Summary
- Gemma Chan’s career trajectory from bit parts to Hollywood stardom shows her range and talent.
- Her roles in Fresh Meat, Humans, Crazy Rich Asians, Eternals, and more showcase her versatility.
- Chan’s ability to bring depth and emotion to characters in various genres sets her apart in Hollywood.
Gemma Chan has quickly gone from playing small roles in British TV shows to starring in major Hollywood franchises. The British actress made her acting debut in the 2006 horror miniseries When Evil Calls and did not really appear in any notable roles for the next few years, aside from a few one-episode performances in shows like Doctor Who and Sherlock. Chan had a few performances in notable films like Shanghai and Submarine, but they were bit parts. It wasn’t until around 2011 with Fresh Meat that she began getting more screen time.
Then came 2015, which saw the release of the science fiction TV series Humans, and it was immediately clear that Chan was a special talent. Suddenly, the actress began popping up in franchise fare, including the Transformers and Fantastic Beasts series, but it was 2018’s Crazy Rich Asians that saw Chan on the precipice of major Hollywood stardom. Since then, Chan has been a part of two MCU movies, starred in acclaimed dramatic films, and been in productions that are at the center of the Hollywood conversation — and she doesn’t seem to be slowing down.
Related Gemma Chan’s Role In Doctor Who, Explained
One of the first significant roles of Gemma Chan’s acting career was on the popular British sci-fi show Doctor Who, though she didn’t stay for long.
10 Fresh Meat (2011-2016)
Ruth (3 Episodes, 2011)
Fresh Meat ComedyDrama Where to Watch
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“Fresh Meat” follows six Medlock University freshmen away from home for the first time. From awkward moments and dreaded silences to frequent reinventions and appalling behavior, they are about to discover who they really are.
Cast Zawe Ashton , Kimberley Nixon , Jack Whitehall , Joe Thomas Release Date September 20, 2011 Seasons 4
Fresh Meat comes from the minds of Peep Show‘s Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong, the latter of whom went on to even greater success when he created HBO’s award-winning Succession. A comedy series about six first-year students at the fictional Manchester Medlock University who all live in an off-campus apartment together, Fresh Meet sees Gemma Chan appear in three episodes of season 1 as Ruth, a drama student with a crush on Kingsley (Joe Thomas).
It was an early role for Chan, but it’s the type of bit part that Chan managed to make stand out despite not having very much to do.
It was an early role for Chan, but it’s the type of bit part that Chan managed to make stand out despite not having very much to do. She’s sweet and kind, and it’s immediately obvious as to why Kingsley would be dumbstruck at her taking an interest. It’s one of Chan’s few comedic roles and her sense of humor and comfort in the sitcom format revealed a lot of confidence about the actor that has served her well in multiple genres since.
9 Don’t Worry Darling (2022)
Shelley
Don’t Worry Darling RMysteryThrillerDrama Where to Watch
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In Don’t Worry Darling, a young married couple are lucky enough to live in Victory, an experimental town created to house the workers and families of the top-secret Victory Project. Life is perfect, with every resident’s needs met by the company. All they ask in return is an unquestioning commitment to the Victory cause. But soon, cracks in their idyllic life appear, exposing flashes of something much more sinister lurking beneath the attractive façade.
Director Olivia Wilde Release Date September 22, 2022 Cast Florence Pugh , Harry Styles , Olivia Wilde , Gemma Chan , Kiki Layne , Nick Kroll , Chris Pine Runtime 2h 2m Budget 35 million
Don’t Worry Darling was overshadowed by the many controversies surrounding its production and the end product itself wound up feeling bloated and confused, but there is still plenty to like about Olivia Wilde’s second directorial feature. For instance, Gemma Chan as Shelley, Frank’s (Chris Pine) wife, the head of the company town of Victory, California where the film takes place. Shelley is an enigma for most of the film, and it’s unclear if she knows she’s in a simulation, and if so, if she prefers it.
The actor brings all the skills she learned playing a synthetic human on Humans to this role and is totally unreadable yet sympathetic, with Chan deftly balancing the two halves of the character. There’s a menace to her portrayal that adds to the unsettling atmosphere of the film. Her attack on Frank in the Don’t Worry Darling ending feels like that’s what the movie has been building towards and it is completely believable that Shelley would have the capacity to do what she did.
