HI-5's Kimee Makes Great Role Model

By BinYun Zheng - October 2007

If you have seen Discovery Kid's live-action show Hi-5, then you probably know Kimee Balmilero, the show's energetic and sweet host who solves puzzles and patterns with her playful puppet friend Jup Jup. AIA editor BinYun Zheng was had a little chat with Kimee earlier this month.

How did you get started?

Kimee: I did my first musical at Castle Performing Arts Center in Hawaii when I was 9 years old. After that, I was hooked! I did musicals throughout high school and danced with 24 VII-Honolulu Dance Company. My high school job was singing and dancing on a dinner cruise ship for tourists in Waikiki. It was the best senior job ever!

My major break was being cast in the Second National Tour of Miss Saigon . I auditioned for it when I was 16 and joined the company in San Antonio, TX the day after my high school graduation. It was crazy. I'd dreamt of seeing a professional production of the show, and now I was part of one. I couldn't believe it.

Wow! What was it like touring in two shows at 18 years old?

Kimee: It was scary at first, only because I hadn't done anything but shows in high school. My dad came to Texas with me for a month to make sure that I would be okay. He had never been to the mainland before! And Texas is a lot bigger than Hawaii! It's funny to think of us driving our little rental car trying to figure out where everything was.

Everyone in Miss Saigon was super nice to me. There were other Hawaiians from Castle Performing Arts Center that I had known, so they really took care of me. One of the girls that I had just met, Ai Goeku, offered to be my roommate for the next city. That was so nice of her! The tour was such an amazing experience! It taught me so much, and I gained many lifetime friendships from it.

What roles did you play?

Kimee: My first lead role in high school was Andrea in Once On This Island. I love that musical so much and we all had a wonderful time doing it. It was magic. In Miss Saigon, I was in the ensemble and did everything from pushing a vegetable cart to dancing in a sparky bikini in a blond wig!

What about Mamma Mia ?

Kimee: In Mamma Mia, I was also part of the ensemble, but understudied the role of Ali as well. I had a lot of fun doing that show. Before then, I never realized how many songs ABBA had done!

When Hi-5 auditions came around, I was living in New York and was part of the original Broadway cast of Mamma Mia . It's funny because I had forgotten about my audition that day! My agent called and was like, "You're 45 minutes late for your audition." I rushed over there and luckily, Helena Harris, the producer and co-creator of Hi-5 , still wanted to see me. I'm so glad she did! I didn't really know much about the show, except that it was a popular kids show in Australia. They were showing clips of the show in the audition room, so I knew it was cool and hip, and not like the other kids shows that I had seen.

When I got the job, I had to move to Sydney, Australia in less than a month! I was a little hesitant to take the job at first, but my agent, Penny Luedtke convinced me that Hi-5 was the right decision. And she was so right!

What was the Asian / Filipino scene like in Australia?

Kimee: I would probably compare the Asian/Filipino scene in Australia to any of our major cities like San Francisco or New York. When we were first there, we lived really close to Chinatown. It was really nice to be able to walk to some good and freshly produced food! Sydney has some good Dim Sum although they call it Yum Cha there.

What inspires you to stay in the show?

Kimee: The fans! It's so cool to be a role model, especially for kids. Our fans are so amazing and they really keep us going. They truly are the 6th member of the group! They inspire me everyday, and every show that I do really is for them.

What was it like growing up Asian in Hawaii in comparison to the mainland?

Kimee: I didn't move to the mainland until I was 17 years old. So, as far as growing up here, I don't really know. I remember that when I first came out here, one thing that I noticed was the common use of the term "Asian." In Hawaii, I don't remember anyone ever saying that. We are more specific. I'm Filipino. My friend Doreen is Japanese. It took a little time for me to get used to that.

What would you say is the most rewarding part of your job?

Kimee: There are so many parts of this job that I love. I love meeting the fans. They're special and most of all, the best audience to perform for. Kids are so honest, and they are always rockin' out at our concerts. Meeting and talking with the kids and their parents after a show are so much fun. We're their best friends, and most of them are super comfortable talking to us. We're in their homes almost every day. I can't even tell you how many birthday parties we've been invited too. I wish we could go to all of them!

Another cool thing about this job is that not only do we get to film a TV series, but we also get to tour with a live show and record albums! Who could ask for anything more?

Any plans about going back to more adult roles?

Kimee: Sure. There are a lot of things I'd like to do after all of this, but as of right now, Hi-5 is going strong. I'll just have to wait and see.

Do you think your role in Hi-5 contributes to the stereotype that Asians are good in math and science?

Kimee: No, not at all. Fortunately, kids don't think that way. They just see the five of us having fun, no matter what segment we're doing. I really don't think that I was cast in that particular role because of my ethnicity. Personally, math and science were definitely not my strongest subjects in school. So, there's the proof that this stereotype is just that-a stereotype.

How does it feel like to be a role model for kids, especially for Asian American children?

