Nov. 22, 2023

Popular Vietnamese in Hollywood

Vietnam has been growing steadily in the filming sector with their local films earning international awards and making waves in the box office. Their actors are garnering popularity amongst worldwide audiences. By: Dylan Low

Vietnamese actors have been in many mainstream blockbuster films for the longest time. Their country contains many film talents, who have been working hard to showcase their acting performances to the world, at the highest level. We look at prominent Vietnamese film actors that have made their name in Hollywood.

One such notable actor is Ke Huy Quan. Born in Saigon Vietnam, he first moved to Hong Kong as a refugee and then settled in the United States. He then chanced upon an opportunity to begin acting in the US, starring in 1984’s blockbuster film Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, alongside Harrison Ford. That led to him becoming a notable child star in Hollywood, earning himself a role in The Goonies. After co-starring in sitcom Head of the Class for two seasons, he took a hiatus in the late 1990s with lack of role opportunities. 

He made a recent return to acting in 2022, as he portrayed Waymond Wang in Everything Everywhere All at Once. The show garnered popular acclaim amongst the public, with Quan’s performance earning him his first ever Oscar, which he labelled as “the American dream” in his acceptance speech.

Quan continues his film acting success this year in 2023 as he enters the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), starring in the second season of Loki which streams on Disney+. He will also take part in another Disney+ series named American Born Chinese this year.

Another prominent Vietnamese Hollywood actor is Hong Chau. Like Ke Huy Quan, Chau faced a rough upbringing born in a refugee camp in Thailand after her parents fled Vietnam. It was a Vietnamese Catholic Church in New Orleans, Louisiana which sponsored them a move to the United States. To overcome shyness, she began acting by taking improv classes which led to her acclaimed film success. 

Audiences took notice of her through the comedic film Downsizing, as she featured alongside accomplished actor Matt Damon. Her other popular films include Watchmen and Homecoming, which showcased on HBO and Amazon respectively. Last year, she rose to fame with her viral moments in the worldwide sensational film The Menu, obtaining her first Oscar nomination with a supporting role in The Whale, as a tough-love nurse to Brendan Fraser. Her journey from refugee to Oscar nominee has been nothing short of inspirational, earning the support and love from the fans.

Fresh off her Oscar-Nomination, Chau has made filming plans for 2024. She is set to join Apple Original film The Instigators, reuniting with Matt Damon and joining Casey Affleck. She will also feature in Yorgos Lanthimos's anthology film And, featuring alongside famous actors Willem Dafoe and Emma Stone.

One other Vietnamese actor that has achieved incredible success in the industry, is 26-year-old Lana Condor. A Vietnamese-born American actress, she was adopted by American parents as an infant. She first began acting thanks to her parents, who thought she had a natural ability in. She started taking classes and participating in auditions, landing a supporting role in X-Men: Apocalypse back in 2016.

This marked the beginning of her acting career, as she went on to earn main lead roles in Netflix mainstream franchise To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before and the horror sitcom Boo, Bitch. She has been casted in other movies, including names such as Moonshot and Alita: Battle Angel. 

Having completed a voice acting role in Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken this year, she is set to return to the big screen in romantic comedies Worth the Wait and Moonshot 2, the sequel to her initial 2022 film.

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