In 1987, Joan Chen landed a major role in The Last Emperor, a film which would go on to win nine Oscars. Yet in the years that followed, despite consistently solid work on her part, a flood of offers didn’t come in. Now, thirty-seven years later, Chen is back in the Oscar conversation, this time for playing Chungsing Wang, the mother of the title character in director Sean Wang’s charming coming-of-age movie Dìdi.
Awards Buzz spoke with Chen about the course of her career and how the industry is still evolving to give her the kinds of roles that truly utilize her talents. Watch the video above to hear what Dìdi and the character of Chungsing mean to her.
Dìdi is streaming on Peacock.
