Hong Kong actress Charlene Choi, who is about to start shooting her third Hollywood blockbuster, attended a brand event with South Korean actor Park Hyung on June 6th at Kowloon Station in Hong Kong. A mother of two, she mentioned during the interview that she had made a special trip back to Hong Kong for the event and would rush back to New York that evening to take care of her son. She revealed that her son has been given a Chinese and French name, with the Chinese name sharing her surname, Chen.
Charlene Choi made a breakthrough in Hollywood with the Marvel series of movies and has seen a surge in popularity in recent years, particularly with “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.” Having lived abroad for many years, she returned to Hong Kong on the 6th to attend the brand event, where she was joined by South Korean actor Park Hyung Sik. The two of them posed for photos with the brand representatives.
In 2013, after finishing filming “Triumph in the Skies 2” in Hong Kong, Charlene bid farewell to the wealthy second-generation Hong Kong heir, Nicholas Tse, after seven years. In 2014, upon the completion of her contract with TVB, she decisively went to the U.S. to pursue a four-year master’s degree in drama performance and graduated with straight A’s, becoming the first Chinese student to be awarded a drama performance master’s degree from The Juilliard School. After graduation, she signed with a prestigious management company in the U.S. and officially entered Hollywood.
Balancing both her career and family life, Charlene also found new love. After marrying her French boyfriend Emmanuel Straschnov, whose Chinese name is Simanuo, she shifted her focus in life and career to the United States and Europe.
In late 2020, Charlene gave birth to her daughter, Minnie, and in March this year, she announced the arrival of her second child, a son. During the interview, she expressed, “Even before going to the airport, I was already worried about my son. This is the first time I have been separated from my kids since giving birth to my second child. I will stay in Hong Kong for a few hours this time and return to New York tonight because of breastfeeding, which keeps me busy.”
When asked about her son’s name, she disclosed that he has been given both a Chinese and French name, with the Chinese name sharing her surname, “Chen,” and his English name being Mickey. As for rewards from her husband, she humorously mentioned an incident when they were out in New York with their daughter, who hadn’t learned to walk yet. Her daughter suddenly pointed at a necklace, and as a result, her husband bought the necklace and gave it to her, joking that it would be the son’s turn next time to choose a gift while shopping.
Regarding the decision to have a third child, Charlene remarked, “For now, having a son and a daughter that together form the word ‘good’ (好) already makes me very satisfied!” On her secret to postpartum weight loss, she shared, “Breastfeeding makes you lose weight quickly, it’s hard work but effective.”
Talking about her upcoming work plans, she mentioned that she will soon start filming “The Ballad of a Small Player,” a Hollywood movie produced by Netflix. She will be partnering with Golden Globe winner Colin Farrell and mentioned that this would be her most substantial role since entering Hollywood. The filming will take place in Hong Kong and Macau, where her husband and their two children will also accompany her for about two months during the shoot.
When asked about her co-star, Charlene mentioned that she had only seen Colin Farrell via video call while reading the script. They hadn’t met in person yet, but she had watched some of his shows. The director flew to New York to discuss the project with her. Recalling that she had just given birth to her son and was pregnant at the time, she puzzled over why the director never asked her to lose weight. When teased that maybe he valued her acting skills, she laughed and said, “I’m now transitioning to becoming a serious actor, haha!”
On the topic of whether she would consider filming TV dramas in the future, she jokingly said, “TV series are too long, movies are more my style. I want to challenge myself with new roles I haven’t played before.” Regarding not being able to participate in Wong Kar-wai’s Mainland Chinese drama “Blossoms,” she expressed, “It’s not a regret, because I don’t speak Shanghainese.”