G Force

Gemma Chan is a girl on the rise following her breakout role in Crazy Rich Asians and the British born actress is on a mission to make her fame count.

- Jessica Young

FACT: Gemma Chan’s character, Astrid Leong, gets one of the best lines in Crazy Rich Asians. There was a collective shout of feminist empowerment at a preview when Astrid confronts her husband’s infidelity head on and lands her zinger – “It’s not my job to make you feel like a man. I can’t make you something you’re not”. Beautiful, poised and a graceful picture of quiet strength, Gemma was reportedly being eyed up for the lead role of Rachel Chu, but she preferred to take on the more intriguing part of a society lady trapped in an unraveling marriage.

“Astrid was my favorite character when I read the books. Yes, she’s undeniably glamorous. She’s an enigma, but she’s someone who, as well as being incredibly stylish and all of the other stuff that is superficial, she’s someone who has heart. She’s kind but she’s also suffering,” says the 35-year-old of her on-screen persona.

“People may not realise it, but she is someone who is really struggling to hold it together. That, for me, is the most interesting thing to play. It was great fun putting on these amazing outfits, but I was interested in getting underneath the character’s skin and finding out what was the emotional truth of the journey that she was on.”

That cerebral dissection of her character is just one of the reasons why Gemma was so perfect for the part, because like Astrid, the actress is paving the way for minorities in contemporary cinema by smashing the submissive and sexualised stereotypes associated with Asian women.

Putting The ‘A’ In Asian