Fresh off the back of her international breakout in the Leighton Meester-led comedy Good Cop/Bad Cop, actor Grace Chow catches up with Wonderland to talk creative roots in rural Australia, her Monte Carlo obsession, and what’s next on the cards.

Grace Chow wasn’t a Gossip Girl fanatic growing up. But Monte Carlo? That, she was obsessed with — which made the experience of sharing a set with Leighton Meester, in John Quaintance’s new comedy Good Cop/Bad Cop, nothing short of surreal. “When I met Leighton, I tried to play it cool but ended up telling her I loved the movie growing up,” she laughs. So would we, Grace.

Riding the wave of her international breakout moment, Wonderland catches up with Chow to unpack her creatively rich childhood in rural Australia, the slow-burn journey of falling in love with the craft, all things Lily Lim (her sharp-witted, scene-stealing character), and the next chapter. Keep reading…

Hi Grace! Thanks so much for taking the time to chat with us — how are you feeling, and what’s been keeping you busy lately?

Not at all! Thank you for taking the time to connect with me. I’ve been well. Exhausted, but in a good way. I’ve been deep in writing territory lately. I’m working on a one-woman theatre show and I’ve just sent off the first draft to the commissioning literary director. Literally right before this interview. But I’m really glad to be chatting to you now.

Before we get into your latest project, let’s rewind a bit — was acting always the goal, or something you fell into and fell for?

I’ve always really loved acting. I think I secretly desired to be an actor in the same way that many young children do. Particularly when you watch or mimic your favorite childhood films. But I obviously didn’t think it was possible. I lived in a tiny rural town in Australia and I didn’t by any means feel or look like a ‘Hollywood Star.’ But I’m a bit of a workhorse. And so I suppose I fell in love with the work of it – of slowly uncovering a path to acting. I’ve definitely grown to love the craft in a really intimate and steadfast way as the years have gone on – the more I trained. It’s been rewarding now seeing the work I’ve put in come to fruition. So I suppose it was both the goal and also something that I fell for and into.

Who were some of your earliest influences in the industry? Was there anyone in particular who really inspired you?

Honestly, the earliest influences would have just been the older girls in the school plays during my teenage years. I grew up rurally and so the film and tv industry didn’t feel close enough to have even been a dream. But when I moved to boarding school in the city, I would watch the girls in the high school plays and think “I want to do that!” And then when I was old enough to audition and be in the school plays, I would watch the local actors in professional plays and dream of joining them too. I still remember watching Ali Van Reeken and Jo Morris, they’re Australian actors, at the state theatre in my town. Ali had a moment where she puffed a single breath of a cigarette – in hindsight, it was probably just to cover some long transition that needed to happen back stage, but you could’ve heard a pin drop. I was 17, in an audience of a thousand people in one room, just feeling the entire weight of that character’s single puff. I remember thinking “that’s magic.” I’ve been lucky to work with them both since. Being an actor on the international stage now, my influences are a little different. And my answers are different each time interviewers ask me as well! I can be fickle like that. Currently, I’m loving Angelina Jolie’s work and interviews. And I love Taraji P Henson’s performances too – she’s got incredible range.

Huge congrats on Good Cop/Bad Cop! How did this project first land on your radar? Do you remember where you were when you got the call, and what the audition process looked like?

Thank you. It’s been a real privilege. A great cast, crew, creative team, showrunner – the whole thing has been an incredible ride. I’m very grateful to have been allowed the experience and I’ve worked hard to give the opportunity my best. I auditioned for it, as you do, and I got a call back. I remember it going well. And I remember begging my Australian agent to put me out of misery a week later. I asked them to follow up to confirm whether I’d lost the role or not. She replied with “I have a good feeling about this one,” which was odd because she was usually cautious of celebrating too early. What I didn’t know, and what my team did, was that I had already been offered the role that morning. John Quaintance (the showrunner) wanted to call me personally that afternoon and when the American number showed up on my Australian cell, I was beyond excited. Obviously, I tried to keep my cool.

