Krista Marie Yu auditioned four times for the role of Molly on "Dr. Ken," and along the way she met other actresses similar to her who wanted to make an impact in representing young, Asian-American women on TV.

Yu plays the teenage daughter of Ken Jeong's title character on the ABC comedy. Her character Molly represents a typical American teenager who obsesses over cute boys, trendy accessories and her social standing at school but also displays a strong sense of maturity, many times to the surprise of her parents.

"I personally relate to Molly a lot," Yu told Headlines & Global News in an exclusive interview. "I have a little brother, and Molly is a third- and fourth-generation Asian-American, and I'm a fourth- and fifth-generation Asian-American, so we have a lot of cross similarities."

She absolutely gushed over her little TV brother, Albert Tsai, whom she called "a little adult" because of his incredible instincts at such a young age. Beaming like his real older sister, Yu is excited to see where Tsai goes with his career and is proud of the work he's already done.

"My little brother has already gone through puberty, so it's kind of my selfish way of having a little brother again," she joked. "Albert is so cute and so smart and just a delight in every way."

"Dr. Ken" is the second sitcom on the network to feature an Asian-American family, and Yu credits Jeong's previous success in movies like "The Hangover" for the opportunity to create this show that reflects a "more normal" representation of Asian-Americans in American life.

"It's an important time for Asian-Americans in the industry, and everyone is so excited to work that much harder," the Bay Area native said about the show, which received a full-season order in October.

Yu credits Grace Park, her "Dr. Ken" co-star Suzy Nakamura and Ming-Na Wen as her inspirations growing up and those that made a real impact on the industry as Asian-American actresses. She had the opportunity to speak with Wen while working on their upcoming movie, "6 Miranda Drive."

"I did get to work with her during the table read, which was really cool," Yu said about the "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." star. "Ming-Na represents such a strong woman on TV in general. She played Mulan, and now she's in 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D' and she went to Carnegie Mellon as well, so I definitely looked up to her for those reasons."

When Yu started looking at colleges, she told her mother that she wanted to go to a school with strong academics that also gave her the opportunity to pursue acting. Her mom picked up the ball and ran with it, flagging every school in the guides that mentioned drama, many of which required applicants to audition.

"I went on all of these auditions not realizing that I was auditioning for conservatories," she said, laughing. "And then I got into Carnegie Mellon, and all of the stars aligned, I guess. I had no idea what I was in for, but I couldn't be more grateful for the experience that I had and grateful for my parents who were so supportive."

Growing up in the moderate climates of Oakland, Calif., Yu wasn't quite ready for the snow and ice of Pittsburgh. She faced quite the culture shock when she arrived in the Appalachian Mountains and came less than prepared for her first winter.

"I was so cold. I thought I had really cute boots, but they weren't actually snow boots, so I had a lot of tumbles as well," she admitted.

She stuck around the city a few weeks after graduation to film a small role in the 2012 movie "Fun Size" and returned to Pittsburgh again earlier this year to shoot a scene for "Love the Coopers" with Alan Arkin and Ed Helms.

"I had like one line, but it was a lot of fun. It was at the Frick [Art & Historical Center], and it was cool to be back and be a part of that Pittsburgh history," Yu said.

Yu moved straight to Los Angeles after college and booked roles on "Cougar Town," "The Middle," "Switched at Birth," "Agent Carter" and Nickelodeon's "The Thundermans." She now gets to work on a regular basis with her TV parents Jeong and Nakamura as well as comedic actors Dave Foley and Jonathan Slavin.

Whereas her older co-stars are more likely improvise a scene, Yu tends to trust what the writers give her and sticks to the scripts as much as possible. Her ultimate goal is to support Jeong and his vision for the show and to best represent Molly and everything she stands for as a young woman and Asian-American on TV.

"Dr. Ken" airs on Fridays at 8:30 p.m. on ABC.