Kimee: It's an AMAZING feeling! Before the show aired, I didn't realize what an impact it would have on Asian American families. I've received so many emails from parents thanking me for representing Asian Americans. One of our first fans was a little girl from Los Angeles named Lauren, who is a quarter Filipino and a quarter Japanese. Her mother, Deb said that I was her favorite because she looks like me and could easily relate to me. I think this is the coolest thing. Once, she even dressed like me for Halloween!

Growing up, I didn't remember many Asian Americans on television. It's really great to be able to be a role model for not only Asian American kids, but for all kids in general. Television has become so much more diverse and I'm thankful to be part of it.

Being a role model for kids, did you become more self-conscious?

Kimee: Maybe a little. It's cool because we are totally ourselves on the show. When parents and kids meet us, we're very comfortable around them because we are who we are. I think the fans like that.

How has the show Hi-5 changed your life and your view?

Kimee: Hi-5 has given me so much. Who can say that they have thousands of the raddest youngest brothers and sisters all across the world! It's awesome! Children are such an inspiration, and this job has allowed me to stay in touch with the kid-like side of me. It really is a great place to be. It has taught me to always trust who I am.

Tell me about the tours and performances that you had done with the gang from Hi-5?

Kimee: The Hi-5 gang and I love to go on tour. Even though we're a television show, we all come from a theatre background, so we're all really comfortable on stage.

Sea World and Sesame Place are regular stops of our tour, and it's always nice to see familiar faces as well as new ones. Our fans never let us down. They're always up, dancing and singing along with the songs. Even the parents love it!

What about the Family Fun Festival in Toronto and the MDA Telethon that you participated in recently?

Kimee: It's always nice to head up to Canada. We had just brought our big stage show out there, so it was cool to come back to see them all again. They're always so excited, and we love performing for them. Doing the MDA Telethon was great. I'd grown up watching the telethon, so to actually be a part of it was cool. It's always nice to be able to give back to the community. The kids there were so talented. They were some of the best dancers that I'd ever seen.

What was it like performing with the gang from Hi-5 at the MDA Telethon?

Kimee: We performed live for an audience in Chicago. The performance was aired live all over the country. We did two of our favorite songs, Living in a Rainbow and Some Kind of Wonderful. Right before our performance, we spoke to the kids a little bit and then taught them the dance moves for these two songs. We also did a little Q and A with them and talked about their favorite games and all kinds of fun stuff!

Tell me a little about Brown Soup Thing with Jenilee Reyes.

Kimee: Jenilee is too cool, man! She is an actress, model, singer and songwriter. It was great working with her along with the entire cast and crew of Brown Soup Thing. I'm such a game show fan, so I freaked out when she told me she was on Deal or No Deal.

She's an amazing singer, too. There's a scene in the movie where she and I sing one of her original songs together. I sing all the time with the gang from Hi-5, but I was still nervous to sing with her. As a result, I sang as soft as I could. It's hard to believe, but I do get shy sometimes.

Did you learn anything from her?

Kimee: I think we all learned a lot from each other while we were working on this project. Jenilee is really talented. I hope we can work together again in the future.

What are your plans for October and November? Any new movies coming out? Any tours and performances with the gang from Hi-5?

Kimee: I have a little time off this fall from Hi-5. Right now, I'm just really enjoying being home here in Los Angeles. We're on the road so much that hanging out at home and with my friends is all I want to do. I'll probably go back to Hawaii for a while to visit my family.

One thing that I'm going to be really concentrating on is my jewelry line, Kimeejay. It was hard to keep up with it while I went on tour, so this is the perfect time for me to catch up. I can't wait to sit down, and start making and designing jewelry again. I love it!

As far as doing more kids shows in the future, I don't know. Hi-5 is so different from other kids shows out there that I don't really know if anything could replace it for me, but you never know!

Tell me more about Kimeejay. Is it something that youve always wanted to do?

Kimee: I launched my own jewelry line, Kimeejay, in December 2006. I never saw myself becoming a jewelry designer. It kind of just happened. I never leave the house without some kinds of accessory on, so maybe it was meant to be. My boyfriend's mom, Dollie designs jewelry and taught me how to make one on a Thanksgiving holiday. I started making jewelry for friends and then whenever we had people over, I would literally have at least 10 girls in my room asking to see more of my jewelry and wanting to pay for them too! I couldn't believe it! The response was so good that I had to try it out! I have a website now, www.kimeejay.com and I just started selling them to stores. I don't know if I have any specific themes in mind. For me, I just want to make sure that I love every piece I create and that I would wear them myself. That way, I'm always confident about my products and people can see that.

What is your ultimate career goal?

Kimee: My ultimate career goal is to be happy with what I'm doing, regardless of whether it's performing or designing jewelry. I think that's my ultimate life goal, too. As of right now, I think I'm doing really well and I'm very thankful for that.

Is there any specific stage role you would love to do?

Kimee: There are so many great roles and projects out there all the time that I can't think of one specific one that is my dream part. For me, my dream has already come true and then, there's some more.