The actor, producer and activist is a real force for change

It’s the hottest day of the year so far, and Gemma Chan and I are climbing a hill on Hampstead Heath in search of the perfect picnic spot. Chan, summer-fresh in a light charcoal Cos jumpsuit, slips off her white Birkenstocks and settles down under a cluster of trees in the dappled shade to help unpack the food. Her eyes widen when she happens upon the macarons (“I’ve got my eye on these”), but she goes in for a scone– cream first, then jam; a just reward after our ascent.

It isn’t every day you have a picnic with a superstar, as Chan unquestionably is: this year alone, she is in one of the most anticipated films of 2022, Don’t Worry Darling with Florence Pugh and Harry Styles, and Extrapolations, the climate-change series with an all-star cast on Apple TV+. She recently achieved what could be considered the holy grail of Hollywood: landing the lead in a Marvel film – Eternals, a blockbuster that grossed £330 million– after being personally sought out by the studio boss Kevin Feige. As Sersi, she offered an empathetic, unconventional take on a super-heroine in a performance that came swiftly after her turn as the voice of the villainous Namaari, in Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon.

Chan is at her best when inhabiting characters whose veneer of perfection disguises deep emotional scars, as she did in Crazy Rich Asians with her portrayal of Astrid Leong, the billionaire heiress broken by her husband’s affair. She created someone wholly compelling in her vulnerability – so much so that there will now be a spin-off dedicated to Astrid. In Don’t Worry Darling, she plays Shelley, the wife of a cult-like leader (Chris Pine at his most charismatic and sinister), who runs the Victory Project, a utopian community in mid-century America. Chan thrills with menace, armed with a smile that betrays her icy core.

“For the role, I needed someone with an almost Cleopatra-like aura, exquisitely composed with a ferocity brewing underneath,” the film’s director Olivia Wilde tells me. “I was stunned by Gemma’s otherworldly grace, combined with her wicked sense of humour, which disarms you so you’re capable of speaking to someone so intensely beautiful.”
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L’Oreal Paris, the official partner of the Cannes Film Festival, is a feminist brand that has been empowering women for 25 years. Last year, L’Oreal Paris took this effort to the next level and introduced a special annual award program for promising short filmmakers, the Lights On Women Award.

The brand announced the second annual winner of the award chosen from the Short Films Competition and La Cinef’s selection at Cannes. Mai Vu of Vietnam won first place for her 9-minute film, Spring Roll Dream, which depicted the simple yet profound importance of family tradition. The final choice was announced in person by Academy Award-winner, L’Oreal Paris spokesperson and Juror of the 2022 edition, Kate Winslet, during a special prize ceremony at the Jeune Cinéma gala dinner held at the Cannes Film Festival on May 27, 2022.

“Sometimes a simple tale about the purity of a family tradition can mean the most of all,” says Kate Winslet, of Vu’s winning film.

“It is a sweet reminder that if we just take a step away from the chaos of daily life and let go of the emotional structures and boundaries that we create for ourselves and our children, we can reconnect with the things that matter most. We can remind ourselves that the smallest of pleasures can serve to anchor us in who we truly are. All these beautiful emotions are delicately displayed in Mai Vu’s exquisite film, Spring Roll Dream.”

Delphine Viguier-Hovasse, Global Brand President, L’Oreal Paris, adds, “This second edition of the Lights On Women Award represents L’Oreal Paris’ long-standing commitment to achieving greater gender balance in cinema. This year marks 25 years of L’Oreal Paris at Cannes, and we remain dedicated to creating a future where women may take their rightful place in the industry.”

This powerful night featured legendary actresses and speakers from L’Oreal Paris, Helen Mirren, Gemma Chan, Andie MacDowell, Camille Razat and Aja Naomi King.

At the sidelines of the event IANSlife caught up with actress Gemma Chan who celebrated and supported this next generation of talented female filmmakers.
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The Eternals star has a plan to tell better stories in Hollywood.

Gemma Chan’s curriculum vitae spans genres, areas of interest, and even industries: At one point, the Crazy Rich Asians star was a model, and she started out with ambitions of pursuing a legal career. Now, her current status still transcends arbitrary titles: Sure, she’s an actress (her latest role: starring as Sersi, one of the genetically mutated beings in the Chloé Zhao–directed Marvel Studios Eternals film), but she’s also a staunch AAPI-rights activist, consummately community-minded, and now, a producer too. For W’s annual Best Performances issue, Chan talks to Lynn Hirschberg about her very first gig, being painted blue in Captain Marvel, and returning as Sersi in a to-be-announced Marvel movie.

What was your first acting job?

I did a commercial for the now-defunct search engine Bing. I had to learn reams and reams of related words—it was a lot to memorize. The money from that commercial paid for drama school. But sadly, it did not do much for Bing.

Did you have trouble telling your parents that you wanted to be an actor?

Yes. I studied law initially. My parents were immigrants and wanted their child to have a steady profession. Not acting.

After school, you played a dominatrix in Secret Diary of a Call Girl.

That was fun! I’m still friends with most of that cast.

You wore a lot of latex. Did that prepare you for playing Sersi in Eternals?

The latex was comfortable! My costume in the Marvel Universe was much more confining. But still far easier than my first time in the Marvel Universe, when I was famously painted blue in Captain Marvel.
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The actor knew her father had served in the merchant navy, but it wasn’t until she read about Britain’s mistreatment of Chinese seamen in the 40s that she understood just how much his experiences had shaped her family

“Take the rest of the noodles and the pak choi and you can have it for your lunch tomorrow.” My dad pushed the takeaway containers and their remaining contents across the table towards me.

“I’ve got loads of food at mine, why don’t you and Mum keep it?” I protested. I knew he’d insist I take the leftovers with me. This routine would always play out at the end of family dinners once I’d left home and, this time around, it felt both familiar and oddly comforting – because it had been a while since our last dinner.

Well, more than a while. It was spring, last year, and the pandemic had meant that, for months, like most families, we’d only seen one another through our screens. This was the first time in a long while that we’d been able to get together for a meal. We were even legally allowed to hug (if we exercised “care and common sense”!). I had brought champagne to celebrate, and we ordered from the local Chinese takeaway. I’d like to say it was a bid to support an Asian business that had been struggling, like many others, during the pandemic, but – in truth – it was sheer laziness. We’d talked and gorged ourselves on crispy aromatic duck with pancakes, stir-fried king prawns with peppers in black bean sauce, and chow mein with beansprouts. My childhood favourites.

“OK, I’ll take them,” I said, “but my bag’s too small to carry the boxes.” My dad got up from the table and went to the hallway to retrieve his rucksack. He rummaged around inside for a moment and then pulled out a neatly folded plastic bag. Opening it out, he offered it to me. I reached for it and then my hand paused in mid-air as I gawped in disbelief.

“How long have you had this?” I asked in amazement. He shrugged. This was no ordinary plastic bag. Indeed, the bag was not of this millennium.
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