Arden Cho Almost Took the LSAT — Now She Plays A Lawyer On TV

Arden Cho is ready to move on. After breaking out on MTV’s Teen Wolf as fan-favorite Kira in 2014, Cho was written off after two seasons, only to be asked back for the forthcoming Paramount+ movie. She declined after learning she would be paid significantly less than her male co-stars. “I've definitely learned that the world is not always fair,” Cho tells Bustle. But passing up a chance to revisit the character who put her on the map has led to bigger rewards — like landing the lead role in Netflix’s new legal drama, Partner Track. For the first time, Cho is number one on the call sheet, and while that comes with new challenges, the 37-year-old actor is taking control of her career.

The over-achieving lawyer Cho plays in Partner Track also has her sights set on her work and future. As the title suggests, Ingrid hopes to make partner at a prestigious NYC-based firm; she’s so set on that goal she often sacrifices her social life to get ahead of her competition, skipping Thanksgiving with her family and boyfriend to work. While Ingrid’s perfectionism reminds Cho of hustling in her younger years, the actor says she and her character couldn’t be more different. “All I want to do in my free time is get massages and play with my dog,” Cho says. “I feel like Ingrid would think that was a big time waste.”

Yet creator Georgia Lee did make one change to better reflect Cho’s experience in her character by changing Ingrid’s heritage from Chinese American (as in Helen Wan’s book) to Korean American. “It’s frosting on a cake,” Cho says. While she feels good about portraying her culture onscreen, she wants her characters to be more than their cultural identity. “I don't want to be a Korean-American girl in every story. Ingrid is different because Ingrid is about a woman trying to break that glass ceiling as an M&A lawyer. She's only Korean American because I just happen to be Korean American.”

Instead, Ingrid’s determination is what drew Cho to the role. “She's a girl that so many of us strive to be. She is hardworking, smart, kind, loving, and she's got a big heart,” she says. “I always joke and say, ‘I feel like Ingrid is the daughter that my parents 100% wanted.’” Cho admits she felt the pressure to go after sturdier careers like law, medicine, or engineering. “I was such a dreamer that school was really tough for me,” she says. “There was a point where I thought I would take my LSATs, and now ironically, I play a lawyer on TV.”

Get to know Cho — and her dual karaoke personalities — in her Bustle Booth questionnaire below.

In The Bustle Booth

What's your coffee order?

Iced Americano.

What are the saved weather locations on your phone?

LA, NYC, Chicago, Singapore, Seoul, Japan, Hawaii, Sydney.

What’s your sign?

Leo.

Favorite overused movie quote?

“We can do this the easy way, or the hard way.”

What was your favorite cartoon as a kid?

Tom and Jerry.

What’s one movie or TV show you're currently obsessed with?

Partner Track. ;) ;) ;)

Who is your celeb idol?

Natalie Portman, Nicole Kidman, and Son Ye Jin.

If you had to be on a reality TV show, what would it be?

Is It Cake?

Go-to karaoke song?

“WAP” and “Let It Go” — depends on the crowd. :D

What’s something that’s inspiring you lately?

I took a couple of months off to travel and enjoy life; breaks are so necessary. It was an amazing reset. I feel so refreshed and ready to take on new challenges!

What is something you would want people to say about you?

I hope they would say I’m kind, generous, honest, and a good friend.