Kai Wener

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Kai Wener
Biographical information
Plays	Ty Finn
Born	—
Nationality	American
Gender	Male

Kai Di'Nilo Wener is an American actor who portrays Ty Finn in The Orville.

The Orville

Kai Wener auditioned for the role of Ty Finn with the famous cold opening of Into the Fold:

To prepare for my audition for the role of Ty Finn on The Orville, created by Seth MacFarlane, my script had Ty calling out “Mom” over and over again to wake her up. I immediately thought about the famous Family Guy scene where Stewie wakes up Lois by continuously saying “Mom!, Mum!, Mommy!…” Since my Dad told me that Family Guy was also a Seth MacFarlane show, I thought it would be fun to incorporate that scene into my audition.

He received news that he won the part by phone call while riding in the backseat of a car.

During filming, Wener arrived at the set each morning by 7 a.m. to check in. He then ate breakfast, attended school for three hours, and then acted on set.

Season 1

During the first table read, Wener met the show's creator Seth MacFarlane, the cast, producers, and writing team. After, he took a tour of the 20th Century Fox studio lot.

Season 2

Ty takes a more prominent role in Season 2 when Isaac teaches him piano, culminating in a piano recital in front of the ship in A Happy Refrain. Wener learned classical piano for the part.

I began learning classical piano for my role on The Orville for Season 2. The producers wanted my scenes to be as real as possible, so instead of using a professional pianist as a photo double, I had to put my little fingers to work!

Wener continued to take piano lessons even after Season 2's conclusion.

Ty's happy family drawing.

Awards

For his performance in Season 1, Wener was nominated by the Young Entertainer Awards for Best Recurring Young Actor 11 or Under - Television Series. Wener commented:

It’s a great feeling being nominated for something you work hard doing and enjoy. I think its really special to be highlighted amongst other young artists who love doing what they do!

Wener was also nominated by the Young Artist Awards for Best Performance in a TV Series - Recurring Young Actor.

Trivia

• Penny Johnson Jerald, who plays Wener's mom, taught Wener her "morning dancing."
  • In return, Wener and BJ Tanner (Marcus Finn) taught her dances from Fortnite.
• Wener drew the picture that, in-universe, Ty made for Isaac in Identity, Pt. 1 so that he would remember him and his family.
• His favorite episodes are Identity, Pt. 1 and Pt. 2.
• He says he is like Ty in that they both love watching their siblings get in trouble, their mothers, and going on adventures; but he would "definitely not go down that dark tunnel" (referring to Identity, Pt. 1).

Interviews

• Undated, 2018: TV Over Mind
• December 2018: Star Kidz
• April 2019: BCSKids