Who is Li Jun-li, the Chinese-American actress in Babylon? Starring opposite Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie, she plays Anna May Wong-inspired character Lady Faye, and was also in Netflix’s Wu Assassins
- Shanghai-born Li’s acting creds over the past decade include guest roles on Blue Bloods and Damages, sci-fi horror series Minority Report, and ABC’s Quantico alongside Priyanka Chopra
- In 2019 she landed the lead in Netflix’s Wu Assassins – but she was actually a dance major who looked up to Lucy Liu as a teen and grew up in Colombia
The last month of the year always brings in a roster of Oscar-worthy films, and this year’s big contender is Damien Chazelle’s period dramedy Babylon – slated to release on December 23. The film revolves around a group of Hollywood stars in the late 1920s as they see the industry transition from the silent era to sound films.
So, what do we know about the 39-year-old Chinese-American actress?
She was born in China but grew up in Colombia and NYC
Li has certainly lived an interesting life. Born in Shanghai, China, her parents moved to Bogotá, Colombia when she was still a child. She then migrated to New York City and enrolled into LaGuardia High School’s dance programme, according to IMDB.
“I was a dance major, and then I took singing lessons on the side, and then I got into acting only because I went to performing arts high school, where we were all given the opportunity to be involved in annual musicals. That was kind of my gateway into acting, and I loved it so much that that’s where it kind of began,” she told Screenrant in a recent interview.
However, Li’s parents weren’t thrilled with her decision to pursue acting as a career choice.
“I think my parents would have preferred if I became a doctor or a lawyer. I mean I would have if I were them. However, they knew I had what my mum calls “artistic blood”, not only because I loved performing since I was a kid, but my father is also an artist,” she told Deadline in 2021, “They knew it was a lost cause trying to convince me otherwise.”
She’s acted with Priyanka Chopra
