Kaori Oinuma Goes From Pinoy Big Brother To Playing a Little Sister

Mixed Asian Media - October 24, 2023

By Kirie Ventura

As Kaori Oinuma’s first on-screen appearance with an American audience, A Very Good Girl made its international debut in the United States on October 6, 2023. That’s probably no coincidence since October is recognized as Filipino American History Month in the U.S. After learning about the film’s North American release, many individuals of Filipino heritage made strides to support it. And Filipino-identifying actors are increasingly being represented in Hollywood — from stars like Manny Jacinto (The Good Place) to Nico Santos (Crazy Rich Asians) and Dolly de Leon (The Triangle of Sadness), with whom Kaori co-stars in A Very Good Girl.

The film has a juicy plot: Mercy, a virtual assistant, is seeking sweet revenge against a notorious and fashionable vogue businesswoman named Mother Molly after being fired years prior. Holding sensitive knowledge about Mother Molly’s inner circle and a very personal crime she committed, Mercy takes on a new identity, Philo, to infiltrate and attempt to destroy Molly from the inside out. In carrying out her vengeance, Mercy starts to unravel more about Molly’s psyche.

Kaori plays Rigel, Mercy’s younger half-sister. She’s first introduced in a scene happily eating an appetizing chicken dish in traditional Filipino style, scooping each tasty morsel with her hands. As Kaori talks about this moment in the film, she touches on these mannerisms between Japan and the Philippines. “It is Filipino culture to eat with your hands,” she tells me. “I didn't do that when I was in Japan, but I do when I'm home. I don't do that in public! But it’s so fun to eat with your bare hands.” Kaori also mentioned that she felt like she could relate to Rigel in the sense that she also had half-siblings, and felt that kinship to the character.

Acting was not a career that Kaori expected to pursue. Before formally diving into acting, she grazed the surface of what it means to be on television by participating in Pinoy Big Brother (PBB). Having grown up between the Philippines and Japan most of her life, she found that this opportunity would be one of the biggest pivots that could take her back to one of the places she has called home. “One main reason why I joined PBB was to go back to the Philippines. At first, I didn't have the mindset that I wanted to pursue an acting career,” Kaori recalls. “But then after PBB, they gave me an opportunity on a project. That's when I had this feeling for acting like, oh my gosh, I want to do this. I want to be good at this. I want to be better.”

As her character progressed throughout the film, she was also challenged with going out of her comfort zone as an actress. An unexpected and shocking kissing scene was part of the roller-coaster plot, and what was even more surprising was who she was supposed to kiss. As Kaori shares her thought process about the film, she tells me she actually asked her team if they were sure that she'd do the part. "Because it's a big project, really. And while reading the script, one thing in my head is that it was really a make-it-or-break-it scene for me. It was the most daring thing I’ve done in a project.”

The increase in Filipino representation in Hollywood is helping to bridge gaps for the diaspora. “We have a movie that is both in the Philippines and the U.S. which creates meaningful conversations in the community,” Kaori says, expressing how honored she feels to be a part of that movement. "[It] creates meaningful conversations in the community.”

Beyond the importance of representation, Kaori also hopes that audiences take away some important life lessons touching on familial relationships and forgiveness. “I think we all need kindness,” she tells me. “In the end, we all want to be better people. We all have down moments, and sometimes you just can't help yourself. Even if you make a mistake, I always tell myself that you are better than this, and you’re a good person.”

Kaori’s career keeps climbing higher. In the next year, she will be working on a new television series that can be streamed on View, a platform that is only available in the Philippines at this time. You can follow Kaori on Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube.

Kirie Ventura (otherwise known under the moniker, Key Chan) is a mixed-Asian person (she/hers) who is obsessed with creating and fostering safe, warm spaces of love and belonging. Over the past decade, she has been surviving Los Angeles transitioning from product design to thriving by revisiting her past journalism, filmmaking, and painting endeavors.

You can find her wandering around with her sassy Shiba, Maru, striking up conversations, participating in social equity movements, painting, being silly, meme foraging, and traveling the world to gain new perspectives on life while appreciating the Earth's natural beauty. She normally does not refer to herself in the third person. Find her on the IG: @___keychan

Name pronunciation: kee-ree, or kiwi except exchange the w for an r