When Jess Hong first stepped onto the set of 3 Body Problem, she was struck by its scale. Production was building what became the backdrop for the show’s pioneering virtual reality game, and Hong was face-to-face with some 300 giant LED screens that were all individually designed to portray the sky of an extraterrestrial planet. She watched in awe as the London-based crew changed the landscape of the VR world from frozen ground to sand overnight. Not only was it her first time acting in a series of this caliber — the Netflix production is helmed by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss of Game of Thrones renown, alongside former True Blood writer Alexander Woo — it was her first time acting on a television show, period. And, as she would soon learn, she was No. 1 on the call sheet.
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“I didn’t even know what the significance of those numbers were, I just thought it was about scheduling or something. But I think it’s for the best — it’s better to just focus on the work,” says Hong, 27, who plays Jin Cheng, the lead among a group of scientist friends who become embroiled in a government plot to stave off an alien invasion.
Hong grew up in New Zealand, and an acting career was never on her radar. A socially anxious child, she took drama classes as a way to build confidence and enjoyed it so much she decided to attend drama school. “It was only then that I realized, ‘Wait, people actually work and make money — usually not a lot of money — acting,’ ” she says.
In 2021, Hong was in the middle of what she jokingly refers to as a “rough and tumble tour,” performing at underfunded primary schools around the country, when her agent passed along a self-tape request for what was then called the “Untitled Benioff Project.”
She eventually found herself on a Zoom with the show’s creators. The next time that a script landed in her inbox, the character of Jin — originally of Chinese descent — was rewritten to reflect Hong’s New Zealand background and accent. “I’ve learned the creators prefer to have the essence of the actors in the show and that they have total creative reign to do so. I also say ‘buddy’ a lot, and they worked that into the script too.”
To prepare for one of Netflix’s highest-budgeted shows, she read the original novels, of course, but also studied scientific podcasts and Ted Talks on such topics as the multiverse and string theory to familiarize herself with her character’s jargon-heavy dialogue. In all, the actress spent a year away from home to film the show’s first eight episodes. The creators have plans — and hopes — for four seasons, which means this is likely just the beginning of a life-altering experience. “Some of my friends will ask, ‘Are you ready to be famous?’ ” she says. “But I just want to keep reminding myself that no matter how many people might know my face after this, I’m still just Jess.”
This story first appeared in the March 14 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.
