“I got into this business in a series of backdoor ways—not by knocking on backdoors myself, but by others taking me through them. It was a non traditional path, even though it might have appeared conventional on the outside.” Two and a half years have passed since the world was introduced to Everything Everywhere All at Once, the A24 absurdist comedy written and directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert. The arthouse film, fronted by a powerhouse cast including Stephanie Hsu, Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan, quickly became a resounding cultural phenomenon. A then-30-year-old Hsu auditioned for the role of Joy/Jobu Tupaki—the premise’s nihilistic villain—and the rest, as they say, is history.
The film swept through the 2023 awards season, carrying with it a wave of Academy Award nominations—including one for Hsu in the category of Best Supporting Actress—propelling her into the realm of a celebrated, endlessly quoted and deeply beloved household name. Before this, Hsu had already carved out a niche for herself on Broadway, television and beyond, immersing herself in a rich tapestry of roles—from dream girl Christine Canigula in Be More Chill to the mysterious Mei Lin in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
Today, Hsu is dialling in from New York City—a place she calls a second home and where she spent many formative years—amid a flurry of press interviews for her brand-new Peacock series, Laid. Her eyes light up as we reminisce about her recent trip to Singapore, just a month and a half ago, where she headlined Vogue Singapore’s Next In Vogue conference and gala. Hosted at the Capitol Theatre and The Capitol Kempinski Hotel, Hsu delved into the transformative interplay between storytelling and style, discussing film and fashion’s role in driving inclusivity.
Life, however, hasn’t slowed down. “Actually, this past week, before I got to New York, was the first full week I’ve had at home in months. I think I need to figure out how to protect that time a little more,” she shares. Reflecting on her year so far, Hsu offers a mantra—not a resolution—for 2025: “It’s all about wildness.”
“I am finding ways to be like a vine and push through the concrete.”
So far, she has ticked off some major milestones: leading on a call sheet, executive producing a show and working on a still-under-wraps project for the coming year, one she’s been developing for six years with her best friend, Allan K Washington. “I was gifted a book for my birthday recently. It was transcripts from Henry David Thoreau’s writings, and he was into the philosophy of nature. I remember this quote, ‘in wildness is the preservation of the world’, and I think there’s something in that that feels like an important guiding light for me for this year. The ‘wild’ not meaning crazy. ‘Wild’ in the way that nature is wild, and therefore so powerful and unafraid. In a time when there’s order trying to be imposed in a direction that doesn’t feel aligned with my wildness, I am finding ways to be like a vine and push through the concrete,” she shares.
“And so, suddenly, I think I’ve gotten past a set of Golden Gates. This year, I was thinking, ‘What if I played by the rules?’ It’s like The Wizard of Oz, right? You’re like, ‘Okay, I got into Oz and I’m meeting the Wizard.’ But maybe the Wizard doesn’t have all the answers yet and the Wizard can’t even read the book. All that is to say, I’m excited for next year to plug back into that wildness, gut feeling, pure creativity and impulse,” she smiles.
For Hsu, this creativity and impulse have manifested itself through Laid, an eight-episode series that, as of press time, is set to premiere on 19 December. Describing it as an “f-ed up romantic comedy”, the actress will be joined by co-stars Zosia Mamet, Tommy Martinez and Michael Angarano—with guest appearances from Simu Liu and Finneas O’Connell. The premise, in true Hsu fashion, is not what you would expect from a heart-tugging, lighthearted series. In fact, it’s quite the opposite.
The protagonist, Ruby (played by Hsu), finds herself grappling with the unsettling reality that all her lovers are dying in bizarre ways. The actress, who is executive producer on the project, with writers Nahnatchka Khan and Sally Bradford McKenna, notes that the heart of the project was to subvert a cookie-cutter romantic comedy format, that melded elements of love and warmth with equal parts twisted excitement. “It’s an f-ed up rom com about a woman in her 30s who is having a hard time dating, having a hard time finding love but all she wants is love. And then she starts to find out that everyone she’s ever dated is dying in the order that she dated them. In various ways. I mean, that hook is ridiculous!” she laughs.
Even within the confines of comedy, Hsu is breaking new ground. In a genre often dominated by familiar tropes, she stands out as an Asian woman playing a romantic lead. I mention that it’s something I would have loved to see growing up, and she nods in agreement. “I think that’s a huge reason why I also wanted to do it. The first time I was officially going to play a romantic lead was in this musical called Be More Chill. It was so overwhelming to me to imagine myself as a romantic lead on this. She’s quirky, she’s weird, but she is literally the person that the main character wants more than anything,” she shares.
“It was so healing for me, but also important because then I would look around the audience and I’d be like, all these people now believe that they’re beautiful, and now they can be the object of affection. And I remember growing up and not having that. That type of subliminal messaging of art is so impactful. This is the first Asian-led show that Peacock has done. And what I love the most is in our show, we don’t talk about me being Asian at all.”
“I’m excited to plug back into that wildness, gut feeling, creativity and impulse this year.”
Reflecting on her accolades and accomplishments, Hsu delves into a recurring notion of kismet. Her journey into theatre began by happenstance—a path she was guided onto when someone noticed a spark of potential and, by fate, encouraged her to follow it. She details how this theme has appeared at various pivotal moments in her life: being unexpectedly tossed into a reading for Sponge Bob Square Pants, The Broadway Musical—a role she shares she never auditioned for; being asked to play Mei Lin in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, as the writers had her in mind for the part; and landing her first TV appearance on Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Most recently, a chance encounter with actress and comedian Ali Wong on a plane unveiled a particularly revelatory moment, solidifying her instinct to pursue her next project.
When reflecting on her journey, Hsu illustrates a thread of happenstance. “Growing up, I never had any goals, like up until maybe a year or two ago. I’ve just been down for the adventure and following impulses and gut instincts. It’s not me romanticising my journey here. We literally had Michelle Yeoh, Lucy Liu, Sandra Oh, Margaret Cho and that was it. Then no one in my family was in the arts, so how could you possibly know that it was possible?”
Today, she stands firmly as a beacon of possibility. As Hsu steps into her next chapter, she shares that she’s approaching it with both intention and ease. So, what’s next? “I think my main goal is to start harnessing my ability and energy to create my own work and engage in deep, intimate collaboration with everyone I work with. That’s when I feel most nourished and satisfied. I enjoy having my hands deep in the soil. This is why I’m particular about what I say yes to because I want to give it my everything.”
Photography Alvin Kean Wong
Styling Ali Claire Merino
Hair Yuhi Kim/Bridge Artists using Bumble and bumble
Make-up Grace Ahn/Day One Studio
Manicure Nori/See Management
Set designer Shu Tan
Sculptures Wenjüe Lu and Chufeng Fang
Garments and objects Studio Wenjüe Lu
Casting Jill Demling/Creative Casting Agency
Tailor Hailey Desjardins
Photographer’s assistants Takeki Yasuda and Haruka Horiuchi
Stylist’s assistant Leila Ali
Set assistants Anna Star and Kobi
Production Carter Burch and Felix Cadieu/Neighbors
Vogue Singapore’s January/February ‘Resolution’ issue will be out on newsstands from 7 January and is available to preorder online.
