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Midori Francis

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Midori Francis
Born
Midori Anne Iwama

(1994-04-16) April 16, 1994 (age 30)
Lakewood, New Jersey, U.S.
EducationRutgers University, New Brunswick (BFA)
OccupationActress
Years active2014−present

Midori Anne Iwama (born April 16, 1994),[1] known professionally as Midori Francis, is an American actress. She began her career in theatre, earning NYIT, Obie, and Drama Desk Awards. She received a Daytime Emmy nomination for her role as Lily in the Netflix series Dash & Lily (2020). She currently stars in Grey's Anatomy as Dr. Mika Yasuda.

Early life and education

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Francis grew up in Rumson, New Jersey. She is the daughter of Joanne and Ken Iwama, the current chancellor of Indiana University Northwest.[2] Named after her paternal grandmother,[3] Francis is of Japanese descent on her father's side and Irish and Italian on her mother's. On growing up in a predominantly white town in the 90s and early 2000s, she commented "I was teased a lot for being Asian, I was bullied, made to feel like I was ugly or weird". She identifies as Hapa (a term for people of mixed European and Asian or Pacific Islander ancestry).[4][5]

Francis attended Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School. She went on to obtain a Bachelor of Fine Arts in acting from the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University in 2014. She studied abroad in London, training with Tim Carroll and performing in a production of The Two Gentlemen of Verona at Shakespeare's Globe.[6]

Career

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Upon graduating from Rutgers, Francis landed stage roles in regional productions of Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike and Peter and the Starcatcher as Nina and Molly respectively.[7] She won Best Actress at the 2016 New York Innovative Theatre Awards as well as receiving a Best Ensemble nomination for her role as Meghan in the Off-Broadway play Connected at 59E59 Theaters. From 2017 to 2018, she was in the original cast of The Wolves, garnering ensemble awards at the Obie and Drama Desk Awards. At the latter, Francis was also nominated for Outstanding Actress in Play for her role in Ming Peiffer's Usual Girls.[8]

In 2018, Francis made her feature film debut in Ocean's 8. The following year, she appeared in South Mountain and Good Boys.[9] In October 2019, it was announced Francis would star in her first lead role opposite Austin Abrams in the 2020 Netflix Christmas romantic comedy series Dash & Lily, an adaptation of the young adult novel by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn.[10] Francis was included in the creative process, as elements from her real life background and experiences were incorporated.[11] For her performance, Francis was nominated for Lead Actress in a Daytime Fiction Program at the 2021 Daytime Emmy Awards.

Francis appeared alongside Victoria Justice in the Netflix fantasy comedy film Afterlife of the Party in 2021.[12] In March 2021, it was announced Francis had joined the main cast of the HBO Max series The Sex Lives of College Girls, which premiered later that year.[13]

In January 2022, Francis was set to star in the TV thriller film Unseen with Jolene Purdy, helmed by Yoko Okumura in her feature directing debut.[14] In July 2022, it was announced that Francis was cast as a series regular for season 19 of ABC's medical drama Grey's Anatomy.[15] She announced she would be leaving the show in 2024.[16]

Personal life

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She is vocal about Asian representation in media and speaks frequently about her experience as an Asian-American in Hollywood.[17][18]

She identifies as queer.[19]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
2018 Ocean's 8 April
2019 South Mountain Emme
2019 Good Boys Lily
2021 Afterlife of the Party Lisa Streaming film
2023 Unseen Emily

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
2016 Younger Lin Episode: "The Marshmallow Experiment "
2017 Gotham Emma Hsueh Episode: "A Dark Knight: A Day in the Narrows"
2018 Divorce Katie Episode: "Going, Going... Gone"
2018 Paterno Riot Interviewee Television film
2019 The Birch Lanie Bouchard Web series; recurring role, 8 episodes
2020 Dash & Lily Lily Lead role
2021–2022 The Sex Lives of College Girls Alicia Main role (season 1)
Guest role (season 2)
2022–present Grey's Anatomy Dr. Mika Yasuda Main role (seasons 19-present)

Stage

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Year Title Role Notes
2014 Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike Nina Syracuse Stage, Syracuse
2015 Peter and the Starcatcher Molly Wells Theatre, Norfolk, Virginia
2016 Connected Meghan 59E59 Theaters, Off-Broadway
2017−2018 The Wolves No. 8 The Duke on 42nd Street, Off-Broadway; Mitzi Newhouse Theater, Off-Broadway; New York Stage and Film, Vassar
2019 Before the Meeting Nicole Williamstown Theatre Festival, Williamstown, Massachusetts[20]
Usual Girls Kyeoung Roundabout Theatre Company, Off-Broadway

