Fala Che is currently starring in 'Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire'. Photo: Reuters
In 2021, former TVB actress Fala Chen scored a superhero flick – a Marvel movie, no less, as her first Hollywood film.
She plays Jiang Li, a skilled martial artist with extraordinary psychic powers in Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings.
Her character also happens to be the mother to Simu Liu’s titular character and the wife to Tony Leung’s Xu Wenwu.
The movie opened doors for Chen – already an established star in Asia – in Hollywood but unfortunately she was offered the same roles time and again.
“A lot of mum characters came my way after Shang-Chi. But that’s not (my character’s) identity,” Chen tells StarLifestyle in an exclusive virtual interview.
“I try to stay away from characters like that, where a woman’s identity is defined by her motherhood or, you know, she’s the wife of someone.
“I want the description of a character (I play) to have her place in the world, not just as a mother or a wife.”
Her current role definitely fits that bill.
The 42-year-old is one of the human cast members in Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire, alongside Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Dan Stevens and Kaylee Hottle.
(From left) Brian Tyree Henry, Fala Chen, Rebecca Hall, Kaylee Hottle and Dan Stevens arrive at the premiere of 'Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire' in Los Angeles. Photo: AP
Chen plays the leader of a mysterious human civilisation known as the Iwi, and is the protector of a city that has managed to stay hidden from curious eyes.
One amazing thing about the Iwi is that they communicate through telepathy, which means Chen has no lines in the usual sense of the word.
“I thought it was really groundbreaking that the character communicates telepathically, instead of speaking in a tribal language or creating a new language (for the tribe). That’s what we often see in films. So, I thought (this method) to be really clever....
“And also, it gives a lot of room for kind of universal understanding for the audiences around the world.
“For Kong and Godzilla, they don’t use language either, but people understand their emotions, you know,” adds Chen, who comes off as friendly and is often seen smiling as she speaks via Zoom during this eight-minute session.
Her character in Godzilla X Kong also plays a critical role in uniting the two ancient Titans to fight against a power-hungry gargantuan ape.
Chen, who is always up for a challenge, says she was intrigued to play this unique character in an established franchise. What more, as someone who communicates without speaking.
“I used a lot of my body to convey her thoughts, but in a very subtle way.
“I feel like less is more, just a tiny bit of a shoulder turn, a little bit of a head nod, and just rely on my eyes and facial expressions to ‘say my lines’.
“And really, as actors, we have to believe it first – to believe the thoughts and the idea and what’s happening in the scene.”
In 'Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire', Fala Chen doesn't have lines in the usual sense of the word. Photo: Handout
Adapting to her present situation is something that Chen had plenty of practice throughout her life.
Born in China, Chen moved to the United States as a teenager when her family emigrated from Chengdu, Sichuan, to Atlanta, Georgia.
In the US, Chen – whose mother tongue is Mandarin – had to learn to speak English and get used to the American way of life.
Then in college, she participated in several beauty pageants – Miss Asian America, Miss New York Chinese and Miss Chinese International Pageant.
These led her to Hong Kong, where she signed a contract with the broadcasting company TVB, even though she knew no one there and didn’t speak Cantonese.
“Looking back, there were a lot of moments which I feel were just pure luck,” she surmises of her journey.
“I’ve been so lucky in my career. I get to do many different things and learn different languages – Cantonese was an acquired language in my 20s.”
Once she mastered Cantonese, she hosted variety shows and played supporting roles in TVB dramas including Heart Of Greed (2007), Moonlight Resonance (2008) and The Stew Of Life (2009). Chen also picked up Japanese.
Julian Cheung (left) and Fala Chen in 'Triumph In The Skies II'. Photo: Handout
Along the way, too, she got married to Hong Kong businessman-turned-actor Daniel Sit, and started securing lead roles in series like Lives Of Omission (2011), Queens Of Diamonds And Hearts (2012) and Triumph In The Skies II (2013).
Triumph In The Skies II was one of TVB’s most highly anticipated dramas of 2013. However, there were many rumours surrounding the production, including one about Chen not getting along with co-star Francis Ng.
It was also reported that the actress didn’t want to participate in promoting the show as she had left Hong Kong at that point.
A Hong Kong website reported that she had attended the drama’s first promotion in Malaysia in June 2013, and it turned out to be the only promotional event she did for the series.
Later reports stated that around that time, the fame and attention she gained as a leading lady took a toll on her. Not only did her marriage end in a divorce that year, but Chen began to feel inadequate as an actor.
In a more recent interview with an international magazine, Chen recalled that she always felt like she was “kind of faking it”.
She added: “I wasn’t sure how to create a character; I wasn’t sure how to carry a 20-episode show.”
So, what did she do?
She quit showbiz in Hong Kong, moved to New York and, in 2014, enrolled in a four-year master of fine arts acting programme at the renowned Juilliard School in New York.
“Going back to drama school was definitely the boldest move that I’ve ever made. And I am still tasting the fruit of it,” she shares with StarLifestyle.
“The four-year hardcore training, going back to drama school in my 30s was definitely very challenging for me, but it was life-changing as well.”
This is true, both professionally and personally.
Soon after graduating, she nabbed her first American series The Undoing (2020), working opposite Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant. There was of course the aforementioned 2021 Marvel film, which she followed up with a role in Olivier Assayas’ HBO series Irma Vep (2022), starring opposite Alicia Vikander.
On the personal front, the Chinese American married French tech entrepreneur Emmanuel Straschnov in 2019. They are parents to a three-year-old daughter and a newborn baby boy.
The 42-year-old Juilliard School graduate married French entrepreneur Straschnov in May 2019. Photo: Fala Chen/Instagram
Although Chen is an international star now and is always on the lookout to beef up an already impressive resume, she says it’s still an uphill battle.
She describes navigating the Hollywood industry as kind of a dance – sometimes there is a step forward, and at times a step back.
“A lot of actors say that you have to create your own opportunity. But, at the same time, for a big franchise like Godzilla X Kong, actors rarely get to create those franchises or be an active participant in the creativity of the film.
“I do feel like it’s still quite a challenge for people of colour and women, especially women above 30 or 40 years old, to play an interesting, full-faceted character in Hollywood.”
But, she is grateful to be given a chance and to be included in a large-scale movie like Godzilla X Kong where the cast is quite diverse, and where the main characters are these iconic creatures.
A scene from 'Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire'. Photo: Handout
“It’s a brand new experience for me,” she says of her participation in Godzilla X Kong.
“As a brand new character, I was very excited when I was first presented the opportunity to play the queen of Iwi tribe, which we briefly saw in (the 2017 film) Kong: Skull Island. But we never really see where they’re from and who they are.
“So this time we really get to meet them – to see what their home looks like and to discover where Jia (Kaylee’s character) is from.
“It was super exciting for me, and I had a lot of fun filming this in Australia.”
As of now, Chen doesn’t have anything on her plate but she says she’s hoping for “a part where I can just play an American Chinese who speaks English. I’m still playing the Asian person in movies”.
She adds: “It’s still quite challenging to find those meaty parts, but I’m doing the work. So, hopefully the industry will change”
Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire opened at cinemas nationwide on March 28.
