The Night Agent’s Hong Chau Discusses What Drew Her To The Netflix Thriller And How She Approached Her Shady Character
The Academy Award nominee got a meaty role in the thriller.
Light spoilers for Netflix’s The Night Agent lie ahead, so read at your own risk.
TV super producer Shawn Ryan assembled quite the cast for his latest small-screen venture, The Night Agent, which is based on Matthew Quirk’s book of the same name. The series features Gabriel Basso and Luciane Buchanan as its two leads, but surrounding them are a number of formidable performers. One such person is Hong Chau, who received much acclaim this past awards season for her emotional performance in The Whale. Chau plays a very different kind of role in the political thriller, though – one who’s incredibly complicated. With this, the actress has shed some light on the approach she took to her shady character and explained why she was drawn to the show.
On The Night Agent, Hong Chau plays the role of Diane Farr, the White House’s seasoned Chief of Staff. Farr also serves as a supervisor and mentor to Gabriel Basso’s Peter Sutherland (the show’s protagonist). When Peter finds himself wrapped up in a conspiracy that reaches the highest levels of the U.S. government, Diane initially appears to be an ally to him, yet she’s later revealed to have dangerous agendas of her own. Ahead of the show’s premiere, I had the pleasure of speaking with Chau about her work on the show. I couldn’t help but bring up her character’s actions and, when asked if she viewed Farr as a villain, the 2023 Oscar nominee gave a thoughtful response:
She definitely makes a fair point because, as a number of great TV shows have taught us, characters don’t merely fit into either the “hero” or “villain” boxes anymore. Many can have attributes of both at any given moment, and that makes for some truly compelling storytelling. When it comes to Diane Farr, she makes a number of interesting choices, some of which are well-meaning and some of which are a bit more questionable.
Regardless of her character's machinations though, it would seem that the Menu alum relished the opportunity to play such a part. As she mentioned above, she was intrigued by not only the role but the world in which she inhabits. Hong Chau also explained that an earlier conversation with Shawn Ryan (who created The Shield, S.W.A.T. and more) gave her a true sense of what the show would be:
As an actor, there’s probably nothing like playing a complex character who doesn’t mind getting their hands dirty, and this latest release on the 2023 Netflix TV show schedule has plenty of them. Hong Chau certainly adds to the proceedings in a good way, thanks to her role as Diane Farr, and one can only hope that she’ll get more gigs like this as time goes on.
The Night Agent is now available to stream using a Netflix subscription. After you’re finished watching, check out CinemaBlend’s 2023 TV schedule for info on other high-profile shows headed your way this year.
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Erik Swann is a Senior Content Producer at CinemaBlend. He began working with the publication in 2020 when he was hired as Weekend Editor. Today, he continues to write, edit and handle social media responsibilities over the weekend. On weekdays, he also writes TV and movie-related news and helps out with editing and social media as needed. He graduated from the University of Maryland, where he received a degree in Broadcast Journalism. After shifting into multi-platform journalism, he started working as a freelance writer and editor before joining CB. Covers superheroes, sci-fi, comedy, and almost anything else in film and TV. He eats more pizza than the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.