Zoë Chao

Zoë Chao
Born
Zoë Carroll Chao[1]

(1985-09-19) September 19, 1985 (age 39)
Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.[2]
Education
Occupations
  • Actress
  • screenwriter

Zoë Carroll Chao (born September 19, 1985) is an American television and stage actress and screenwriter, principally known for her roles as Isobel in Strangers and Zoë in The Afterparty.

Early life

Chao was born in Providence, Rhode Island, United States.[2] Her mother has Irish and English ancestry, while her father is of Chinese descent. Her paternal grandmother immigrated from China to Michigan.[3] Chao has stated that she grew up in a family of visual artists.[3] After graduating from the Wheeler School in 2004,[4] she received her BA in art history from Brown University and her MFA from the graduate acting program at UCSD.[5]

Career

Chao has participated in theatre productions, including La Jolla Playhouse's Sideways, Surf Report, and WoW Festivals' Our Town, and Ensemble Theatre Company's Amadeus. In 2016, she appeared in the Off Broadway play Friend Art at Second Stage.[6] She has worked with directors Christopher Guest, Les Waters, Ping Chong and Chris Ashley.

Chao also starred in her own TV series, God Particles, which she wrote and produced. She co-produced the 2017 short Like Animals. She is perhaps best known for starring as Isobel in Strangers,[7] the first three episodes of which were screened at the Sundance Film Festival.[8]

In 2022-23, Chao was in the main cast of the Apple TV+ mystery comedy series The Afterparty. In 2024, Chao appeared as Nina Mazursky in the animated television series Creature Commandos, written and created by James Gunn for the DC Universe based on the comic book team of the same name.[9]

In 2024, Chao was cast in the comedy Let's Have Kids! opposite Karen Gillan.[10]

Personal life

During the filming of Strangers, Chao relocated from New York City to Los Angeles.[3]

Filmography

Key
† Denotes films that have not yet been released

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2006 My Girlfriend's Abroad
2014 The Gordon Game Wife Short
2015 Dirty Beautiful Jamie
Dirty Garden Short
Center Pedal Y Short
2017 Like Animals Mary Short
2019 Where'd You Go, Bernadette Soo-Lin
Almost Love Haley
2020 Downhill Rosie
The High Note Katie
I Used to Go Here Laura
2021 Long Weekend Vienna
2022 Family Squares Kelly Also FF & GG Camera Operator
Senior Year Tiffany Blanchette
2023 Your Place or Mine Minka
Somebody I Used to Know Ramona
If You Were the Last Jane Kuang[11]
2024 Nightbitch Jen
2025 The Roses † Post-production
TBA Let's Have Kids! † Phoebe

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2011 The Protector BAO House Girl Episode: "Beef"
2012 Hart of Dixie Dr. Lee Episode: "Disaster Drills & Departures"
2014 God Particles Rue 4 episodes
2014 The Comeback Shayna 4 episodes
2015 Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn Ms. Nakamura Episode: "Sweet Foot Rides"
2015 Monster Girls Halfoff TV short
2016 Rizzoli & Isles Mimi Tanaka Episode: "A Shot in the Dark"
2016 That's What She Said TV miniseries
2017–18 Strangers Isobel Main role
2018 Succession Joyce Miller's Staff Episode: "Sad Sack Wasp Trap"
2019 The OA Mo 2 episodes
2019 Living with Yourself Kaylyn Recurring role
2020–21 Love Life Sara Yang Main role (season 1)
Guest role (season 2)
2021 Modern Love Zoe Episode: "The Night Girl Finds a Day Boy"
2022 Central Park (voice) Episode: "The Puffs Go Poof"
2022–23 The Afterparty Zoë Zhu Main role
2023 Celebrity Jeopardy! Herself Contestant
2023 Party Down Lucy Dang Main role (season 3)
2024–present Creature Commandos Nina Mazursky (voice) Main role

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Work Result
2015 International Academy of Web Television Awards Best Female Performance in a Comedy God Particles Won
2023 Critics Choice Association Celebration of Asian Pacific Cinema & Television Actress Award for Television The Afterparty Won
2024 Variety's 10 Actors to Watch Honored

References

  1. ^ "Zoë Chao and Tracee Ellis Ross On Airplane Rituals, Instagram, and the Art of the Irish Exit". Interviewmagazine.com. August 15, 2019. Retrieved February 7, 2022.
  2. ^ a b "ZOË CHAO". ISSUE Magazine. Retrieved October 9, 2019. BIRTH DATE: 9/19/85 BIRTH PLACE: Providence, RHODE ISLAND
  3. ^ a b c "In 'Strangers,' Actress Zoe Chao Explores Bisexuality and the Late-20s Identity Crisis". NBC News. October 20, 2017. Retrieved November 27, 2017.
  4. ^ "Facebook Post". The Wheeler School. August 2, 2019. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
  5. ^ "STRANGERS- An original series by Mia Lidofsky". Indiegogo.com. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  6. ^ Isherwood, Charles (May 27, 2016). "In the Comic 'Friend Art,' Some Opinions Are Better Left Unsaid". The New York Times. Retrieved May 27, 2016.
  7. ^ ""Strangers" Is The Show Nailing The Hilarious, Sad Struggles of Adulting". Refinery29.com. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  8. ^ "Refinery29 Debuts Scripted Series 'Strangers' at Sundance". Wwd.com. January 25, 2017. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  9. ^ Oddo, Marco (April 12, 2023). "Here's the Full Cast of DC's 'Creatures Commandos' [Exclusive]". Collider. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  10. ^ Kit, Borys (April 29, 2024). "Karen Gillan and Zoë Chao to Star in MRC Comedy 'Let's Have Kids!'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
  11. ^ Mintzer, Jordan (March 12, 2023). "'If You Were the Last' Review: Anthony Mackie and Zoë Chao in an Outer-Space Rom-Com Whose Boosters Fail to Ignite". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 20, 2023.