5 reasons why Stephanie Hsu is Hollywood’s new ‘It’ girl: the EEAAO rising star is slated to appear in comedy film Joy Ride and Disney+ series American Born Chinese next, alongside Michelle Yeoh
- This summer, Hsu is slated to appear in comedy film Joy Ride, directed by Crazy Rich Asians’ screenwriter Adele Lim, and in American Born Chinese, a new Disney+ series, alongside Michelle Yeoh
- The 32-year-old actress slayed all of her ‘fits by EEAAO costume designer Shirley Kurata on-screen and rocked up to red carpet events in Carolina Herrera and vintage Valentino in real life
Born in California with Chinese and Taiwanese family roots, Stephanie Hsu has earned a reputation as a multitalented powerhouse performer, wowing audiences with her dual roles as protagonist Joy Wang and villain Jobu Tupaki in last year’s Everything Everywhere All At Once, which recently swept the Oscars with seven awards.
Here are five ways that Stephanie Hsu is putting the “slay” in “Slaysian” – and why we love her for it.
She can sing, dance and act
Triple-threat, anyone? Hsu got her start performing in school musicals as a child before earning a BFA at the prestigious Tisch School for the Arts at NYU. All that formal training paid off – some of her earliest career breaks were on Broadway, originating the role of Christine Canigula in Be More Chill and Karen the Computer in SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical.
She refuses to pander to Asian stereotypes
Like many actors of colour, Hsu has faced typecasting problems and racial stereotypes throughout her career. Her solution? Turn down any roles involving such issues.
“I remember in 2012, I went into a commercial audition and they were like, ‘OK, could you do it again, but with a more Asian accent?’ And I said, ‘I’m so sorry, but this role is not for me. I don’t do that and I’m not interested in this part,’ Hsu told The New York Times earlier this year.