Downsizing’s Hong Chau Knows the Secret to Getting Through Awards Season

Get ready to hear a lot more about Vietnamese actress Hong Chau this awards season. The relative newcomer is garnering rave reviews and Oscar buzz for her fiery breakout performance in Alexander Payne’s satirical comedy Downsizing, as well as nominations for Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Awards.

In the film, which arrives in theaters on December 22, Chau plays Ngoc Lan Tran, a tenacious, selfless, one-legged Vietnamese activist working as a maid who helps Matt Damon’s character find purpose in a world where scientists shrink humans to five inches to relieve the world’s problems. Those who choose the procedure are sent off to start a new life in a custom-built miniaturize community. Chau steals every scene away from Damon and her other starry co-stars, including Kristen Wiig, Christoph Waltz, and Laura Dern.

“I’m still processing the nominations and all the attention I’m getting,” Chau told Vanity Fair at the Downsizing premiere in Los Angeles Monday. “It’s usually just me and my dog”—a Rottweiler-Australian shepherd mix named Kobe—“taking really long, quiet walks, and now I’m going to premieres and doing interviews. This is the most talking I’ve done in my entire life!”

It’s not an overnight success for Chau, who studied film at Boston University. She has worked steadily in movies and TV since 2006; viewers may recognize her from HBO’s Big Little Lies as Jackie, a catty Monterey, California, mom; from three seasons of Treme; and from Paul Thomas Anderson’s 2014 drama Inherent Vice. But it’s her performance in Downsizing that not only allowed Chau to break through but is also a part she can personally relate to.

“I really feel like my whole life has been in preparation for this role. The journey that my character goes through is similar to my own parents’ story,” she said. Chau’s mother and father escaped Vietnam in 1979 by boat and ended up in a refugee camp in Thailand, where she was born. Shortly after, they immigrated to New Orleans, where a family had volunteered to sponsor them.

“They’ve gone through so much in their lives, more than anybody could imagine. They are so joyful and good-humored. Usually when you go through a lot of difficulty in your life, it can really change you for the worse,” explained Chau. “My parents have just been really good people, and me and my brothers really appreciate having them as our parents. So it’s really nice to play a character that’s closely related to their journey.”

As she is about to embark on the three-month awards season trail for the first time, Chau says she has a strategy for navigating the endless parade of red carpets and long hours of schmoozing.

“I’ve got to take my vitamins to keep my energy,” she said. “That’s my plan. I hope that will work. I don’t really exercise so maybe I should start doing that as a stress reliever.”

And who will be her date for the upcoming ceremonies such as the Golden Globes on January 7? “I think my parents,” she said. “I’m excited to share this experience with them.”

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