Gemma Chan graces the cover of British Vogue’s September Issue, “New Beginnings”
The fashion, the faces, the future — the historically ‘gear-shifting’ September Issue crusades collaborative ideas and inspirations in the world of fashion with British-Asian actress Gemma Chan as the powerful, cover star driving force.
Headlined with “New Beginnings”; Edward Enninful’s take on clean slates and fresh starts for the monumental The September Issue takes into consideration the collective experiences of the past 18 months, prevailing pandemic included and aside.
With the ever influential September issue focusing on ‘New Beginnings’ and ‘Sunrises’, British Vogue took it quite literally as they summoned the stunning Gemma Chan for a 1 AM shoot and captured the riveting starlet in the rising sun over the River Thames.
Under a peachy-pink London sky at 04:57am, the star of the latest Marvel movie ‘Eternals’, glitters in a gold Huishan Zhang sequinned dress as she poses barefoot on a boat.
Titled, “At first light”, Gemma Chan’s 8-paged-spread is elegantly picturesque, showcasing the star in a daydream of sorts, a warm-tone reverie of charming visuals and dazzling mise-en-scène of Tower Bridge and the skyline along the River Thames behind her.
As someone who has been a fan of Gemma Chan since she played the iconic Astrid it-was-never-my-job-to-make-you-feel-like-a-man-i-can’t-make-you-something-you’re-not Leong Teo in Crazy Rich Asians, her portrayal of the Singaporean socialite in the book-turned-movie was nothing short of sublime.
She was a captivating character onscreen. There’s a sense of sophistication, a charged elegance to the enchantingly esoteric character she portrayed. Which surprisingly (yet also unsurprisingly) seems to also translate offscreen — as depicted by the full-feature interview by Zing Tsjeng, executive editor of Vice UK and author of book series Forgotten Women.
Gemma’s feature in the magazine discusses her past, present and future — not only as an actress onscreen but as an advocate offscreen, highlighting her politically-minded and community-oriented disposition.
Having witnessed and deeply affected by the anti-Asian violence that planted itself in the soil of the pandemic and rooted out due to political social unrest, Gemma is a strong supporter of the Stop ESEA Hate fundraiser which has raised over £85,000 for East and South-East Asian organisations in the UK.
“You can honour the spirit of your ancestors by trying to do something different. You work to change things for the better for the rest of the community, or the next generation. I want a rising tide to lift all boats.”
Gemma Chan is a beacon of light, so to speak, illuminating the path and pioneering the representation of Asian women in the media, not just in British soil but also across the pond and Gemma’s no small fish in the sea. Having been active in the acting industry since 2006, she’s no rookie when it comes to making movies.
Her most recent works included voicing the character of Namaari in Walt Disney Studio’s fantasy action-adventure, Raya and the Last Dragon which had a cast of East-Asian and South-East Asian actors. She also played a significant role in Captain Marvel as the badass Kree sniper of the Starforce, Minn-Erva.
Immersing herself back in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and spotlighting Sersi, Gemma is taking center stage as the leading lady of the highly anticipated ‘Eternals’. Due to be released on 5th November, the British-Asian actress is spearheading the star-studded cast, with the likes of Angelina Jolie and Salma Hayek embellishing the ensemble, and rightfully trailblazing the $200 million dollar superhero franchise.
“Gemma brought a beautiful sense of gentleness, compassion and vulnerability to Sersi that I believe will invite viewers to rethink what it means to be heroic.” shares the Director and two-time Academy Award winner, Chloé Zhao.
With an upcoming thriller alongside other British stars Harry Styles and Florence Pugh, Don’t Worry Darling, the world is looking forward to seeing Gemma Chan expand her cinematic horizon and set the screens ablaze.
Read Gemma Chan’s full interview in British Vogue’s September Issue here:
Watch Gemma Chan in the latest episode of British Vogue’s In Conversation video series with Zing Tsjeng here:
