mercedes studied sign language after reading an issue of Marvel Comic’s Hawkeye that was “written” in all American Sign Language, and can answer any comic-book trivia thrown at her.