Jess Hong (born ) is a New Zealand actress of Chinese descent, known for her role as Jin Cheng in the

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

series '' 3 Body Problem'' (2024).

Early life and education

Jess Hong was born in and raised in

Palmerston North Palmerston North (; , colloquially known as Palmerston or Palmy) is a city in the North Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Manawatū-Whanganui region. Located in the eastern Manawatū Plains, the city is near the north bank of the Manaw ...

in New Zealand, by her mother, an immigrant from

Guangzhou Guangzhou, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Canton or Kwangchow, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Guangdong Provinces of China, province in South China, southern China. Located on the Pearl River about nor ...

, China. Her father is from

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

. She is the youngest of three sisters. She started taking drama classes at the age of 13, mainly to combat her shyness and

social anxiety Social anxiety is the anxiety and fear specifically linked to being in social settings (i.e., interacting with others). Some categories of disorders associated with social anxiety include anxiety disorders, mood disorders, autism spectrum dis ...

. Hong initially quit drama classes during her first year of high school but subsequently resumed them at the age of 17 during her final. After completing her secondary education, she moved to

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

to study for three years at the national drama school,

Toi Whakaari Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School is New Zealand's national drama school. It was established in 1970 and is located in Wellington, New Zealand, in the Te Whaea: National Dance & Drama Centre. Toi Whakaari offers training in acting, costume constru ...

, graduating in 2019.

Career

Hong moved to Auckland after graduation, undertaking casual work while auditioning for acting jobs. She has appeared in a variety of stage productions throughout New Zealand, including several Shakespeare performances. On television she has appeared in the New Zealand shows ''

The Brokenwood Mysteries ''The Brokenwood Mysteries'' is a New Zealand television detective drama series that premiered on Prime (now Sky Open) in 2014. Each of the first six series comprises four episodes. From Series 7, seasons were extended to six episodes. The progr ...

'', ''Inked'', ''

Creamerie ''Creamerie'' is a black comedy web series from New Zealand that launched in 2021 on TVNZ OnDemand. It explores a world in which nearly all men have died from a virus, and three friends, played by Perlina Lau, J.J. Fong, and Ally Xue, run a dair ...

'', and ''

My Life Is Murder ''My Life Is Murder'' is an Australian-New Zealand murder mystery crime comedy-drama television series, broadcast on Network 10 and TVNZ 1. The ten part series premiered on 17 July 2019, at 8:40 pm. In the United States, the series began strea ...

''. Hong gained international recognition with a leading role in the Netflix series '' 3 Body Problem'', released in 2024. According to ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'', Hong's character Jin Cheng, who is originally of Chinese descent, was rewritten to reflect her New Zealand background and accent. To prepare for the role, Hong downloaded

Cixin Liu Liu Cixin (, pronounced ; born 23 June 1963) is a Chinese computer engineer and science fiction writer. In English translations of his works, his name is given as Cixin Liu. He is sometimes called "''Da'' Liu" ("Big Liu") by his fellow sc ...

's ''

Remembrance of Earth's Past ''Remembrance of Earth's Past'' () is a science fiction novel series by Chinese writer Liu Cixin. The series is also popularly referred to as ''Three-Body'' from part of the title of its first novel, ''The Three-Body Problem (novel), The Three- ...

'' trilogy on Kindle.

Filmography

Television

Film

Theatre

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hong, Jess Living people Actresses from Auckland New Zealand television actresses New Zealand people of Chinese descent 21st-century New Zealand actresses Year of birth missing (living people) 1990s births