Note: this interview was recorded before the SAG-AFTRA strike. Many KCRW staff are members of SAG-AFTRA, though we are under a separate contract from the agreement at issue between actors and studios.
Actress Zoë Chao is known for her nuanced comedic roles in shows like The Afterparty and Party Down. However, some of her most meaningful acting experiences have happened through taking part in her sister Maia Chao’s videos. Maia is an interdisciplinary artist and professor at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore.
The siblings have collaborated on several projects over the years, including Gently Used — a short film in which Zoë and Maia describe items from their parents’ basement that they plan to sell on Ebay — and What Draws Us Together, What Drives Us Apart, a video reenactment of some of their favorite movie scenes.
More: ‘Afterparty’ actress Zoë Chao on leaning into awkwardness
This interview was conducted prior to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike. It has been edited for length and clarity.
I'm going to talk about a visual artist who mainly works in sculpture and video, who is a big inspiration for me and my work. Her name is Maia Chao, and she just happens to be my sister. We've collaborated on several projects together, and I always find working with her to be a return home, a return to self, a return to play. Her art is so funny. It's inquisitive, self reflective, and relatable.
We grew up playing together. We play so hard, and so well together. This piece [Gently Used — a short film in which Zoë and Maia describe items from their parents’ basement that they plan to sell on Ebay] we did on Christmas of 2017. It was the thing that kind of pulled me out of a chapter of depression. I was really struggling with my career and understanding why I had dedicated myself to acting, because so much of the job is actually not acting. So I needed to find my way back to the thing, to the reason why I'm doing what I do, and Gently Used was where I found it — back in the basement of our childhood home.
We shot [What Draws Us Together, What Drives Us Apart] all over Arizona, where our granddad lived, [and] in New Hampshire, where our grandmother lives. [Also] our home in Massachusetts, where our parents live, [and] in New York, where we used to share an apartment. We brought to life our favorite scenes.
We grew up on these films and these ideas about what being a woman and a sister is. It's a brilliant piece because it's not just the scenes, it's the making of these things and you get to see sisterhood really play out. It's the first time I've ever seen myself on screen as an adult since becoming a professional actor. There are many moments where I'm completely unaware of the camera, and it's wild to witness it.
I won't speak for everyone, but it's really hard to forget about the camera. It's really hard to let yourself play all the way, to let go of the audience. It's wild to watch oneself really do that. And of course, it's in relationship to my sister.
I'm really proud of those works, and she's so badass.