Most of you will probably recognize Gemma Chan from the blockbuster movie, “Crazy Rich Asians” where she played everyone’s favorite girl, Astrid. Others may recognize her from Marvel’s recent installment, “Eternals”, in which she played a major character, Sersi. Chan is a promising actress paving new grounds for aspiring Asian actors in American Hollywood. Chan was born to mixed parents and raised up in predominately white Southwark, London. She felt conflicted about her Asian heritage and struggled to find a balance between the two cultures. Chan studied law at Worcester College, Oxford, which ironically parallels her character, Astrid. She received an offer from a law firm but ultimately decided to pursue her passion for acting. She often recollects that her interest in acting stemmed from her noticing a lack of people who look like her on television. Hence, she later enrolled at the Drama Center in London in which Chan also discovered modeling and catwalks to fund her studies.
At the beginning of Chan’s acting career, she debuted in a miniseries called “When Evil Calls”. Later, she was featured in popular television shows such as Doctor Who and Sherlock. Her breakthrough came after landing a crucial part in “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruits” which featured many named actors. The cast included Chris Pine, Kevin Costner, and Keira Knightley. In 2018, Chan had her biggest year yet. She received incredibly positives critiques for her performances in the hit Rom-Com, “Crazy Rich Asians” and sci-fi film, “Humans”. The Rom-Com performed outstandingly in the box office as it grossed $231 million. More importantly, the movie was far more relatable for the Asian audience than most typically Hollywood movies. It also raised awareness of the extensive culture for non-Asian viewers. Her latest work as Cersi in “Eternals”, along with “Shang Chi”, received praises for introducing more Asian diversity in the ever-popular Marvel Cinematic Universe. The increasing influx and publicity of Asian actors and actresses such as Gemma Chan set an unprecedented push for more Asian representation in Hollywood.
