Fala Chen



Fala Chen (Chinese:陳法拉) (born 24 February 1982) is a Chinese American Hong Kong actress. She is best known for her roles in Hong Kong TVB drama series including Steps, No Regrets, Triumph in the Skies II, and Lives of Omission. She also starred in the Hong Kong films Tales from the Dark 2 (2013) and Turning Point (2009), as well as the Cantonese dubbing of Despicable Me 3 (2017). She made her first Hollywood appearance in the HBO miniseries The Undoing (2020) and starred in the Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021).

Quotes

 * I’m incredibly close to my family and I think family is such an important thing, in Asian culture especially. This really spoke to me personally, but hopefully the audience will resonate with that as well. Not only Asian audiences, but also audiences from all over the world, everyone and anything can relate to the unconditional love that you share among a family and between family members. No family is perfect. We all have our differences, misunderstandings, and ups and downs. I hope people can see that we are who we are because of our family and because of our ancestry, and respect that.
 * "Fala Chen on the Importance of Family in ‘Shang-Chi’ and What Surprised Her About Making a Marvel Movie" in Collider (2 September 2021)


 * I’m not physically a super expressive person. I think I’m pretty put-together.
 * "Let Fala Chen Reintroduce Herself" in Elle (25 August 2021)


 * All I ever wanted in my life as an actor was a safe, exploratory environment to just play and act, without being worried about if it’s going to turn out alright on camera, what the box office is going to be, what is the press going to say, what’s the review going to be like. Acting in its purest form.
 * "Let Fala Chen Reintroduce Herself" in Elle (25 August 2021)


 * When I was a teenager in Georgia, I always felt like the odd one. I never felt like I fit in. My dad and I would go to Blockbuster and look for Asian films and we could never find any. If we saw a Jackie Chan movie, we would watch that because it was so comforting to see a face similar to ours.
 * "Fala Chen Is Bringing Her Excellence to Hollywood" in Town & Country (1 September 2021)


 * America has taken small baby steps of progress towards having more inclusion and diversity in Hollywood. It's optimistic. I'm hopeful, but there is so much more work that needs to be done.
 * "Fala Chen Is Bringing Her Excellence to Hollywood" in Town & Country (1 September 2021)


 * Even while filming we knew how important it was that we get this opportunity to showcase our culture and our uniqueness, but also, as human beings, our stories, our emotions, and, at the end of the day, our humanity.
 * "Fala Chen Is Bringing Her Excellence to Hollywood" in Town & Country (1 September 2021)


 * I wanted to break boundaries for myself as an actor, where it's not to tell the story and do a good job, but to go to another level where I feel free.
 * "Fala Chen Came to America to Find Herself—And Wound Up Being Cast in a Groundbreaking Marvel Movie" in Harpers Bazaar (24 September 2021)


 * In China, literally in elementary school, we have to sit a certain way. You can't raise your hand anytime, you can’t speak in class. So, it takes a lot of courage and experimenting to kind of try to break that.
 * "Fala Chen Came to America to Find Herself—And Wound Up Being Cast in a Groundbreaking Marvel Movie" in Harpers Bazaar (24 September 2021)


 * It was important not only to me personally, but also for all of us who were involved, that it sets an example of Asian excellence for a more prominent presence in Hollywood, and also globally.
 * "Fala Chen Came to America to Find Herself—And Wound Up Being Cast in a Groundbreaking Marvel Movie" in Harpers Bazaar (24 September 2021)


 * When I worked in Asia for a long time, I just felt like I needed a break. I needed to relearn everything about myself and unlearn a lot of things.
 * "'Shang-Chi' Star Fala Chen Duels And Woos Tony Leung, But She Almost Quit Acting" in SyFy (26 August 2021)


 * I learned so much about myself that I didn't know prior. You're just constantly outputting, and giving all you know so you don't have time to look inside of yourself and to really reflect. The four years at drama school really gave me that time and space. I got to know myself much better, I think as not only as an actor, but as a person. I was reassured about my passion for acting. I was more confident coming out of drama school.
 * "'Shang-Chi' Star Fala Chen Duels And Woos Tony Leung, But She Almost Quit Acting" in SyFy (26 August 2021)