Being Part of ‘Dìdi (弟弟)’ was Cathartic for Joan Chen

Joan Chen is a staple in the Asian and Asian American community. She’s always been a superstar, starring in award-winning films like The Last Emperor and Lust Caution, indies like Saving Face and Tigertail, and part of Hollywood’s cult-favorite Twin Peaks.

At one point, Time Magazine called her the young Elizabeth Taylor of China. She’s written, directed, and produced films. There seems to be nothing that Chen cannot do. Now, with Sean Wang’s first feature film Dìdi (弟弟), there has been some buzz around Chen’s performance that could land her an Academy nomination.

Chen simply fell in love with the script when she was approached to act in the feature. She was so impressed that she also signed on as an executive producer. Chen plays Chungsing, a mother raising two children alone in America while her husband earns money back in Taiwan. She has her own aspirations and dreams but, like most mothers, has to put them aside to focus on her family.

(L to R) Joan Chen as “Chungsing Wang” and Izaac Wang as “Chris Wang” in writer/director Sean Wang’s DÌDI, a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features / Talking Fish Pictures LLC © 2024 All Rights Reserved.

“I saw great possibility in the film — as well as the character,” Chen tells The Nerds of Color. “I relate to that character 100%. It was an opportunity for me to just pour it out.”

During her own performance, Chen found the role cathartic. In Hollywood, Chen has played the seductive role, the heartbroken wife, and a few motherly roles. But in Dìdi (弟弟), she played a gentle and loving mother trying to connect with her son, who had his own struggles. She found it relatable as a mother of two children herself.

“It was just an opportunity for me to express all the regrets, all the love, and everything for my own children in the film,” she shares.

It is surprising that Chen reveals she hates watching herself onscreen because she sometimes nitpicks at her performance. But in Dìdi (弟弟), she was so distracted by the beautiful performances of the young actors like Izaac Wang (who plays her son, Chris “Dìdi”) and the other teens in the film.

“I was so impressed with all the teenagers -– all the kids,” she says. “[And], how natural, authentic, lived in, and so real [their performances were]. Being his first feature, Sean did a good job with the cast. Most of them were inexperienced, but this was my first reaction.”

Dìdi (弟弟) is out in select theaters now.