Gemma Chan Reveals How She’s Used Her Oxford Law Degree Since Becoming an Actress

Actress Gemma Chan recently shared how her law degree from Oxford University somehow became quite useful in her acting career.

The “Crazy Rich Asians” star was featured on the cover of Modern Luxury magazine’s March issue where she gave a fascinating interview about her blossoming career in Hollywood.

Chan, who plays Kree geneticist Dr. Minerva in the upcoming Marvel film “Captain Marvel,” revealed how having a law degree from Oxford University has actually been surprisingly helpful.

The 36-year-old actress shared that while she did not pursue practicing law, her education has been useful in her current profession.

“It is quite helpful with the memorization. I had to learn about 2,000 cases by heart, so I am fairly good at learning scripts quickly,” she was quoted as saying. “On the whole, it is quite a different part of the brain: Law is very analytical, and acting is more instinctive and emotionally driven. But, it does come in handy with learning lines ― and reading my own contract.”

According to Chan, she enjoyed earning her degree but noted that she would’ve become a “pretty miserable lawyer.”

Chan said she did not find acting to be a viable career until later on in life. She explained that although she had been involved in drama and music since she was a child, it took years before she secretly auditioned for drama school.

“[My] dad said to me, ‘It doesn’t matter how good you are or how talented you are — how many faces do you see on the screen that look like ours? You won’t get enough work,’” she told the Los Angeles Times back in August. “I said, ‘Dad, I just want to be part of a change.’ ”

In her more recent interview, Chan said she was grateful to be part of the massive hit that was “Crazy Rich Asians.”

“I have never been part of a project where people had such personal reactions to it,” she said. “People come up to me on the streets or at the airport just to say thank you. I think it has to do with people feeling seen for the first time. It feels amazing to be a part of it, and, hopefully, it is just the start.”

Featured Image via Instagram / gemma_chan

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