JuJu Chan Szeto, better known as JuJu Chan, is an Chinese-American actress, singer, writer and martial artist who is perhaps best known for her inspiring role as Zan in Netflix’s action fiction series Wu Assassins.

JUJU CHAN BIOGRAPHY: AGE, EARLY LIFE, FAMILY, EDUCATION

JuJu Chan was born on February 2, 1989 (JuJu Chan age: 34) in British Hong Kong. At 3 years old, Chan and her family relocated to the United States, where they settled down in San Francisco, California. Chan has one twin sister.

At 10 years old, Chan started to develop her passion for martial arts. Initially, she began in judo, and then went on to learn Kung fu, Wing Chun, Shotokan karate, ITF Taekwondo, Hung Ga, nunchaku, and muay Thai.

For college, Chan attended the University of San Francisco, where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in computer science and mathematics, with the prestigious accolade of honors. She also earned a master’s degree from NYU Tisch School of the Arts.

JUJU CHAN BIOGRAPHY: CAREER

Chan began her career by competing in beauty pageants, earning herself awards in several competitions. After appearing in a handful of shows in Hong Kong and on a web series, Chan was signed to a record management company. She then went on to gain well-deserved recognition as a singer-songwriter when she earned herself two impressive music awards after releasing her first album in Hong Kong.

Chan is most well-known for her portrayal of Zan on Netflix’s original Wu Assassins, where she did all her on-screen fighting for her character, showcasing the martial arts skills she acquired from her training since she was just 10 years old.

In an exclusive interview with uInterview, Chan went on to share some of her personal experiences acting and how she feels about the roles she’s played.

“Well, when I was a kid, I started doing dramas at schools,” Chan proclaimed. “That’s kind of how I started enjoying playing different roles. Then, when I was a teenager in Hong Kong I did some modeling and also I competed in several pageants, international pageants, the Miss Chinatown USA. I was competing in Miss Hong Kong. I actually dropped out before semi-finals because it didn’t really work out with my personal side. But before that, I was competing in San Francisco for Miss Chinatown. I got some awards there for beauty pageants,” Chan recalled.

“After I graduated from NYU, I went back to Hong Kong,” she continued. “I got a chance to play in a really popular TV reality show in Hong Kong called Rich Mate Poor Mate. They invited me to experience living in the cage house in Hong Kong. They would put us into a situation like living as a homeless or living in a really poor, poor situation. I couldn’t use any of my skills to get a job so I needed to, you know, go wash dishes to pay my bills and sleep in a cage house, which is only fifty square feet. There’s no single window in my little shoe box area and I have to take care of our kids, so it’s like a reality show that I have to bring out what’s happening and what those people have been going through. So, after that I published a book and I got signed after that to a music label in Hong Kong.”

“So, I was a singer-songwriter in Hong Kong as well,” Chan added. “I was with that music company for a little bit more than a year, but my passion was always in acting, of course. So, at that time, being more in the entertainment field, people kind of also knew about my action background. So, they started to cast me in roles and films doing action. As a performer that loves action and acting, I mean, when there are chances for me to audition for action films, I went for it and I got my different roles and different films. I worked on Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny, playing Silver Dart Shi. It was a great role and I love that role, especially working with Donnie Yen, Michelle Yeoh. We filmed in New Zealand for five months. It was great, you know, great experiences. And I love how the audience told me that they loved my character and I think that I did have a really great character and great weapons. So, yeah I did have a lot of great roles the past couple of years and I’m also very excited for the upcoming year, and also the films that I did last year.”

JUJU CHAN BIOGRAPHY: PERSONAL LIFE

Chan currently resides in Los Angeles with her husband Antony Szeto.

In July 2009, Chan competed in the United Nations Pageants International in Jamaica, where she was won Miss Congeniality and Miss United Nations International Ambassador.

In 2010, Chan took on the role of ambassador and spokesperson of Heroes2, a charitable organization focused primarily on reforestation in the rural areas of China. In addition, Chan wrote her debut semi-autobiography titled To Live a Beautiful Life. In 2013, she published her second book, which is a guide to Western dining titled, Food and Ordering at a Restaurant.

In 2013, Chan represented Hong Kong in the ITF Taekwondo World Championship in Bulgaria. 

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