Arden Cho knows a thing or two about climbing the ladder.
In Netflix's new seriersPartner Track, premiering Aug. 26, Cho plays Ingrid, a smart and determined lawyer trying to make a name for herself at one of New York's most competitive law firms, while constantly being passed over by her white, male counterparts.
It's a struggle that, sadly, Arden is very familiar with.
"When I'm standing there as Ingrid filming these scenes, there are so many times that I'm like, ‘Oh, I know this feeling,'" Arden exclusively told E! News. "I might not have ever been mistaken for a paralegal, but I've definitely been mistaken as someone that I wasn't."
She continued, "I've been mistaken as, ‘Oh, background is here,' and I'm like, ‘Oh, I'm a series regular.'"
In May, Arden opened up about her decision to turn down a role in the upcoming Teen Wolf revival movie at Paramount+ after finding out she made half of what her female co-stars were earning per episode during her three seasons playing a major character on the MTV show.
But in Partner Track, Arden is front and center. For her, the show wasn't just about visibility, in general, it was about the moving the needle into more progressive forms of visibility.
"There have been experiences in my life where I've been so invisible or so overlooked in a society where women are just treated as backdrops or accessories," she said. "So often, Asian women have been oppressed in media as ‘other' or ‘the vixen' or just a person who is portrayed negatively."
Arden said the show is a chance for "girls like me here in America" to be seen, which is not something she experienced growing up.
"I remember in all of my favorite shows, I never looked like the main character," Arden said. "I never looked like the girl that I wanted to be or that I rooted for. I grew up watching shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Sabrina [The Teenage Witch], all of these shows with women that were strong and powerful and cool. I felt like I couldn't be them."
Arden found power in playing a character that didn't fit into any box, one that wasn't afraid to show her flaws while still striving for to achieve her dreams.
"It's so different from the stereotypes, yet so relatable and real to so many strong Asian American women and minority women," Arden said. "I have so many friends who are so much like Ingrid. But people don't know it, because they don't see it, at least not in entertainment."
With Partner Track, Arden is helping to turn the tides.
All ten episodes of Partner Track drop Aug. 26 on Netflix.