Exclusive: Zoe Chao Embraces Playing "A C*nt" In Her New Comedy

"Zoë Chao was born to act. While many parents push their children to pursue more practical careers in fields like law or medicine, the 39-year-old actor says her mother practically raised her to become a movie star. "My mom really loves movies, and instead of cartoons, she would share Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movies with me, like Swing Time and Top Hat, &quot she tells Bustle over the phone. "We're talking 3 years old, just watching black-and-white tap-dance movies.""

"This informal film education awakened in Chao a love for the art, and today, more than a decade into her career, the actor can't imagine herself doing anything but acting. "It's a question I've actually asked myself a lot in my life, like, 'Zoe, are you capable of offering more to this world?'" she says. She then turns to her mom, who's visiting Chao at her Brooklyn home, before the pair goes on a mother-daughter trip to Berlin and London for the premiere of her new film, The Roses."

"At the very least, Chao has proven herself to be funny enough for the job. Her first screen role was in 2014, on the second season of Lisa Kudrow's cult classic HBO sitcom The Comeback, and her TV repertoire also includes the 2017 comedy Strangers, HBO Max's anthology Love Life, and the 2023 reboot of . On the film side, she's made her name as a plucky scene-stealer, going toe-to-toe with A-listers like Cate Blanchett in Where'd You Go, Bernadette and Reese Witherspoon in Your Place or Mine."

Zoë Chao developed a love of film from early childhood as her mother shared classic Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movies. That upbringing fostered a commitment to acting that endures more than a decade into a professional career. Chao made her first screen appearance in 2014 on The Comeback and accumulated television credits including Strangers, Love Life, and a 2023 reboot. She has established a film presence as a scene-stealer, acting opposite stars such as Cate Blanchett and Reese Witherspoon. Chao appears as Sally in a remake of The War of the Roses, portraying a friend-turned-frenemy to a doomed couple.

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