The Earth’s surface buckles in Moonfall , the latest sci-fi disaster epic from Roland Emmerich that is opening this week in cinemas around the world. As tsunami crash into office towers, gravity is upended, flinging cars and trucks into the sky. Astronauts Halle Berry and Patrick Wilson race into space to correct the moon’s faltering orbit, leaving their children behind to deal with looters, thieves and natural catastrophes. Moonfall is Kelly Yu’s first American film. The actor and musician has built a career in Asia working in film and TV and releasing several albums. “I was cast by Roland very quickly,” she tells the Post via Zoom from China, where she is working on her latest project. “We had a five-minute interview on Zoom. I play an exchange student who’s staying with Halle’s family because she’s a workaholic and needs help with her son Jimmy.” Yu bonded quickly with Zayn Maloney, who plays Jimmy. She says Berry was “super sweet,” and liked talking about her family. Most of Yu’s scenes were with Charlie Plummer, who was cast as Patrick Wilson’s errant son Sonny. “Zayn was a little nervous at first, because this was his first movie, too,” Yu remembers. “As for Charlie, we got used to being together every day. We played Plants Vs Zombies on the set all the time.” As Michelle, Yu has an important role throughout the film. She steps in to defuse tension when a fight threatens to break out, and in an extended special effects scene rescues Sonny when he is trapped under a fallen tree. In movies like The Day After Tomorrow and 2012 , Emmerich builds elaborate worlds which he proceeds to smash to smithereens. Yu points out a cautionary element to Emmerich’s stories, how they warn us about the climate change problems that are already unfolding. “Roland let us say whatever we wanted to to feel comfortable,” she says about the script. She was able to speak Mandarin at times, helping define her character’s cultural identity. She feels her work in Chinese movies and TV helped her in dealing with special effects. “For this kind of movie, you just have to imagine more,” she says. “You have to try to think about what could really happen to the Earth when the moon starts falling and we’re sucked into the air flying around.” Because of Covid, Yu hasn’t been able to leave China without undergoing extensive quarantines. She still hasn’t seen Moonfall when we speak, and can only guess at how the movie looks. Born in China and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, Yu was playing piano by the age of four. Her real interest, guitar, led her to Boston’s Berklee College of Music. “I went there because all my favourite guitarists came from there,” she says. “Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, they’re my idols. I formed a band in college, and really started writing music.” For Intermezzo , Yu’s latest album, she wrote and produced all the songs. But she doesn’t want to choose between acting and music as a career. “I get asked that question a lot,” she says. “I can’t pick a favourite because I love them both. I think what they share in common is that you are trying to create something, whether it’s a character or a song. Either way you are searching for inspiration.” Yu can’t predict whether she will work in additional Western films. “Three years ago, we could all travel around the world without any problems,” she says. “Now, with quarantine restrictions, it’s getting harder and harder to work overseas. Instead, I’m shooting a drama here.” Yu is open to any role that interests and challenges her. She’s also deeply committed to her music, despite the demands on her time. “I just rest less,” she jokes. “Sleep less, drink more coffee, stay awake all the time. I wish I was a vampire, so I don’t have to sleep any more. “You have to do what you love,” she adds. “If you love it, you just have to do it.” Want more articles like this? Follow SCMP Film on Facebook