Growing up, Jess Hong thought she would be a ‘hermit, novelist or poet’ – now she’s a lead actor in one of Netflix’s buzziest shows. Hong joined Kiwibank’s This is Kiwi podcast to talk about her breakout moment, and what it’s like being back in Aotearoa after the wildness of Hollywood.
Jess Hong’s rise has been rapid. In mere months she went from running community theatre shows to being cast in the Netflix series 3 Body Problem. On release the show shot into the top 10 in 93 countries.
If you haven’t seen the show, here’s how Jess describes it: “It’s a philosophical sci-fi that explores humanity’s response to an existential crisis created by a decision that one scientist makes in 1960s China, and then fast forwarding into present day, where a group of young, brilliant scientists are trying to solve the problem for the future generations.” It’s intense.
As a kid, Hong thought she’d be a “hermit” so global success is pretty far off her original plan. She grew up in Palmerston North, went to drama school in Pōneke Wellington and has recently returned to New Zealand from a global press tour.
Hong still loves it here – Aotearoa is still home. But she has learned a lot along the way. Hong is constantly challenging herself, just as she did as a shy teenager who took a scary leap into drama. She never could have imagined the self-taped auditions she was submitting during Covid would lead her here. But they have. Hong has big dreams: she wants to be a director, and she wants to buy a house for her sister, her mum and then herself. She knows the financial ups and downs of contracted creative work. Hong joined Jane Yee on This is Kiwi, a Kiwibank series in collaboration with The Spinoff Podcast Network. Read an excerpt from the full interview below.
Was it a childhood dream for you to be on the world stage?
I thought I would be a hermit, novelist or poet. I was so socially anxious growing up. I couldn’t even look someone in the eyes or hold a conversation. So I definitely never pictured that. I took drama as a confidence boosting thing.
How old were you when you started drama classes?
I tried it at the start of high school but quit immediately. Later I’d gained some confidence, so in my last year of high school I went to the head of drama to see if she’ll let me back in. And she did so that was when I properly started. I was 17.
When you auditioned for 3 Body Problem, what did you know about it?
Oh, nothing. I didn’t find out until they actually booked me that the show was based on these books. I downloaded them on my Kindle and started reading them alone in my room at night. I felt totally compelled just by the writing. I was laughing and crying and gasping and just everything was so intense on the page. And I thought, oh my gosh, this is something of really high quality.
How much of Jess do you bring to your character?
I play Jin Cheng, who’s a particle physicist and a genius of her generation. She is someone that’s kind of pioneering her generation in STEM. I do believe, or I’ve come to learn about her, that she’s quite an idealist as well, and very optimistic about what we can achieve once we know the answers to things. So I do relate to that quite a bit. And I think the reason they cast me is because at the heart of it, she actually is ruled by instinct, and she just kind of follows her gut immediately. She wears her heart on her sleeve as well, even if she doesn’t realise it. And she’s someone that I think can gather people to her cause, which is really cool, and I am a campaigner, according to a 16-question personality test I did.
What was it like with your family when you started getting into drama?
Several people reminded me that, you know, you can go into teaching, right? Or offered alternatives. But my sisters were really supportive. They would always come to my community theatre shows. A real touching moment was when my one sister was dropping me off somewhere, and totally out of character, she just said, “By the way, I’m really proud of you.” I’m like, what? Because my family doesn’t say stuff like that. I feel like they’ve been supportive all along the way.
3 Body Problem was a top 10 show in 93 countries. That’s proper world stage stuff. What’s it like being back in Aotearoa after experiencing the wildness of Hollywood?
It’s so nice. Someone asked me recently if it’s possible to get sick of flying around the world. And I’m like, yeah, it is, because the jet lag is very real. And it kind of accumulates. So it’s always a relief to come home and just see that nice, clean horizon and those birds, yeah.
OK, here’s the big question. After basically becoming a hobby physicist for the show, has what you believe about the universe changed?