8 Raya And The Last Dragon (2021)
Namaari
Raya and the Last Dragon PGAnimationAdventureAction Where to Watch
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Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon follows Raya (Kelly Marie Tran), the warrior princess of the Heart tribe, as she seeks to restore peace to the nation of Kumandra. After the evil Druun – mindless spirits who turn living things to stone – divide Kumandra into five warring tribes, Raya believes that if she can find the last dragon, Sisu (Awkwafina), she can reunite the five tribes.
Director Carlos López Estrada , Don Hall Release Date March 5, 2021 Cast Awkwafina , Kelly Marie Tran , Thalia Tran , Daniel Dae Kim , Alan Tudyk , Izaac Wang , Ross Butler , Patti Harrison , Gemma Chan , Sandra Oh , Benedict Wong , Lucille Soong Runtime 112 minutes Budget 100 million+
Gemma Chan voices Namaari in Raya and the Last Dragon, the nominal antagonist who eventually becomes the hero. In the animated Disney film, the five tribes of the fictional and magical land of Kumandra are in constant conflict. Namaari is the princess of the Fang tribe and is sent on a mission to steal a powerful gem for her tribe’s benefit. Her arc is nearly as important as Raya’s (Kelly Marie Tran) as they both learn to trust one another to save their homes.
Chan does not often play the antagonist in films. She’s not always a heroic figure, but Raya and the Last Dragon is one of her few big villain roles. The movie takes the character in a different direction than most Disney villains and Chan voices the character with righteous anger but also slips in some sympathetic lines here and there that make it clear Namaari is unsure of the task she’s been assigned by her family.
7 Eternals (2021)
Sersi
Eternals PG-13SuperheroActionAdventureFantasy Where to Watch
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Eternals is the 25th installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and is part of its fourth phase. Over 500 years ago, when the ten Eternals complete the task given to them by the Celestial Arishem to wipe out the invasive alien species known as Deviants that roam the earth, the group decides to go their separate ways as they find themselves at odds with how to continue their interactions with humanity as they grow and learn. Blending into society, the Eternals continue to live their lives in the modern day until the Deviants emerge again. When one of the Eternals is supposedly slain by a deviant, events are set in motion that will reunite them once again to discover why the Deviants have returned and what the true intentions of the Celestial have been for all these millennia.
Director Chloé Zhao Release Date November 5, 2021 Studio(s) Disney , Marvel Cast Angelina Jolie , Gemma Chan , Richard Madden , Salma Hayek , Kit Harington , Kumail Nanjiani , Lia McHugh , Brian Tyree Henry Runtime 157 minutes Budget $200 million Expand
Despite being directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Chloé Zhao, Eternals is not one of the most well-regarded Marvel movies and can be pointed to as one of the examples of how Phase 4 of the MCU stumbled. However, the film still has some beautifully crafted scenes thanks to Zhao, and Eternals boasts one of the most impressive casts in a Marvel film outside the Avengers movies. Gemma Chan stars as Sersi, an empathetic Eternal with the power to change matter with a touch.
Chloé Zhao won Best Picture and Best Director at the 93rd Academy Awards for
Nomadland
.
As the one Eternal most closely connected with humanity, Sersi is the focus of much of the film as she tries to convince the other Eternals about why they should help the people of Earth. Chan has two romantic partners in the film and depending on whether she’s in a scene with her human love or Eternal love, she plays Sersi in a different register. It’s an effective way to show how the character can’t totally balance her godhood and humanity, which creates some interesting tension about what her character will decide.
6 Mary Queen Of Scots (2018)
Bess Of Hardwick
Mary Queen of Scots RDramaHistoryBiopic Where to Watch
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Mary Queen of Scots is tells the story of the rivalry between Mary Stuart and Elizabeth I as they fight for control of the English throne. Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie star in this 2018 historical drama film, directed by Josie Rourke.
Director Josie Rourke Release Date December 7, 2018 Cast Margot Robbie , Jack Lowden , Guy Pearce , David Tennant , Joe Alwyn , Martin Compston , Saoirse Ronan , Brendan Coyle , Gemma Chan Runtime 124minutes Budget $25 million
Mary Queen of Scots depicts the events of the political fight between the titular Mary (Saoirse Ronan) and Queen Elizabeth I (Margot Robbie) of England. As they both vie for power, their personal love for one another begins to dissolve in the face of court machinations and betrayal. Gemma Chan appears as Bess of Hardwick, a real-life historical figure who was Elizabeth’s best friend and Mary’s keeper.
