Fresno actor and filmmaker Khetphet “KP” Phagnasay has come a long way to make it onto small screens worldwide.

Back in 2016, KP was my acting coach over at the Clovis Veterans Memorial Building. A few years years later, he’s giving the world a master class with standout performances on some of streaming’s most popular series.

“I come from a long line of storytellers. From Laos, I saw performance art. I wanted to tell stories. It’s in my lineage from the old country,” said Phagnasay in an in-person interview with GV Wire. “The arts, painting, dancing, people working on their craft, I was captivated by that. It inspired me.”

He pursued the business at a time where — then and now — minorities have a hard time breaking into and rising in the industry.

“I understood the politics and limited roles. I never let that get to me. I kept true to my craft, I kept studying, I kept being patient,” he said. “You dictate where you want to go. You can either complain or keep going. I had just Plan A and there was no Plan B. That’s setting yourself up for failure. It’s a profession of perseverance.”

KP’s Big Credits

That attitude is propelling Phagnasay to a higher profile with supporting roles in “Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” and AMC’s “Interview with the Vampire.”

The 10-episode anthology on Dahmer premiered on Netflix in 2022 and became the streaming service’s second most-watched English-language series within 28 days, and the third Netflix series to pass 1 billion hours viewed in 60 days.

KP portrayed Southone Sinthasomphone, the father of one of Dahmer’s younger victims, Konerak Sinthasomphone. He acted alongside a stellar cast that included Evan Peters (as the title character), Richard Jenkins, Niecey Nash, and Molly Ringwald.

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Continued Success on Netflix and AMC

Afterward he was cast in another Netflix show, “The Brothers Sun” that premiered early this year, portraying Tong Tang. He acted alongside Michelle Yeoh, who was fresh off her Academy Award win for Best Actress for “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” becoming the first Asian to win the category, and the first Malaysian to win an Oscar.

Now you can see him on “Interview with the Vampire” portraying Quang Pham. The television series is an adaptation of the Anne Rice novel.

On the outside somebody can say that, at age 51, he’s hit his stride, or this is the most successful he’s been. But for Phagnasay, getting bigger roles on more prominent shows isn’t his gauge of success. The fact he gets to pursue a passion he’s had his whole life and do it for a living, compared to where life could’ve taken him, is the most rewarding feeling.

From Laos to Hollywood

Born in Laos on February 1, 1973, he escaped to the United States as a refugee with his family in the 1980s due to the Vietnam War conflict. They settled in the Central Valley where he played football and did drama at Clovis High School. He obtained his B.A. in Theatre Arts from Fresno State, and pursued further education in Asian Theatre, focusing on acting, at the University of Hawaii, Manoa.

“I’m part of the process. Hopefully I can help bring attention to the area. There are talents here. I like to promote the area as much as I can,” Phagnasay said. “It’s a great town, great people, and there is opportunity here.”

When he’s not acting, he runs KP1 Studios in Fresno where he teaches acting and filmmaking skills with a goal of cultivating the talent in the Valley.

Representation in Film

The University of Southern California’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative did a study of representation in film, and it suggests that in the last 16 years, the percentage of Asian characters with speaking roles onscreen skyrocketed from 3.4% to 15.9%. Even though their visibility has increased, the portrayals of Asian culture didn’t change much, often focusing on cliches and stereotypes. In addition, there were more supporting characters than lead roles.

Asian Americans make up roughly 7% of the U.S. population but are underrepresented at all levels in front of and behind the camera, according to UCLA’s latest Hollywood Diversity Report. On the acting side, they made up just 2.3% of leads and 6.5% of roles for movies released in theaters in 2022. Behind the cameras, Asian Americans made up 5.6% of directors and 4.5% of writers for movies released in theaters last year.

KP the Director

Phagnasay has done tremendous work in the director’s chair. He helmed the short film, “Impossible,” in 2018, a story about abuse and redemption through faith for the 168 Film Festival. It  collected nine festival award nominations, including Best Director. Disclosure: I had a cameo in the film and handled press to promote the movie locally.

Over the years, the Valley has struggled to receive the same recognition as Los Angeles and San Francisco when it comes to visibility for their film communities. Productions hardly ever decide to shoot here. We have great artists and storytellers that get overlooked. With someone like Phagnasay doing high profile projects and choosing to remain local, his presence assists in bringing more visibility to the area.

Recognition and Future Projects

The city of Fresno declared March 9, 2023 as “Khetphet ‘KP’ Phagnasay Day.” “Interview With The Vampire” got renewed for a third season. The crime comedy “Greedy People,” that he filmed with Joseph Gordon-Levitt was bought by Lionsgate and will be released on Aug. 22. He’s got other projects lined up.

“I’m a fun actor. I like to have fun. I enjoy every part of the process of filmmaking. If you don’t like it, then why are you doing it? I love it.”