Hong Chau


Hong Chau is an American actress who is best known for her role in the 2017 film Downsizing as Vietnamese amputee and political activist Ngoc Lan Tran. For her performance, she was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture, the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role, and several other awards.
Before Downsizing, she appeared in the television series Treme and the film Inherent Vice. In 2018, she appeared as a guest star in several TV series. In 2019, she played a supporting role in the TV limited series Watchmen. She also had leading roles in the 2019 films American Woman and Driveways, and for the latter, she was nominated for Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead. In 2020, she had a starring role in the second season of the TV series Homecoming, having had a supporting role in its first season in 2018, and voiced Opal Koboi in Artemis Fowl.
Chau was born to Vietnamese parents who lived in a refugee camp in Thailand after fleeing Vietnam in the late 1970s. A Vietnamese Catholic church in New Orleans, Louisiana arranged for a family to sponsor Chau and her family. After growing up in New Orleans, Chau majored in film studies at Boston University and pursued an acting career.

Early life

Before Hong Chau was born, her parents and their two sons were living in Vietnam. In 1979, the family was among the Vietnamese boat people who fled their country, and Chau's mother was six months pregnant with her. During their escape, Chau's father was shot and nearly bled to death. Chau was born in a refugee camp in Thailand later in the year. A Vietnamese Catholic church in New Orleans, Louisiana in the United States organized for a local Vietnamese family to sponsor her family. Chau grew up speaking Vietnamese as her first language, and later learned English in school. Her family lived in government housing and used subsidized lunch programs.
Chau was raised in the eastern part of New Orleans, where she attended Eleanor McMain Secondary School and Ben Franklin Senior High School. She finished at Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts in Natchitoches, Louisiana. Her parents worked in menial labor to ensure that the children could attend college. Chau said her parents, who speak in heavy Vietnamese accents, were shunned as Asian migrants. She said, "My whole life, I've always felt like I was the more acceptable of my parents, and they were always the people who had to stay in the background, or hide in the broom closet."
Receiving student financial aid in the form of Pell Grants, Chau attended Boston University in Boston, Massachusetts, where she initially studied creative writing. She changed her major to film studies when her parents requested that she study something more practical. She explored acting to challenge her introvertedness; she acted in other students' short films and was encouraged to pursue acting. After college, Chau got a job with PBS and anticipated a career in documentaries. She later moved to New York City, where she studied acting.

Career

2006–2017: Early work and breakthrough with ''Downsizing''

Chau began acting in film and television in 2006. One of her first major roles was in the TV series Treme, which was set in New Orleans. Her first feature film role was in the 2014 film Inherent Vice. For two years after her role, she was not able to get an audition for another film role. In 2015, she had a key role in the Off-Broadway play John, written by Annie Baker and directed by Sam Gold. Chau acted with three others, including Georgia Engel and Lois Smith, and Chau credited the experience for strengthening her acting. She also had a supporting role in the 2017 premiere season of the TV miniseries Big Little Lies alongside Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon. She subsequently appeared in the 2017 film Downsizing, for which her performance was described as a standout by several reviews. She was nominated for several awards for best supporting actress. Some criticized her character Ngoc Lan Tran as stereotypical because Chau spoke in broken English, but Chau said that she found her character "so multifaceted and complex and well-written".

2018–present: Further success and leading roles

Following Downsizing, Chau appeared in guest roles in several TV series in 2018, including BoJack Horseman and Forever. She had a supporting role as a corporate secretary in the first season of the TV series Homecoming. The Ringers Alison Herman said another actor would have sought to accumulate more recurring roles on TV series. Herman said, "In the Peak TV Era, Chau opted for something much savvier: taking some choice guest parts in a few critically acclaimed TV shows... Chau benefits from these shows' prestige; the shows benefit from her talents." In 2019, The Hollywood Reporters Rebecca Sun said since Downsizing, "Chau has appeared in a series of critically acclaimed projects."
Chau had her first leading roles in the films Driveways and American Woman, both released at film festivals in 2019. For Driveways, Chau was familiar with director Andrew Ahn's previous film Spa Night, recognized his name when he contacted her with an offer for the role, and readily accepted the offer. Also in 2019, Chau appeared in the TV limited series Watchmen as the trillionaire Lady Trieu, whose performance The Hollywood Reporters TV critic Tim Goodman said was one of the series' "exceptional, memorable performances". Following the 2020 video-on-demand release of Driveways, Rolling Stones Maria Fontoura wrote that Chau has a "cool tenacity" in her roles. Fontoura said, "Whether she's playing a mysterious mogul, a secretive secretary, or a grieving single mother, the actress is steely, whip-smart, and deceptively powerful."
In May 2020, Chau had a larger role in Homecomings second season, in which she moves from secretary to a person in charge in the series's featured corporation. Entertainment Tonights Stacy Lambe said Chau "has become something of a scene stealer over the years". Lambe said, "What's notable about most of her projects is that they feature a diverse cast of actors of color who get to shine in unexpected ways," highlighting Treme, Watchmen, and Homecoming. Chau appeared in the film Artemis Fowl, which premiered on Disney+ in June 2020.

Personal life

Chau has two older brothers. She lives in Los Angeles, California. She has a dog, a Rottweiler-Australian Shepherd mix.

Credits

YearTitleRoleNotes
2006Finding My AmericaMinhEpisode: "The Road Trip Begins"
2008The Sarah Silverman ProgramAsian MasseuseEpisode: "Patriot Tact"
2010How I Met Your MotherCook PuEpisode: "Perfect Week"
2010TrenchesSpc. WingMain role; 10 episodes
2010NCISF.B.I. Lab Tech Molly ChoiEpisode: "Jurisdiction"
2010My BoysAudreyEpisode: "Puss 'N' Glutes"
2010$h*! My Dad SaysDJEpisode: "Code Ed"
2011–2013TremeLinh13 episodes
2012Julie BlanchEpisode: "Ms. Willows Regrets"
2012Good Luck CharlieTheresaEpisode: "Welcome Home"
2014–2015A to ZLoraMain role; 13 episodes
2017Big Little LiesJackie6 episodes
2017American Dad!Korean Spy Episode: "Casino Normale"
2018BoJack HorsemanPickles Aplenty 5 episodes
2018ForeverSarahEpisode: "Andre and Sarah"
2018–2020HomecomingAudrey TempleMain role; 11 episodes
2019WatchmenLady TrieuMain role; 4 episodes

YearTitleRoleNotes
2015JohnJennyOff-Broadway

Accolades

For her role in Downsizing, Chau was nominated for several awards for best supporting actress, including Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture and Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role. Considered a probable nominee for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress at the 90th Academy Awards, she was not nominated. USA Todays Andrea Mandell said, "Hong Chau was snubbed... a nomination many had assumed was a lock given the strength of her performance as a Vietnamese refugee."
YearFilmAwardCeremonyResult
2014Inherent ViceIndependent Spirit Robert Altman Award30th ceremony
2017DownsizingCritics' Choice Movie Award for Best Supporting Actress23rd ceremony
2017DownsizingFlorida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress2017 ceremony
2017DownsizingGolden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture75th ceremony
2017DownsizingSanta Barbara International Film Festival Virtuosos Award2018 ceremonyHonored
2017DownsizingScreen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role24th ceremony
2017DownsizingSt. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress2017 ceremony
2019DrivewaysIndependent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead35th ceremony
2020Maverick Spirit Award from Cinequest Film Festival30th ceremonyHonored