Let’s talk Lily Lim. Who is she to you, and what did you find most rewarding — or surprising — about stepping into her shoes?

Lily is a fun, quirky, kind and dark character. She’s someone with absolutely no filter. Which is really freeing to play, as someone who mostly lives life quite intentionally. Acting is the closest thing I can get to not thinking at all. Just living another life – transcendence while working off pure instinct once you’ve done the hard work with the script. Lily was an opportunity for me to showcase my comedic skill set in the screen world. I hope I can continue having a practice that is full of the breadth and variety I’ve been lucky enough to forge thus far. And you mentioned Lily’s shoes? They’re very comfortable. They have cute shoe charms.

What was your gut reaction when you first read the script? Was there something about Lily that immediately stuck with you? And what would you say was the biggest stretch — personally or professionally — during filming?

I mean, she has so many hilarious and quotable lines. John’s a fantastic writer – So I can’t say that it has been a stretch! It was just a joy to play with material that kind of does the work for you, because his jokes are so precise. I got to play with a different vocal placement, like with the accent and the squeaky pitch of her, and go really out there with some choices and some improvisation… there was a kind of fearlessness in the room to try things because we knew the net of the writing was so tight. It was the perfect trampoline.

How did you begin to build this character? What did those early prep days look like, and how did you and John Quaintance collaborate to bring her to life?

This character was really instinctive to me. After I found her squeaky voice, she kind of fit like a glove. I immediately understood who she was. I was asking for all sort of things. Like fun nails and crazy hair clips. At one point I remember talking to John about finding a better last name for her, to honour and be more in line with my Taiwanese heritage. He was really open to it and we settled on Lim. I also really wanted to keep the look I’d auditioned with, and so we kept her bold eyeliner and gave me an even shorter bob than I was sporting. Pure quirk. John and I would jokingly argue on set about my costume though. They’d put me in these incredible outfits and then throw a cardigan over the top. Injustice! I’d look for moments in the scene to take the cardigan off, but John was good at keeping me in check. “It’s supposed to be cold!” he’d say. Like the seasons. But all I could think about was that I was covered in the coolest duck print… and no one could see it!

You shared the screen with Leighton Meester — what was that like? Were you a Gossip Girl die-hard? Any standout memories from set?

My sister, Faith, is a gossip girl die-hard. But I was a Monte Carlo die-hard. First thing we did after I was cast was re-watch Monte Carlo. And when I met Leighton, I tried to play it cool but ended up telling her that I loved the movie growing up. Leighton’s the best. She’s so kind. The whole cast can be described as that, really. And talented. Down to the extras. It was an honor to be able to learn from her and for our orbits to cross.

What are you taking away from this experience — creatively or personally? Anything Lily taught you that’s stuck around?

I think it’s a feeling of determination. I can’t wait to sink my teeth into more material and work in this medium more… but maybe Lily’s taught me to appreciate the journey. I mean it really has been a total dream in some ways. And really being mentally present for that entire ride to savour it was really important to me, because you never know what the future holds. Like, I hope we get a second season. I know I’m ready to showcase more, in this role or the next, and I hope I get to.

Looking ahead, what’s lighting you up? Any roles, genres, or dream collaborators sitting at the top of your list?

Absolutely. Simone Rocha. Denis Villeneuve. Kore-Eda… The filmmaker who made Monster. Incredible. I’d kill to play in a fantasy or sci fi. But honestly, I’m open to a lot. I don’t really believe too much in Tarot Cards and things like that – but I’ve had the same card appear to me twice in the last week somehow with the same message: “Something unexpected is coming your way. Lean in.” So I have my eyes peeled. You have to have a little faith in these things. I mean, like I said. Acting and Writing contain a little magic. So I am absolutely manifesting dream projects, but I’m leaving room for the unexpected too.

Photography – Matt Kallish