Chau gives her take on the accent debate
It was never Hong Chau’s intention to work in front of the cameras when she enrolled at Boston University. Her plan was to learn the process of how movies and television shows are made. What tripped her up was in film school, students often call on each other to appear on screen in their productions, and Chau showed so much promise, it was suggested she pursue a career in acting.
She might not have taken that advice had she known what was ahead with regard to her big break with the film “Downsizing.” Instead of talking about what it’s like to work with Matt Damon, being directed by Oscar-winner Alexander Payne or the social commentary of the story about people being reduced in size to save the ecology, Chau has had to spend time defending the work.
One of the big story elements of “Downsizing” is even in a miniature world where most have great riches because it cost them less to live their lives, there are those who aren’t as lucky. The group — mostly made up of minorities — do all the jobs those who have money don’t want to do. And, they are forced to live in conditions so poor they struggle to find enough food and medicine to survive.
There’s been a backlash to the heavy Vietnamese accent Chau uses playing a dissident who is reduced to 5 inches tall as a form of punishment. She has ended up in the poor part of the tiny town, only seeing the utopian world through her job as a maid. Chau’s delivery is clipped and often featuring a slight Southern accent. And that doesn’t mean South Korea.
“When I look at my character, I don’t see a stereotype, but I see a full person,” Chau, 38, said. “I’m not quite sure why people are so flabbergasted to hear a person with an accent. We are surrounded by people who speak with accents. We are a nation of immigrants.”
That’s certainly the case with Chau as she came to the United States as an infant. She was born to Vietnamese parents who had fled the Southeast Asia country and were living in a refugee camp in Thailand. She and her family settled in New Orleans, where she lived until college.
She sees her character in “Downsizing” as representative of the immigrants across the United States who do manual labor. All Chau had to do was reflect on her own parents, who took those kind of jobs to make sure she and her siblings went to college.
“My parents and the community I grew up in in New Orleans was an inspiration, but also at the end of the day, the character is mine,” she said. “I feel like people don’t put certain limitations on other actors. When British or Australian actors perform American characters, we laud them and talk about how great it is they are able to do this other accent that is not their own. Americans have different relationships with other accents.
“The way that we view a Spanish speaker from Spain is different from the way we view a Mexican person because Americans have a different relationship with these people. So with the Vietnamese accent, it usually tends to have occupations where we are servicing people in some manner. That brings up the race and class issue. It’s not just about an accent being problematic.”
One big fan of her performance is Payne. The director says the wonderful thing about her performance is every time she does a scene — once or a dozen times — her delivery is different but always truthful.
Because she was so shy growing up, Chau didn’t participate in any high school or regional theater work. Since the acting avenue came in college, she’s reached the level of acting that can impress a director like Payne in a short time. Her first TV work wasn’t until 2011, when she landed a role on “Treme,” the cable series shot in New Orleans. Before “Downsizing,” Chau had worked only on the film “Inherent Vice.”
Although Chau’s career plans shifted, she’s never given up on her interest in the behind-thescenes elements of a production. That’s why she took every opportunity to observe Payne as he directed “Downsizing.”
And, her on-the-job training didn’t end there as Payne allowed Chau to sit in on the editing process. That’s why when people ask her if she’s seen the movie, she will say she has seen it in multiple stages.
“I would come on the set and hang out even on my days off,” Chau said. “I loved being on set and watching Alexander work. He was very gracious because he knew one day I would like to direct. I could ask him anything I wanted. As a director, he knows what he wants but his approach is not like a dictator or plays mind games with you. For me, I do my best work when I feel completely relaxed and not being judged.”
Chau was lucky that all the judgments came long after filming was over.