Ashley Park

Ashley Jini Park (born June 6, 1991) is an American actress and musician.

She is best known for her portrayal of Mindy Chen on the Netflix comedy series Emily in Paris. She originated the role of Gretchen Wieners in the Broadway musical Mean Girls, for which she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical.

She also attended Interlochen Summer Arts Camp in 2003.

Park attended Pioneer High School where she participated in both theatre and choir.

She also co-founded a women's a cappella group at Pioneer High School, Soulfege, which placed second at a national competition in 2009.

During her sophomore year in high school, at age 15, Park was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia and was hospitalized for eight months.

Park was a recipient of a "wish" from the Make-A-Wish Foundation for which she and her family went to New York City and saw the Broadway productions of A Chorus Line, The Lion King, Spring Awakening, and Wicked.

In interviews she has stated, "My cancer experience is, I think, the reason I do theater...As soon as I was out of the hospital, all I wanted to do is be around people."

After chemotherapy, Park returned to high school, and three months later, she was cast as the lead role of Millie Dillmount in her high school's production of Thoroughly Modern Millie.

Park has disclosed that during this time, "putting on a wig and putting on shoes and costume and being a different person was the best escape from being just the girl who had cancer".

She graduated from Pioneer High School in 2009 and then attended the University of Michigan, earning a BFA in musical theatre from the School of Music, Theater, and Dance in 2013.

During her undergraduate years, she co-founded the Michigan Performance Outreach Workshop (MPOW).

In 2009, Park made her professional theatre debut as Yvonne in Music Theatre Wichita's production of Miss Saigon.

She spent the following two summers performing in Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera's Benedum Center production of Miss Saigon, with which she earned her Equity card.

Park made her Broadway debut as a member of the ensemble in Mamma Mia! at the Broadhurst Theatre on February 17, 2014.

She left the production on September 21, 2014.

From October 2014 to January 2015, Park portrayed Gabrielle in the original U.S. national touring company of Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella.

Her theatre roles also include Tuptim in the 2015 Broadway revival of The King and I and MwE in Ars Nova's off-Broadway musical KPOP.

She also stars in Adele Lim's directorial debut, Joy Ride, and has had recurring roles in Beef and Only Murders in the Building.

Park was born in Glendale, California, and grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

She is of Korean descent, and is a second cousin of actor Justin H. Min.

Park was placed in dance classes at the Oceanside Dance Academy at age three and began piano lessons at age five.

Park's love of performing led her to participate in Ann Arbor's community kids' theatre throughout middle school and high school.

Park then returned to Broadway on April 16, 2015, in her first leading role as Tuptim in the 2015 revival of The King and I at the Vivian Beaumont Theater and remained with the production until its closing on June 26, 2016.

Park was featured as a principal soloist on the cast recording for which she was nominated for a Grammy Award.

In February 2017, she appeared in the Broadway revival of Sunday in the Park with George as Celeste #1 and Theresa alongside Jake Gyllenhaal, Annaleigh Ashford, and Ruthie Ann Miles.

In the fall of 2017, Park portrayed MwE in the off-Broadway musical KPOP at the Ars Nova.

She was nominated for a Drama Desk Award and a Drama League Award and also won a Lucille Lortel Award for this role.

Park left the production in October 2017 due to her beginning rehearsals for the Mean Girls out-of-town tryout and was replaced by Marina Kondo.

Park starred as Gretchen Wieners in the Tony Award-nominated Broadway musical Mean Girls, written by Tina Fey with music and lyrics by Jeff Richmond and Nell Benjamin, respectively.

The show had its world premiere as an out-of-town tryout at the National Theatre in Washington, D.C., from October 31, 2017, to December 3, 2017, in which Park originated the role of Gretchen Wieners.

The musical, which is based on the film of the same name, began previews on March 12, 2018, and officially opened on Broadway on April 8, 2018, at the August Wilson Theatre in New York City.

Park received nominations for numerous awards for her role as Gretchen Wieners, including nominations for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical, a Drama League Award, and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical.

In May 2018 Park was awarded the Clarence Derwent Award, an honor "given to the most promising female and male performers" in New York City, by the Actors' Equity Foundation, along with Sean Carvajal.

On March 10, 2019, Park left the production and was replaced by Krystina Alabado.

In June 2019, it was announced that Park would headline a "revamped" production of Thoroughly Modern Millie from May 6–10, 2020, for New York City Center Encores!.

However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the production was cancelled, and ticket refunds were offered to the public.

Park was cast in August 2019 in the role of Mindy Chen in Netflix's Emily in Paris, opposite Lily Collins.

The series premiered on October 2, 2020, and was renewed for a second season on November 11, 2020.

Park's character covered "La Vie en Rose" in the first season of Emily in Paris.