# Zoë Chao

Zoë Carroll Chao (born September 19, 1985) is an American television and stage actress and screenwriter, principally known for her roles as Isobel in Strangers and Zoë in The Afterparty.

## Early life

Chao was born in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Her mother has Irish and English ancestry, while her father is of Chinese descent. Her paternal grandmother immigrated from China to Michigan. Chao has stated that she grew up in a family of visual artists. After graduating from the Wheeler School in 2004, she received her BA in art history from Brown University and her MFA from the graduate acting program at UCSD.

## Career

Chao has participated in theatre productions, including La Jolla Playhouse's Sideways, Surf Report, and WoW Festivals' Our Town, and Ensemble Theatre Company's Amadeus. In 2016, she appeared in the Off Broadway play Friend Art at Second Stage. She has worked with directors Christopher Guest, Les Waters, Ping Chong and Chris Ashley.
Chao also starred in her own TV series, God Particles, which she wrote and produced. She co-produced the 2017 short Like Animals. She is perhaps best known for starring as Isobel in Strangers, the first three episodes of which were screened at the Sundance Film Festival.
In 2022-23, Chao was in the main cast of the Apple TV+ mystery comedy series The Afterparty. In 2024, Chao appeared as Nina Mazursky in the animated television series Creature Commandos, written and created by James Gunn for the DC Universe based on the team of the same name.
In 2024, Chao was cast in the comedy Let's Have Kids! opposite Karen Gillan.

## Personal life

During the filming of Strangers, Chao relocated from New York City to Los Angeles.

## Filmography

Key :
| † | Denotes film or TV productions that have not yet been released |

### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2006 | My Girlfriend's Abroad | | |
| 2014 | The Gordon Game | Wife | Short |
| 2015 | Dirty Beautiful | Jamie | |
| 2015 | Dirty Garden | | Short |
| 2015 | Center Pedal | Y | Short |
| 2017 | Like Animals | Mary | Short |
| 2019 | Where'd You Go, Bernadette | Soo-Lin | |
| 2019 | Almost Love | Haley | |
| 2020 | Downhill | Rosie | |
| 2020 | The High Note | Katie | |
| 2020 | I Used to Go Here | Laura | |
| 2021 | Long Weekend | Vienna | |
| 2022 | Family Squares | Kelly | Also FF & GG Camera Operator |
| 2022 | Senior Year | Tiffany Blanchette | |
| 2023 | Your Place or Mine | Minka | |
| 2023 | Somebody I Used to Know | Ramona | |
| 2023 | If You Were the Last | Jane Kuang | |
| 2024 | Nightbitch | Jen | |
| 2025 | The Roses † | TBA | Post-production |
| TBA | Let's Have Kids! † | Phoebe | Post-production |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2011 | The Protector | BAO House Girl | Episode: "Beef" |
| 2012 | Hart of Dixie | Dr. Lee | Episode: "Disaster Drills & Departures" |
| 2014 | God Particles | Rue | 4 episodes |
| 2014 | The Comeback | Shayna | 4 episodes |
| 2015 | Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn | Ms. Nakamura | Episode: "Sweet Foot Rides" |
| 2015 | Monster Girls | Halfoff | TV short |
| 2016 | Rizzoli & Isles | Mimi Tanaka | Episode: "A Shot in the Dark" |
| 2016 | That's What She Said | | TV miniseries |
| 2017–18 | Strangers | Isobel | Main role |
| 2018 | Succession | Joyce Miller's Staff | Episode: "Sad Sack Wasp Trap" |
| 2019 | The OA | Mo | 2 episodes |
| 2019 | Living with Yourself | Kaylyn | Recurring role |
| 2020–21 | Love Life | Sara Yang | Main role (season 1) Guest role (season 2) |
| 2021 | Modern Love | Zoe | Episode: "The Night Girl Finds a Day Boy" |
| 2022–23 | The Afterparty | Zoë Zhu | Main role |
| 2023 | Celebrity Jeopardy! | Herself | Contestant |
| 2023 | Party Down | Lucy Dang | Main role (season 3) |
| 2024–25 | Creature Commandos | Nina Mazursky (voice) | Main role (season 1) |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
| 2015 | International Academy of Web Television Awards | Best Female Performance in a Comedy | God Particles | Won |
| 2023 | Critics Choice Association Celebration of Asian Pacific Cinema & Television | Actress Award for Television | The Afterparty | Won |
| 2024 | Variety's 10 Actors to Watch | Variety's 10 Actors to Watch | Variety's 10 Actors to Watch | Honored |