Marvel Studios recently announced that the production for “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” is a wrap! This will be the studio’s first movie that will star an Asian as their superhero lead.
They’ve also revealed the amazing line-up that will bring the movie to life for Marvel fans, including the likes of Simu Liu, Awkwafina, Michelle Yeoh, and Ronnie Chieng. However, one name in particular that made Hong Kong buzzing is no other than Fala Chen, who is one of the city’s most celebrated actress.
If the name Fala Chen (陳法拉) doesn’t ring a bell for you, here’s 6 things you need to know about Marvel’s “Shang-Chi” newest cast member:
1. Chen is a celebrated actress in Hong Kong.
Chen kickstarted her acting career when she signed an 8-year contract with Hong Kong broadcaster TVB. She has starred in a number of well-known dramas such as “Heart Of Greed”, “Steps”, “Moonlight Resonance”, and “The Stew Of Life”.
Throughout her acting career in TV, Chen has been nominated for a total of 20 awards for her roles in 11 shows. She ended up winning awards for her performance in “Steps” and “No Regrets”.
2. She quitted acting to return to school.
The actress decided to go back to acting school after her contract with TVB ended 7 years ago. While speaking with SCMP, she explained that she is hitting a rut in her career even though she was at the peak of her popularity.
Chen said, “After doing TV for seven to eight years, I felt like I hit a bottleneck. I decided it was time to get back to a training program.” Eventually, she enrolled herself into New York’s Juilliard School, where she took before graduating in 2018.
3. The Hong Kong star grew up in the US.
Chen initially grew up in her hometown, Chengdu, the capital of southwestern China’s Sichuan. However, at the age of 14, she and her family had move to Georgia, USA.
According to Goldthread, Chen told a news portal that she was “pretty much the only Asian kid in the class.” She added, “being in a new environment was difficult for me, but I had enough new stimuli in my life. So, I wasn’t bored.”
4. The actress is super-multilingual
For your information, Chen can speak multiple languages, including English, Mandarin, Cantonese and Japanese. She can also use sign language after learning it for one of her more famous roles (in HK Drama “Moonlight Resonance”) – where she played a mute girl. Her performance in the drama got her nominations for “TVB Anniversary Award for Best Supporting Actress” and “My Favourite Female Television Role (Top 5)”.
5. Fala Chen shared the screen with Nicole Kidman
After graduating from Juilliard with Master of Fine Arts in Drama (MFA), she made her debut in Hollywood for HBO miniseries “The Undoing”, which starred Hugh Grant. This is when the actress got the opportunity to appear on screen alongside Nicole Kidman.
6. She is a beauty pageant title-holder.
During her college breaks, it is reported that the actress took part in a couple of beauty pageants as means to pay for her tuition fees. She managed to win as the 1st runner up in the Miss Chinese International Pageant 2005, which kicked off her career in entertainment
We don’t know too much about the plot that will take place in Marvel’s “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”. What we do know is the movie will hit theatres on July 9th, 2021.
Sources: Goldthread, SCMP.