Awards and nominations

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Year Award Category Work Result Ref.
2016 New York Innovative Theatre Awards Outstanding Actress Connected Won [21]
Outstanding Ensemble Nominated
2017 Obie Awards Distinguished Performance by an Ensemble The Wolves Won [22]
Drama Desk Awards Outstanding Ensemble Won [23]
2019 Outstanding Actress in a Play Usual Girls Nominated [24]
2021 Daytime Emmy Awards Outstanding Lead Actress in a Daytime Fiction Program Dash & Lily Nominated [25]

References

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  1. ^ "Midori Francis: 13 facts about Netflix's Dash & Lily star you need to know".
  2. ^ "A shining star: an interview with Midori Francis". Indiana University Northwest. September 24, 2021. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  3. ^ Baker, Jessica (November 11, 2020). "Dash & Lily Is a Perfect Weekend Watch, and You're Going to Love Its Star". Who What Wear. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  4. ^ Lemon, Brendan (January 4, 2018). "Midori Francis and Sarah Mezzanotte: What They've Learned". Lincoln Center Theater. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
  5. ^ Liu, Nathan (December 9, 2020). "Midori Francis: Rising Star And Relentless Optimist". Mixed Asian Media. Archived from the original on November 28, 2021. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  6. ^ "Midori Francis" (PDF). Henderson Hogan Agency. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 9, 2020. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
  7. ^ Vincent, Mal (October 1, 2015). "Prequel story of Peter Pan at Virginia Stage Company offers clever, original moments". Virginia Pilot. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
  8. ^ Clement, Olivia (August 29, 2018). "Midori Francis to Lead Cast of Ming Peiffer's Usual Girls". Playbill. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
  9. ^ Dawson, Angela (August 14, 2019). "Molly Gordon Cuts Boys No Slack In New Comedy". Forbes. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
  10. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (October 15, 2019). "Austin Abrams & Midori Francis Star In Netflix Holiday YA Series 'Dash & Lily' From Shawn Levy & Nick Jonas". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
  11. ^ Romero, Ariana (November 10, 2020). "Dash & Lily's Delightful Midori Francis Reminds Boys That Pigtail-Pulling Is Not Flirting". Refinery29. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  12. ^ Gonzalez, Umberto (October 8, 2020). "Victoria Justice and Midori Francis to Star in 'Afterlife of the Party' for Netflix (Exclusive)". TheWrap. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
  13. ^ Petski, Denise (March 12, 2021). "'The Sex Lives Of College Girls': Midori Francis, Gavin Leatherwood Among Six Cast In Mindy Kaling's HBO Max Series". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 13, 2021. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  14. ^ Del Rosario, Alexandra (January 20, 2022). "Epix & Blumhouse Casts Jolene Purdy & Midori Francis For TV Movie Thriller 'Unseen'; Yoko Okumura To Direct". Deadline Hollywood.
  15. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (July 22, 2022). "'Grey's Anatomy' Adds 'The Sex Lives of College Girls' Midori Francis To Cast For Season 19". Deadline Hollywood.
  16. ^ "Midori Francis Leaving 'Grey's Anatomy' Next Season". May 15, 2024.
  17. ^ Mizoguchi, Karen (November 25, 2020). "Midori Francis and Troy Iwata Talk Importance of LGBTQ and Asian Representation in Netflix's Dash & Lily". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  18. ^ "'I feel on edge sometimes.' Prominent Asian Americans speak out against rise in bias incidents". News 12 - The Bronx. March 23, 2021. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  19. ^ Simon, Rachel (September 29, 2022). "Midori Francis Is Among the New Class of 'Grey's Anatomy'". The New York Times. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
  20. ^ Edelman, Emily (August 13, 2019). "MEETING-Midori Francis, Deirdre O'Connell, Arnie Burton, photo by Joseph O'Malley". The Berkshire Edge. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
  21. ^ "Off Off-Broadway's IT Award Winners Announced". Playbill. September 26, 2016. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
  22. ^ "2017 Obie Winners and Performances". Obie Awards. May 22, 2017. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
  23. ^ McPhee, Ryan (June 4, 2017). "2017 Drama Desk Awards Presented June 4". Playbill. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
  24. ^ Fierberg, Ruthie (June 2, 2019). "Tootsie, Hadestown, and The Ferryman Lead 2019 Drama Desk Award Winners". Playbill. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
  25. ^ "Children's & Lifestyle Nominations". National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. June 28, 2021. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
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