The Tennessee-born actress, who was raised in Hong Kong and Beijing, was also in last year’s A Big Bold Beautiful Journey with Margot Robbie
The latest season of Netflix’s Bridgerton, which premiered on January 29, is a reimagined Cinderella story. Adapted from author Julia Quinn’s novel series, the new season follows Benedict Bridgerton, the second oldest son of a well-established family in Regency-era society, and his love story with Sophie, who has been made to work as a maid in her own house by her stepmother Araminta Gun, played by Katie Leung. Of course, no Cinderella story is complete without at least one evil stepsister – and actress Michelle Mao has the role down to a tee.
Michelle Mao’s Rosamund Li in Bridgerton is the snooty sister of fan-fave Posy Li. Photo: @michelleforbreakfast/Instagram
Starring as Rosamund Li on the show, Mao’s character is the beautiful but spoiled and snooty elder sister of the fan-favourite Posy Li, played by Hong Kong-born actress Isabella Wei.
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Here’s everything you need to know about Michelle Mao.
She is dedicated to acting
US-born Bridgerton star Michelle Mao was raised in Hong Kong and Beijing. Photo: @michelleforbreakfast/Instagram
Born in December 1998, in Tennessee, US, Mao was raised in Hong Kong and Beijing. She discovered her love for theatre while attending an all-girls boarding school in the UK. When she returned to the US to pursue her bachelor’s degree at the University of California, Berkeley, she would take red-eye flights to Los Angeles to attend auditions and fly back to attend her classes the next day, per Newswire. She also cultivated her love for theatre during her time there.
Mao went on to earn a master’s from Beijing’s Tsinghua University.
She’s worked with celebrities like Margot Robbie
Michelle Mao has worked in more than 40 productions. Photo: @michelleforbreakfast/Instagram
Taking acting classes at the Joshua Lebar studios in California, Mao went on to make her on-screen acting debut in 2017 in a short film titled Irrevocable. With over 40 acting credits to her name, Mao has honed her skills and worked in projects like A Big Bold Beautiful Journey (2025) starring Margot Robbie. The film was directed by Kogonada, who worked with Mao a second time in his 2026 film Zi, which premiered at the Sundance festival in January. The film centres on Mao as the titular character Zi and is set in Hong Kong.
