Arden Cho On How Saying No Can Be Empowering

Asian American actress Arden Cho discusses the authentic representation of identity in her new Netflix series, fighting for equity in Hollywood, and how saying no can be empowering

- Cheryl Lai-Lim

Before Arden Cho became an actress, she had her sights set on another career. “When I was younger, I definitely imagined myself as a lawyer. I even studied pre-law,” she tells Tatler Singapore over video call, a few weeks before coming to town this July on a press tour for her recently released Netflix series Partner Track and for this photo shoot. “I probably would have made my parents so proud, as with any typical Asian American family.”

Well, Cho is now making her Korean American parents proud in other ways, including realising her dream as a lawyer—albeit a fictional one—in the 10-episode contemporary legal drama, which premiered in late August. The series is based on Chinese American novelist and lawyer Helen Wan’s 2013 book of the same name.

While Cho’s body of work includes popular TV shows such as Teen Wolf and Chicago Med, the drama marks her first as a series lead, portraying protagonist Ingrid Yun. “I remember my first day on set,” the 37-year-old recalls. “I sent my mum a picture of Ingrid’s Harvard diploma and I was like, ‘Look, mum, I graduated law school. Are you proud?’ She texted me back: ‘Yes, I’m so proud.’ And it felt like she was genuinely proud, even though it was a fake diploma.”