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BeforeStephanie Hsugraced the big screen, she had her start onstage with multiple Broadway productions.
Now an Academy Award–nominated actress, Hsu, 32, is on her way to becoming a household name after her gripping performance as the disgruntled daughter Joy and, in every universe in the multiverse, the diabolical villain Jobu Tupaki inEverything Everywhere All At Once,earning her a nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
The film earned an additional 10 nods, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor, Best Actress and another Best Supporting Actress spot.
So who is the actress? Here’s everything to know about Stephanie Hsu.
She went to N.Y.U. for college
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Hsu graduated from N.Y.U.’s Tisch School of the Arts in 2012 with a BFA in drama. She worked at a farm while at school, adding that having a passion outside her profession helped keep her sane,according to Deadline.
“I started in experimental theater and comedy. I never wanted an agent, never wanted to do commercial stuff,” Hsu told the outlet of her early career aspirations. “Truth be told, I think I was really afraid to sell out, because at that time there was noCrazy Rich Asians. I was one of two Asian people in my acting class, and then one of maybe less than 10 people of color in the whole department.”
She had her start on Broadway
In theSpongeBobmusical, Hsu played Karen the Computer, the evil wife and sidekick of the main villain, Plankton.
She was inThe Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
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While she was still at the helm ofBe More Chill, a new opportunity rolled along for Hsu: to star alongsideRachel BrosnahaninThe Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. The two were in the same year at N.Y.U., and though they did not personally know each other, they did have mutual friends who pushed Hsu to audition for the show, per Deadline.
Though she was working eight shows a week, Hsu snagged the recurring role of Mei Lin, Joel’s (Mrs. Maisel’s ex-husband) girlfriend. She continued performing eight shows weekly and on Mondays would film for the comedy, appearing in 13 episodes.
She met the Daniels — the nickname for the directing duo — on an episode ofNora from Queens
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In the next stage of her career, after wrapping the musical andMaisel, Hsu got a call from comedianBowen Yangwho told her about a show he was doing with comedianAwkwafina, starring an all-Asian cast.
Hsu joined for one episode ofNora from Queens, where she met Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan — her futureEverything Everywheredirectors — and fell “deeply in love.”
“The first day we worked together, they blew a leaf blower into my face, made me speed rap against a green screen and then Daniel Scheinert got up on a ladder to dump mud on me,” Hsu told Deadline. “I said, ‘These are my guys,’ and followed them out to L.A. Within a week of getting there, they called me to say, ‘Hey, we’re working on this movie. No pressure, but we think you’d be perfect for it.’ "
She is vocal on social media calling for women’s rights
In 2018, Hsu posted a letter she wrote to the “men in [her] life,” asking them to show up for the women in their lives and stand up for their rights.
“If you are an ally, you should be calling reps, you should be teaching other men/boys to be better,” she wrote.
More recently, she called on her Instagram followers to hit the polls in November and vote for those who are in favor of reproductive rights, adding resources for those living in states where abortion has been banned. The post was a photo of various pins and stickers supporting LGBTQ rights, reproductive freedom and protecting the environment.
Steve Buscemi is a fan of hers
Hsu got asurprise fan photo during her interviewwithTheNew York Times.While Hsu got drinks with a reporter at a West Hollywood hotel bar, Buscemi spotted her and came up to the table to let her know what big of a fan he is of her latest work, according to theTimes.
TheFargoactor asked Hsu for a picture and the young actress jumped out of her booth, happy to oblige. “That was crazy,” she told the reporter after he left. “It’sallcrazy!”
She has been nominated for multiple awards for her work as Joy/Jobu
Stephanie Hsu, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ke Huy Quan and Michelle Yeoh.Christopher Polk/NBC via Getty Images
This awards season is Hsu’s to run as she’s racked up nominations from the Critics' Choice and Screen Actors Guild Awards for best supporting actress, alongside her costar Jamie Lee Curtis.
Though she has yet to win, Hsu can add Oscar nominee to her résumé in the latest of her nominations.
source: people.com