Not at all. I still believe that there is life out there. The universe is too vast. And even in high school, I knew that the probability of there being another kind of inhabitable zone was far too great for there not to be. It will be more of a miracle if we are the only living beings in the universe. It’s a bit egotistical of us to assume that we’re the only ones, right?
What do you do to escape when your life is so busy?
I watch anime, and that’s kind of my best way to zone out, because it’s entertainment still, but it’s not like work. When I’m super exhausted and I just need something to zone out to, then it’s an anime series.
Are you at a crossroads with anything? Is relocating to live abroad on the cards?
I thought about a few different places, but so far, nothing is outweighing the quality of life that I can receive here. So until that happens, I won’t really seriously consider it. Yeah, we’ll see. I’m going to be 30 this year, and before I hit 35-40 I would like to try living in a country where I don’t speak the language, and going full immersion in another culture.
How far ahead do you plan?
I know as an actor that you just can’t plan very much in advance. I do have goals, though – like, it’ll be nice within my 30s to start the journey towards being a director. So I would like to go towards that. And I want to gather enough resources so that I can buy my sister and my mum a house and then me after. So yeah, those are my long term goals. I don’t have a time limit on them though.
What odd jobs have you had to pay the bills?
I’ve been an usher. I’ve done random front-of-house hospo bits. I worked six shifts at that steakhouse on Wellesley Street, Tony’s, which is a classic one where a lot of actors have worked. I feel like I’ve had a lot of random, one-day jobs. I got paid to spend one day in the library dressed as Hermia from Greek mythology. I was like, damn, so this is possible. Bizarre.
What’s your relationship with money through time been like?
I remember someone at primary school asked me how much my rent was. And I was like, I don’t know, it’s a lot. Like, maybe $20. I thought $20 was, yeah, heaps back then. But that’s when we used to have five cent lollies. I did a six-month budgeting course in high school. And I remember nothing, except for when you market something you want to put it as like $5.99 as opposed to $6.
My sisters, though, started working when they were, like, 15 years old. So I think through observing them I realised the value of what we had. And it was just interesting to notice the difference between, like our family, where I always wore hand-me-down clothes to mufti day and we didn’t have any allowance, and we couldn’t have the latest Tamagotchi or whatever. So I realised really early I think to have a real appreciation for things. When I finally did get a job in retail, then I was like, oh my gosh, I can buy stuff.
Are you a saver or spender now?
I feel like I’ve somehow landed in the middle which is shocking. I’m usually a really impulsive person, so it’s quite amazing that I’ve managed to retain some rationale. But I think that’s because my sisters are very, very much the saving type. They would receive chocolate on Easter, and the chocolate would still be in the fridge next Easter. I think I’ve kind of levelled my head a little bit. So, yeah, when I was working on 3 Body Problem, I was like, my god, this is more income than I’ve ever received in my entire life. This is wild. But you have to save it for a rainy day.
And that’s also something you build as an actor or an artist of any kind. You know that as a contractor, you receive a lump sum payment, but that’s not just for that time. That’s also for all the weeks, or potentially months, before you find the next job.
Tell me about a time money has unlocked something for you?
My recent trip to South Korea unlocked some good times and some bonding with my friends. I prioritise experiences over things. I do shop quite a bit, but I shop at op shops. After doing 3 Body that was the first time I felt like I really had true financial freedom in my life. So, yeah, it’s been quite a miracle for me. But I’ll make it stretch, like a pancake.
What is in your budget you can’t live without?
Treats. It’s good to have one treat. You need to have a break from all the strict stuff.
Can you sum up the experiences that led to your success in one word?
Practice. You have to keep doing the thing over and over again to get good at it. It’s a total misconception that there are just geniuses who can walk in and do the thing. I don’t believe in that at all. I think you have to work hard to do the thing you want do. And because you want to do it, you will work hard at it.
What are you saving for? A house for my sister.
First big purchase? My learners licence registration.
Go- treat? Whittakers dark chocolate salted caramel.
What brings you joy? Seeing my friends smile.
