[Editor’s note: This interview contains spoilers of 3 Body Problem season one.]
There’s no denying that 3 Body ProblemNetflix’s sweeping drama, which premiered March 21, goes hard with the science in its science fiction. Yet there’s poignant character development going on here, making it easier to digest storylines about an impending alien invasion, extraterrestrials communicating via a distressing video game, a deadly cult of worshippers, and scientists who are racing against time to save everyone.
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Based on Cixin Liu’s “unadaptable” novel, 3 Body Problem follows multiple protagonists, but it all begins with Ye Wenjie. As a young astrophysicist (Zine Tseng) in ’60s China, she invited an advanced alien race called San-Ti to take over the planet. In the present day, an older Ye, played by Rosalind Chao, leads a community of believers who can’t wait to surrender to “The Lord,” even if it comes at the cost of sacrificing their loved ones.
Ye Wenjie is 3 Body Problem’s linchpin, and Chao says she was immediately drawn to tackle her. The A.V. Club spoke to the actor (The Joy Luck Club, Star Trek) about figuring out her characters’ dark motivations, that big twist in episode four, and her hopes for returning in a potential second season.
The A.V. Club: How did you come across 3 Body Problem and get the role of Ye Wenjie?
Rosalind Chao: I was cast as a result of a meeting with [series showrunners] D.B. Weiss, David Benioff, and Alexander Woo. That’s when I found out about the show’s storyline. I didn’t know it was 3 Body Problem or anything before that. Alex laid out Ye Wenjie’s story, and I said yes. I didn’t even need the full script. I knew they were going to be great bosses when they told me they’d move my dates around so I could attend my daughter’s graduation. That’s when I knew they were good folk.
AVC: How did you find out who your character is internally in the scope of this very dense sci-fi show?
RC: I got an all-encompassing view of the TV show when I finally saw the script. Of course, I’d already agreed to do the show by then. I was first introduced to Ye Wenjie by seeing the outtakes from episode one of the younger Ye, played by Zine Tseng. I got more of a grasp on who she was as she was playing her and I tried to continue that thread and build on it. As she gets older, she gets softer. They did a lot of aging on me, which allowed for more character development. They painted my hair grey and made more wrinkles on me, some of which stayed. All that contributes to the character, both her softening and hardening. It made her juicier to play.
AVC: You and Zine play the same character at different points in her life. Did you get to collaborate with her at all to figure out specific details?
RC: I never met Zine, not properly. She finished filming, and then I ran into her for like 20 minutes before I started filming in Spain at breakfast. But we didn’t really talk about the character. She was leaving, and I was coming in. I remember watching her walk from behind. On the show, I didn’t get to see that in outtakes. I’ve been around the block so long, I was asked to adapt to how she moved. So I still kept elements of Ye that were in my head, body, and background that I could bring to life. I also tried to bring certain mannerisms of young Ye.
AVC: Ye is the key element of 3 Body Problem because she invites the San-Ti to Earth, sacrificing relationships with her daughter, Vera, and other mentees in the process. How did you bring those emotions to life?
RC: Playing Ye was challenging in that I had so much emotion and empathy for the mother-daughter relationship because I have a daughter. And I had empathy for her situation because I had family members who went through certain hardships. So I had her in my bones. The hardest part was to put that veil on that the young Ye had. She only spoke in Mandarin. There are cultural differences where I was born and raised in America, so if I think something, I say it. Don’t ever cut in line in front of me; I’ll tap you and say, “Out.” But, you know, Ye would not. Maybe she’d shoot a look but not show anything on her face [or] elbow that person a little bit. I had to put a veil on Ye yet let her strength come through in her resilience. That’s the main thing about her: She’s resilient.
AVC: The big twist with Ye comes in episode four when we learn she’s the founder of the cult, so to speak. How did you want to build up to the shock of that moment?
RC: Were you surprised?
AVC: Yes, I was. I’m not at all familiar with the source material, so I didn’t know what to expect.
RC: Good, good. The reveal, to me, as I’m playing her, I did it as if this is who she is as well. I believe Ye is good at wearing masks. She became a mentor to the Oxford Five, and she wasn’t a bad person, but she enveloped their lives in the best possible way with good intentions initially. Then she gets swept up. She thinks, in the long run, this is best for humanity. I believe that she believes that sometimes you have to kill a few bugs to make things nice for everyone else, and unfortunately, the Oxford Five are getting in the way.
AVC: The reason Ye’s reveal is affecting is because we see it happen through Jin’s eyes. She realizes that Ye, who she’s so close with, is the reason for her friends dying. I appreciated that 3 Body Problem made sure to depict their bond beforehand.
RC: Oh, good. I’m really glad you saw that, the bond between Ye and Jin. Yes, that was the hope: that you see Jin (Jess Hong) and Saul (Jovan Adepo) having a relationship with Ye. He brings her groceries, she cooks with her. Ye is involved in their lives. So to suddenly have that twist is even more heart-wrenching.
Jess Hong, who plays Jin, and I developed a strong relationship as a result of my filming in New Zealand. She’s from there. I was filming there for six months after we finished 3 Body Problem for another project. We got to know each other well by sharing meals and going on walks. And then we came back to add that scene in 3 Body Problem when Jin realizes Ye’s betrayal, and that bond we formed, that knowledge of each other, helped fuel our relationship while we were acting.
AVC: Once everyone learns the truth, Ye spends a lot of time in custody with private investigator Da Shi, played by Benedict Wong. You both have a lot of one-on-one scenes together in a confined space. What was it like to collaborate with him?
RC: Filming with Benedict Wong is a dream come true.
AVC: Let’s talk about Ye’s emotional final scene when she’s ready to jump off that cliff, and then Tatiana [Marlo Kelly] arrives to kill her. They end up having a sentimental, teary reunion.
RC: We filmed Ye’s last scene with Tatiana on a cliff in Spain, but that was actually my first day of filming. [Laughs] I’d come straight from my daughter’s graduation. It was jarring because I didn’t know the crew or Daniel and David well other than [from] our meeting. I didn’t even know Ye that well yet. But in the show, she had become a different person by the time she was ready to jump in the finale. We were able to use all that. Filming with Marlo Kelly, who plays Tatiana, was also such a delight. One tidbit is we really were standing on the edge of the cliff. A stunt guy was below me getting ready to catch me in case I fell. The wind started to pick up, and I remember Marlo and I grabbing each other. I remember thinking there’s a parallel with what’s happening with the Lord. Tatiana is hanging on to Ye for her whole journey, and Ye is leaving the journey now. Or does she?
AVC: That’s true, we don’t see Ye dying on the screen. So anything could happen, right?
RC: What do you think?
AVC: I have no idea what to expect, but I hope to see you as Ye again.
RC: So do I. I love everyone on this so much; I’m having severe separation anxiety. We have a group chat where I’ve texted them this.
AVC: One of your most notable roles is Keiko O’Brien in the Star Trek franchise. What draws you to the sci-fi genre, and what do you think makes 3 Body Problem stand out in that space?
RC: Of course, I’m known to sci-fi fans for playing Keiko O’Brien in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. That’s a different animal in a lot of ways. I look at 3 Body Problem as not necessarily sci-fi. If you’re into that, you’ll be very satisfied, but if you’re not into sci-fi, it has many other elements. It’s a mystery, a detective story, an adventure story. The thing that registered with me is it’s a love story, and it goes wrong obviously. It’s about how people deal with the end of relationships when the world is falling apart—or, if you think you don’t have another day to live, how do you confront that reality?