Chan’s color-blind casting of the white Bess of Hardwick was a decision made in part because of director Josie Rourke’s unwillingness to direct an all-white period drama. She told The Wrap,
“I was really clear, I would not direct an all-white period drama. Adrian, who plays, Lord Randolph, grew up 40 miles from the birthplace of William Shakespeare; he is one of our eminent Shakespearean actors. I needed to cast an ambassador who could move between the two courts and help this make sense. I don’t understand why you wouldn’t cast him.”
Bess has had four marriages by the time the audience meets her, and she has accumulated wealth and capital through those marriages. Chan plays the character as a proud but loyal member of Elizabeth’s court. When she’s put in charge of watching over the captive Mary, it’s clear that Bess has a distaste for the animosity that has grown between the royal cousins, making her a sympathetic figure.
5 The Creator (2023)
Maya Fey/Nirmata
The Creator PG-13Action Sci-FiDrama Where to Watch
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The Creator is a sci-fi action film from Rogue One director Gareth Edwards. Edwards wrote and directed the movie, which centers on the human race’s war against AI. In the post-apocalyptic world, Joshua (John David Washington) is tasked with finding and killing the architect of the dangerous AI and the mysterious weapon they are developing.
Director Gareth Edwards Release Date September 29, 2023 Cast John David Washington , Gemma Chan , Ken Watanabe , Sturgill Simpson , Allison Janney , Madeleine Yuna Voyles
In The Creator by director Gareth Edwards, set on Earth in the year 2070, it has been 15 years since intelligent AI set off a nuclear bomb in Los Angeles. U.S. Army Sergeant Joshua Taylor (John David Washington) is sent to find the “Creator”, a human who believes AI and humans can live peacefully and is responsible for many AI advances over recent years. He’s joined by his wife Maya (Gemma Chan), the supposed daughter of the Creator, who turns out to be the Creator herself.
It’s an epic tale and Chan has a gravitas to make the science fiction dialogue feel weighty and not silly.
Chan has some of the most emotional moments in the film as both May and the Creator, and she plays the characters slightly differently so that when the big, climactic scenes come for each, they all feel important. It’s an epic tale and Chan has a gravitas to make the science fiction dialogue feel weighty and not silly. She also shows her physical acting range, feeling right at home in the gritty, tangible world of The Creator.
4 The Boy And The Heron (2023)
Natsuko
The Boy and the Heron Not RatedDramaFantasy
Billed as the final work of famed animator Hayao Miyazaki, The Boy and the Heron is a drama-fantasy film that follows a young boy named Mahito who contends with grief following the passing of his mother during World War II. Forced to evacuate to the countryside amid the war, Mahito struggles to fit into his new environment and contend with his new stepmother. However, Mahito’s life is changed after meeting a strange talking Heron – setting him on a journey of self-discovery filled with magic.
Director Hayao Miyazaki Release Date July 14, 2023 Cast Soma Santoki , Masaki Suda , Aimyon , Shōhei Hino , Kô Shibasaki , Takuya Kimura , Yoshino Kimura Runtime 124 Minutes
The English dubs for Studio Ghibli films are some of the best in Hollywood, and The Boy and the Heron is no different with a cast that includes Gemma Chan, Robert Pattinson, Karen Fukuhara, Christian Bale, Willem Dafoe, Mark Hamill, and more. Hayao Miyazaki’s Oscar-winning 12th feature film follows Mahito Maki (Luca Padovan), a young boy who moves to the countryside after his mother’s death and finds a fantastical tower with a talking Grey Heron (Pattinson). Chan plays Natsuko, Maki’s aunt and new stepmother.
Natsuko is voiced by Japanese actress and singer Yoshino Kimura in the original version of the movie.
Natsuko is Mahito’s aunt, and she is grieving her sister’s death, just as Mahito is. However, they are unable to sympathize with each other because of Natsuko ostensibly replacing Mahito’s mother. She’s also pregnant and Chan voices the character with an exhaustion and sadness that comes through with just dialogue. Natsuko is caught between her duties as a mother, a sister, and an aunt, and Chan’s elegant but wavering vocal acting gives that character an incredible amount of depth.
