“In Chinese and Asian cultures, you have that sense of responsibility to your ancestors and parents for all the sacrifices that they have made, so you don’t want to mess it up.”
“If I can help in any way just to boost or amplify someone else’s voice, I’m happy to do that.”
In her latest movie, Eternals, Gemma Chan plays Sersi, an empath, who has an affinity with humans. In reality, particularly on our late-night Zoom call, this kinship with people comes to light in her own life. The 38-year-old speaks with natural grace, her soothing British accent is one that will put you at ease. She is apologetic about being 15 minutes late to our call due to her Internet connection and asks how I am doing. I tell her I’m about to have a baby in less than 48 hours’ time and she beams, wanting to know if it is my first or second child. She is contemplative and heartfelt in her responses to my questions and is especially impassioned when speaking about causes that are meaningful to her: the East and Southeast Asian (ESEA) community, girls’ education, male violence and climate change.
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