DV Hong Chau: With the name Vietnamese girl "storming" the Hollywood village, many famous stars have to respect

Hong Chau, born in 1979, is one of the few successful names in Hollywood. The actress is known to the audience for her role as the second female lead in the science fiction film Downsizing (2017).

In the film, she plays Ngoc Lan, a political activist who has lost a leg. For this role, she was nominated for many awards for best supporting actress.

Hong Chau's parents are Vietnamese. The actress and her family moved to New Orleans, USA to live in the 70s of the last century. Hong Chau grew up in a family with three siblings.

Hong Chau had a difficult childhood when his parents were only manual laborers but always tried to send their children to school. The Vietnamese-American actress studied Creative Thesis at Boston University in Massachusetts, USA. Then, following her mother's advice, Hong Chau started studying film at Boston University and officially pursued an acting career upon graduation.

While still in school, Hong Chau challenged himself in many short films of the student union and was encouraged by his friends to pursue an acting career. After graduating from college, she worked in the PBS studio and aspired to do documentaries. She went to New York City (USA) to learn more about acting.

In 2006, Hong Chau started acting in movies and TV series. One of the official roles of Hong Chau is in the American television series - Treme (2010-2013), which was filmed in New Orleans (USA). Her first film role was in Inherent Vice (2014). A year after this role, Hong Chau has no next role, but she does not give up her passion for art.

In 2015, she tried her hand at the role of a theater actress and participated in the play John adapted from a Broadway production of the same name by author Annie Baker. Fortune came to her when the Vietnamese-American actress was cast in a supporting role in the TV series Big Little Lies alongside Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon.

Then, she took on a supporting role in the movie Downsizing (2017), acting with Matt Damon and receiving very positive reviews from critics. Downsizing is a monumental film project with the participation of director Alexander Payne and actor Matt Damon. The film is a fantasy story about a future world, where scientists invent a method to shrink the human body to minimize its negative impact on the environment.

When receiving the script, Hong Chau felt that this was the film he wanted. "I have a list of directors I wish I could work with and Alexander Payne is at the top of that list. I can't believe it, even in a dream, that one day I will be able to act with Matt. Damon," she shared.

Although only a supporting role, Hong Chau still shines in her own way. The Hollywood Reporter praised her character Ngoc Lan as a breakthrough in how to portray Asian characters in American films. Downsizing also brought the Vietnamese-born actress a Golden Globe nomination in the category of Best Supporting Actress.

The co-writer of the Downsizing script once suggested to change the name of her character in the film to Hong Chau. However, the actress refused.

Hong Chau used to be a potential candidate for the 90th Academy Awards, but in the end, she was not on the list of nominations. USA Today commented on the incident: "Hong Chau was robbed of a nomination because she is an Asian immigrant with a strong native English language."

In 2017, Hong Chau was honored to be named by Variety magazine in the list of 10 most watched actors of the year. The prestigious nominations or awards that Hong Chau received and the opportunity to work with Hollywood A-listers is the recognition of experts for Asian-American actresses.

After Downsizing, she participated in many projects such as Driveways, American Woman, The Whale or Disney's Artemis Fowl. Besides, Hong Chau also starred in the series Watchmen (2019) and Homecoming (2018-2020).

It is known that for nearly 2 years the entertainment industry was almost frozen due to the influence of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Vietnamese-born actress took time to rest. However, after the entertainment industry recovered, she quickly started working. The 43-year-old actress has up to 4 screenplays and the opportunity to work with many famous directors.

Recently, she shines in the project The Menu (Mysterious Menu) directed by Mark Mylod. In the film, she plays Elsa, the manager of Hawthorn restaurant. Hong Chau's role is cold and mysterious. Behind the friendly exterior is a questionable personality. She convincingly portrays the villain as both terrifying and haunting.

The story begins when Tyler (Nicholas Hoult) and his girlfriend Margot (played by Taylor-Joy) go to an isolated island to enjoy a unique menu for the elite. That mysterious menu is personally created by chef Julian Slowik (Ralph Fiennes) and creative chefs. Things take a turn for the worse when dishes are served and dark secrets are revealed after the lavish party.

When she first read The Menu script, Hong Chau admitted, she was completely conquered by its weirdness, daring and scary. "The script is so good. It's very dark and uncomfortable. I've never had a role like this," she said.

Hong Chau once expressed her desire for Asian-American actresses like her to have a place in Hollywood: "I hope the producers will re-evaluate the faces that they once thought could not be used for movies. or the entertainment industry".

Hong Chau said that her parents could not speak English, so during her childhood, everyone in the family communicated with each other in Vietnamese. When she went to school, she learned English. To this day, she still uses Vietnamese to talk to her parents.

Talking about the life of an immigrant family in the US, the actress said: "I hardly went to restaurants when I was young. My mother always cooks, she cooks very well and loves to cook for every member of the family. And that's how she spread her love to all of us."

In 2020, the actress gave birth to a daughter and affirmed that this is a new turning point in her life. After many years of dedication and non-stop work, the Vietnamese-born movie star admitted that filming is no longer her biggest concern right now.

Lưu Kỳ Hương - Nhiều lần bị xâm hại trong quá khứ: Hiện tại làm mẹ đơn thân, được bạn trai thấu hiểu Nắng15:46:43 07/01/2023Sau khoảng thời gian dài hoạt động nghệ thuật, chăm chỉ làm nghề và chạy show, hiện tại, cuộc sống của Lưu Kỳ Hương đã ổn định. Không chỉ có chỗ đứng trong nghề, cô đã mua được nhà ở Hà Nội, mua xe để đi lại và đủ điều kiện chăm sóc...