3 Let Them All Talk (2020)
Karen
Close
Let Them All Talk ComedyDrama Where to Watch
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*Availability in US Director Steven Soderbergh Release Date December 10, 2020 Cast Meryl Streep , Gemma Chan , Lucas Hedges , Candice Bergen , Dianne Wiest , Saskia Larsen Runtime 113 minutes
Steven Soderbergh’s Let Them All Talk follows Alice Hughes (Meryl Streep), a Pulitzer Prize-winning author who goes on a Transatlantic voyage with two of her friends, her nephew, and her agent Karen (Gemma Chan) to think about her next book idea. On board, old animosities come to the surface. It’s a tightly written and rewarding comedy drama where each character has good reason to be annoyed with one another.
Chan’s role as a literary agent trying everything she can to get her client’s next book is a relatable performance for anyone who has ever been in a position where they need to be both a friend but also make sure they’re doing their job to the best of their ability. There’s a version of this character that could be grating, but Chan’s natural sweetness makes it clear that Karen is looking out for Alice as much as anyone as she tries to get the new notes for the upcoming book.
2 Crazy Rich Asians (2018)
Astrid Leong-Teo
Crazy Rich Asians PG-13Comedy Where to Watch
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Based on the global best-selling series Crazy Rich Asians is a romantic comedy that follows New York Rachel Chu to Singapore to meet her boyfriend’s family. However, she soon discovers her significant other is hiding a secret – his family is one of the wealthiest families in Singapore – and her mother already disapproves of her and her origins. Rachel will attempt to find her place in the madness and prove her own worth to a family of unflinching prejudice.
Director Jon M. Chu Release Date August 15, 2018 Cast Gemma Chan , Chris Pang , Awkwafina , Jimmy O. Yang , Michelle Yeoh , Ken Jeong , Henry Golding , Sonoya Mizuno , Jing Lusi , Constance Wu Runtime 121 Minutes Budget $30 million
Based on the first in a series of bestselling romance novels by Kevin Kwan, Crazy Rich Asians follows Rachel (Constance Wu), a Chinese American professor who travels to Singapore with her boyfriend, Nick (Henry Golding), and quickly learns that he is the scion of an unfathomably wealthy and posh family. Gemma Chan co-stars as one of Nick’s cousins, Astrid Leong-Teo, a fashion icon and socialite, whose wealth intimidates her husband, Michael (Pierre Png).
Astrid, who goes on to become an even more important character in later books, serves a critical role in the film. She shows the loneliness that can come from her family’s wealth and is the opposite side of the coin of Nick and Rachel. It’s a moving and sad role by Chan, who constantly looks like she’s about to cry as she struggles to convince the man she loves that he’s enough for her. The tear-jerking ending of Crazy Rich Asians allows Chan to show what she can do with a monologue, providing a powerful exclamation point to the finale.
1 Humans (2015-2018)
Anita/Mia
Humans Not Yet Rated Sci-FiDrama Where to Watch
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Humans is a science-fiction television series that delves into the integration of sophisticated humanoid robots known as “Synths” into society. The story explores the challenges and ethical dilemmas faced by humans as they interact with these advanced machines, questioning the nature of consciousness and the definition of humanity. Set in a near-future world, the series balances personal drama with broader social commentary.
Cast Emily Berrington , Jack Derges , Eva-Jane Willis , Pixie Davies , Gemma Chan , Sope Dirisu
It was Humans that finally put Gemma Chan on the Hollywood map after spending years in smaller roles. The British science fiction series examines the societal and cultural implications of the creation of “synths”, anthropomorphic robots who are indistinguishable from humans but are supposed to be completely servile. Anita (Chan) is a synth purchased by the Hawkins family as a housekeeper, but she soon begins exhibiting a personality and desires of her own.
Chan is the star of the three-season series and her character’s growth from synth to something more is the focus of the show. The actor switches between the robotic personality of the synth and the more human one of Anita with ease and, in any given scene, there’s always an undercurrent of intelligence, even when she’s being blindly obedient. Throughout the series, Gemma Chan slowly increases the humanity of her character, finding a new way to depict rising consciousness in each episode.