Gemma Chan wishes people "didn't have to talk about race anymore".
Gemma Chan for ELLE UK magazine
The 'Crazy Rich Asians' star is thrilled to see progression in Hollywood on the subject of race, but she only wishes that race and gender wouldn't even need to be discussed.
She said: "I do get moments where I think, 'Oh gosh, I wish we didn't have to talk about race anymore.' In the same way I wish we didn't have to talk about why it's unusual to have a female lead. Why is that still the exception? Why is it still so unusual to have half of the human race being centred in these stories? It seems ridiculous that we're still flagging that up as a talking point."
And the 38-year-old actress is grateful for her role in the Singapore-set movie as it has allowed her to be considered more widely for film parts that she might not have got to audition for before.
She added: "Before 'Crazy Rich Asians', I was not being considered for lead roles in feature films. There is a very select group of actors and actresses who are in that pool and I wouldn't even get an audition, I was just not even in that conversation. Whereas now … Well, I've been told I am being talked about for certain things and then you may meet the director, or you at least get to have your shot. That feels different."
Gemma prefers to keep her life private as much as possible.
Speaking to the February issue for ELLE UK magazine, she said: "When you start out, you don't even know what is important to keep for yourself – I didn't anyway, at the beginning, whereas now I think there are certain things that I absolutely know, 'That's mine and it's private.' For me, my comfort level is to have a clear distinction between what is for me and what I'm happy to talk about."
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