Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
More On:
Woman Crush Wednesday
As we make our way through another week of cold, cocoa, and carols this holiday season, we also find ourselves at another Woman Crush Wednesday. Today we’re singing praises for an incredibly talented English actress who has been creating consistent and terrific work in film, television, and live theatre since 2006. Give it up for this week’s WCW, the gifted Gemma Chan!
WHO’S THAT GAL: Gemma Chan
WHY WE’RE CRUSHING: Chan will be in the highly-anticipated new HBO Max Original comedy-drama film Let Them All Talk, which drops on the platform Thursday, December 10th. She plays Karen, a literary agent, who takes part in the story of an author (Meryl Streep) who goes on a trip with her friends (Candice Bergen and Dianne Wiest) and nephew (Lucas Hedges) in an effort to find fun and come to terms with her past.
The star-studded film is also directed by Steven Soderbergh, and already is garnering critical acclaim and praise. Vulture recently called the movie “a warm, enjoyable trifle, yet it has a personal edge that suggests an artist who continues to wrestle with the nature of his work,” while the Chicago Sun-Times gave it a perfect four out of four star review, dubbing it “a dryly observational small masterpiece.” Clearly, there’s a lot to love about Let Them All Talk, so make sure you check out Chan and the rest of the cast’s wonderful work in this new movie as soon as it drops on HBO Max!
WHERE YOU’VE SEEN HER BEFORE: Chan’s extensive filmography exemplifies her range and depth as an actress (and human being!), beginning in 2006 with her two television debuts, the first as Molly Nelson in horror-comedy mini-series When Evil Calls, and the second as herself in fashion reality series Project Catwalk, where she competed as a model. From there, things swiftly took off for Chan, as she accrued credits in British television shows like Doctor Who in 2009, The IT Crowd and Sherlock in 2010, Secret Diary of a Call Girl and Fresh Meat in 2011, Bedlam in 2012, Dates in 2013, and The Game in 2014, before landing the TV role for which she is probably best known, as Anita/Mia in sci-fi series Humans, which she maintained from 2015 to 2018. During and after Humans, Chan also appeared on shows like Comedy Central sitcom Brotherhood, BBC fantasty-drama mini-series Watership Down, and ITV animated sci-fi series Thunderbirds Are Go.
Chan also has an extremely impressive body of film work that started with roles in features like 2009 psychological thriller Exam, 2010 thriller Pimp, 2010 neo-noir/political thriller Shanghai, 2010 coming-of-age-comedy Submarine, and 2013 black comedy thriller The Double before carving out a place for herself as a fixture in big-name movies and blockbusters. Roles in movies like 2014 action thriller Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, 2016 fantasy adventure Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, 2017 sci-fi action flick Transformers: The Last Knight, 2018 Golden Globe-nominated romcom hit Crazy Rich Asians, 2018 historical drama Mary Queen of Scots, and 2019 superhero blockbuster Captain Marvel, have all helped solidify Chan’s status as a beloved and dynamic actress with top-notch talent and versatility, as well as someone who will surely be around and continuing to make incredible, impactful work for many years to come.
WHERE YOU’LL SEE HER AGAIN: Luckily, you don’t have to wait too much longer to see more from Chan, as she has two projects that we know of on the horizon. The first, a 2021 action-adventure drama film called Eternals, which tells the saga of the Eternals, a race of immortal beings who lived on Earth and shaped its history and civilizations, and features her as Sersi alongside other big-name stars like Angelina Jolie, Kit Harington, Salma Hayek, Kumail Nanjiani, and more. The second is currently filming horror film (with released date TBD) Don’t Worry Honey, a psychological thriller centering on an unhappy housewife in the 1950s, in which she plays a woman named Shelley and acts alongside the likes of Florence Pugh, Olivia Wilde (who is also directing the film), Nick Kroll, Chris Pine, and Harry Styles. Clearly, these are two must-watches that you’ll definitely want to keep your eyes peeled for in the next year or two.
If you want to keep up with the latest on Chan while you wait, you can give her a follow on Twitter and Instagram, so don’t miss out on the latest from this week’s absolutely fantastic WCW!
