“I didn’t grow up wanting to be an actor,” begins Hong Chau. Known for her roles in Downsizing , The Menu and The Whale —the last one earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress—Chau has spent the past 18 years building an impressive repertoire. But Hollywood, she muses, was never on her mind growing up.
The daughter of Vietnamese refugees, Chau describes herself as a quiet child who found her sanctuary in school and books. After graduating with a degree in film production—switching from a major in creative writing at the persuasion of her father who encouraged her to pursue something more practical—she began taking improvisation and public speaking classes after work as a way to combat her introversion. “I knew it was a problem that I had such difficulty talking to and being open with people,” she shares.
Acting lessons later joined the mix. One thing led to the next, and soon, she found herself in audition rooms. “This was at the time when you could look in the back of the newspaper and find different auditions,” Chau says.
“It wasn’t that I thought that I would get anything, but there was a thrill in being scared but overcoming the fear and getting it done. Eventually, I landed a role and that’s how my acting career started.” It’s hard to imagine, chatting with Chau now, that she once struggled with shyness.
She is introspective and thoughtful with her words, but speaks with a quiet confidence that belies her years of experience. “I know that I have something to contribute. It doesn’t matter to me whether the roles are bigger or smaller—I’m not drafting for space.
It’s more a matter of whether the character is interesting and has layers, and if I feel like I can bring anything to it. There are times when I feel that anybody could play a character. So why me? Part of what draws me to a role is when I feel that I can contribute to the project.
” Her approach to acting makes evident the level of pride that Chau takes in her work. “What I enjoy most are the early conversations with the writers and directors before we start filming, about how the character looks and what’s motivating the character,” she explains. “Some of my favourite jobs have been when we disagreed in the beginning and I had to fight for my choices.
It’s really tough in the moment when it feels like you want to go in different directions, but trying your best to make someone understand why you see your character the way you do has always been a great learning experience for me. I’m trying to do that more with the jobs I take, instead of just saying yes to whatever I am asked to do.” In her latest film, Apple TV+’s The Instigators , Chau takes on the role of Dr Donna Rivera, a therapist who gets dragged along as one of her clients goes on the run after a botched robbery attempt.
While the comedy aspect is not new to Chau, who has gained attention for her brilliant comedic timing, it’s the first time she has attempted a role in the action genre. The process, she shares, was incredibly collaborative. “Our director Doug [Liman] and I talked a lot about how we could make sense of why the character does what she does.
Even if we don’t get into it tremendously during the movie, at least in our minds, we know what she had experienced in the past and what would motivate her to take that leap of faith and do something that would be considered that crazy and unprofessional,” she explains, adding: “I think the job of an actor is to make the audience feel like the character has lived a whole life before they first see them on screen.” The more Chau explains how she prepared for the role of Donna, the more it becomes clear just how much thought she puts into each project that she takes on. “Film is such a visual medium and every little choice that you see on screen matters.
When you think of hair and make-up, for example, those little details really inform the audience of who the character is. We talked a lot about things like how much money Dr Rivera makes a year as a therapist. What kind of clothes can she afford? Is it that she likes to wear fancy clothes, but she can only afford to buy them from consignment shops? This may not necessarily be obvious on screen, but those are just fun conversations that we had in preparation.
” When Chau speaks about acting, it is her genuine love for the craft and appreciation for the process that shines through. When asked about what her idea of success is as an actor, she reflects: “In my first film role in Inherent Vice , I was on screen for five minutes, but it was an amazing experience because I got to start on set on the first day of filming all the way through to the last day. I watched all these amazing actors come through—something you couldn’t pay to experience.
” She continues candidly: “When I did John , the off-Broadway play, I made US$400 a week. Who cares? I learnt so much from doing that show. If I had not done it, I don’t think I would have been able to do Downsizing.
There were so many big monologues in Downsizing that I don’t know if I could have done had I not already worked on a role that was so complicated and demanding. I don’t know how many people saw the play, but it was valuable to me.” In an industry that involves chasing fame and glamour, Chau is a breath of fresh air.
“I just try to do work that interests me and feeds me creatively. I don’t spend too much time thinking about what success looks like or how I’m perceived by the industry as a whole.” In a sign that she has truly arrived, she concludes: “I don’t need people to pat me on the back and I don’t need a lot of money because I didn’t grow up with that.
I love the work that I do. I love the projects that I’ve been a part of and I’m honoured to get to work with the directors that I have. I feel happy and fulfilled.
” The Instigators is streaming on Apple TV+ now..
