T.V. Carpio facts for kids

Teresa Victoria Carpio, born on April 5, 1981, is an American actress and singer. She is famous for her role as Prudence in the movie Across the Universe (2007). In this film, she sang the classic the Beatles song "I Want to Hold Your Hand". T.V. Carpio also gained recognition for playing Valerie in Limitless (2011) and Shelby Prince in the TV show The Client List (2013).

She is also well-known for her acting in theatre. She starred as Arachne in the original Broadway show Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark (2011). Later, she played Eurydice in the Hadestown musical at the Citadel Theatre (2017).

Growing Up: T.V. Carpio's Early Life

Teresa Victoria Carpio was born in April 1981 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Her mother is Hong Kong singer Teresa Carpio. T.V. Carpio has even performed on stage with her mother, including with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. Her father, Peter Mui, was a fashion designer. He started a successful clothing brand called YellowMan.

T.V. Carpio spent much of her childhood attending an international school in Hong Kong. When she was 11, she moved to Springfield, Missouri. At 14, Carpio moved to New York. She first dreamed of becoming an Olympic ice skater. However, an injury and realizing she wasn't quite good enough led her to change her path. She then studied jazz singing for two years at The New School.

T.V. Carpio's Acting and Singing Career

After deciding not to pursue ice skating, T.V. Carpio started her career as a dancer. She danced with the famous group NSYNC at the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards. She also performed on the TV show Last Call with Carson Daly. Plus, she danced in music videos for stars like Bruce Springsteen and Whitney Houston. In 2001, Carpio was a contestant on the TV show Popstars, but she did not win.

First Roles in TV and Movies

T.V. Carpio made her TV debut in Law & Order (2002). She played a laundry lady in one episode. Later, she appeared in an episode of The Jury (2004). Carpio played Gail in She Hate Me (2004). Her first big role was as Angela Tsing in Sucker Free City (2004). Both of these films were directed by Spike Lee. Carpio then made her Broadway debut in the musical Rent. She played Alexi Darling and other roles from December 2006 to April 2007.

Big Break in Across the Universe

Carpio decided to move to Los Angeles to focus on her acting career. Her big breakthrough came when she played Prudence in the movie Across the Universe (2007). In the film, Prudence is a gay cheerleader. The movie was directed by Julie Taymor. T.V. Carpio sang a beautiful version of the Beatles song "I Want to Hold Your Hand" in the film. Interestingly, Carpio's father, Peter Mui, also appeared in the movie as an extra.

Starring on Broadway: Spider-Man

From 2010 to 2011, she starred in the Broadway musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark. This show was also directed by Julie Taymor. Carpio first played one of the Greek narrators, Miss Arrow. However, the original actress for Arachne left the show. So, T.V. Carpio officially took over the role of Arachne on January 4, 2011. She had already filled in for the role many times before. During the show's changes, Carpio's role was made smaller. This was because the creative team felt the villainess character wasn't working well. Carpio also suffered a neck injury during a performance in March 2011. She recovered fully and returned to the show a few weeks later.

While working on Spider-Man, Carpio made her major film debut in Limitless (2011). She starred alongside Bradley Cooper in this movie, which came out in March 2011. After some delays, Spider-Man officially opened on June 14, 2011. Carpio left the show on November 13, 2011.

Recent Work in Film, TV, and Theatre

T.V. Carpio has continued to act in many TV shows, films, and stage productions. She had a recurring role as Shelby Prince in the Lifetime series The Client List (2013). She also played Satomi in The Scribbler (2014). In 2017, she starred as Eurydice with Reeve Carney in Hadestown at the Citadel Theatre.

In 2018, she played Sophie, a deaf woman, in the short film Noise. This film first showed at the Austin Film Festival in October 2018. It was later released online in September 2019. In 2019, Carpio also performed in the musical Little Shop of Horrors at the Pasadena Playhouse.

T.V. Carpio's Personal Life

T.V. Carpio is married to Cato Herring, who is a DJ. They have two children together, a daughter and a son. The family lives in California.

Film and Television Roles

Movies

TV Shows

Theatre Performances

Awards and Nominations