Mindy Chen

> "*You're not alone. You have a friend here now. Paris is the most exciting city in the world. And you never know what’s gonna happen next.*"
> ― Mindy to Emily in *Masculin Féminin*
>
>

**Mindy Chen** is a resident of Paris who originally lived in Shanghai. Quick-witted nanny and aspiring singer Mindy becomes fast friends with Emily after they cross paths in a park. Mindy’s move to Paris redefined her relationship with her family and the separation takes an emotional toll. Still, she's a dreamer — and searching for the courage to step into the spotlight.

## Biography

Mindy was born in Shanghai, China, to a Chinese father and Korean mother, who still reside in Shanghai. Mindy refers to her father as the Zipper King because he owns a zipper manufacturing company and other types of fasteners, which has made him immensely wealthy. Since Mindy is his only child, he wants her to join the company and eventually take over the family business. Mindy resented this idea and wanted to make a life for herself outside of her family company. She attended junior high school in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.

While living in China, Mindy participated in a televised singing competition called "*Chinese Popstar*". However, she had stage fright and technical difficulties which made her performance terrible. When people learned who her father is, she turned into a meme on the internet. She left China immediately out of embarrassment. As she has always wanted to live in Paris, she decided to move there to attend business school. This occurred around a year before the pilot episode.

Mindy later dropped out, much to her father's disappointment. He cut her off financially in hopes that she would return to China. However, Mindy decided to stay in Paris and to earn her own money. She took a job as a nanny for a wealthy family who wanted their two children, Sybil and Laurent, to learn Mandarin.

### Season 1

Mindy's job as a nanny takes her to a park where she meets Emily Cooper and the two become friendly with Mindy offering to meet Emily for dinner if Emily gets lonely. It doesn't take long for the women to become best friends, with Mindy often serving as Emily's sounding board and insight into French culture. Mindy's wealthy Shanghai father, the "Zipper King" begins to pester Mindy to return home and join his company. He offers her expensive bribes like a luxury car and a house located next to theirs. She continuously denies his offers as she doesn't want to depend on her family.

With Emily's encouragement, Mindy begins to learn how to restart her singing career and is encouraged to sing in public where her beautiful voice draws a crowd. When her friends Shay and Li visit Mindy in Paris, they arrange for her to perform a song at a club. She sings "Chandelier" by Sia, the same song she failed at performing on *Chinese Popstar*. This time, the audience enjoys the performance and cheers her on. The cabaret is impressed with Mindy's performance and offers her a job emceeing there twice a week. Her performance, which is live-streamed on Instagram, garnered over twenty-seven thousand views.

While Mindy is excited about the job offer, she is reluctant to take it due to her current employer, the Duponts, having a very conservative outlook on life. Emily advises that she request the days off that she needs to perform and just not tell them that she has another job. This advice backfires, and the Duponts fire Mindy and evict her from their home. She arrives at Emily's apartment bags in hand, asking to stay there until she can get back on her feet. Emily agrees to let Mindy stay as long as she needs.

### Season 3

Mindy, Étienne, and Benoît are invited to perform at a jazz club, wowing the manager and crowd. In her personal life, Mindy continues to date Benoît and support Emily in her crazy drama, which includes throwing Alfie a farewell party at Chez Lavaux. While at the party, Mindy learns the manager of the jazz club wants to hire her as their singer, but isn't interested in Benoît or Étienne, since they already have a house band. She struggles to make a decision since she doesn't want to split up the band, ultimately turning down the offer without telling her bandmates. She also urges Emily to make a grand gesture to win Alfie back, as they haven't been okay since she missed his going away party. She also invites Emily to see her perform that evening, with Camille and Gabriel also attending. Onstage, Benoît and Étienne reveal they accepted the jazz managers offer on her behalf. They want her to pursue her dreams. Emily decides to make the most of the moment by singing to Alfie with some help from Mindy and the band.

Mindy invites Emily to her debut performance at the jazz club, though her nerves nearly get the best of her until she hooks up with Benoît back stage. She dazzles the club in a green jumper while singing a rendition of Dua Lipa. Her recurring gig comes with recurring anxiety, that only a pre-show hookup with Benoît seems to quelm. She has a superstition that them hooking up is what helps her perform so well, nearly backing out of her show when Benoît has to miss their pre-show ritual. She opens flowers that he sent to find a vibrator tucked inside. When she isn't performing, Mindy helps a now unemployed Emily fill her days. She suggests having fun in the city, but Emily is eager to work, offering herself up as an interim waitress at Gabriel's restaurant. After getting fired, she takes both Gabriel and Mindy's advice to have fun. The girls head to an amusement park and are Go-Karting when Sylvie offers Emily a job.

One night, while out to dinner with Alfie and Emily, the trio bump into Nicolas de Leon, who Mindy recognizes from her days at boarding school in Switzerland. They laugh over their pasts, including how Mindy used to sell drugs and Nicolas was a partier. Emily knows him as the heir to luxury conglomerate JVMA - who she would love to work with. She invites him to Alfie's flat party the next afternoon. He attends and Mindy keeps her friend from talking about work. The pair discuss her frustrations about street performances, and his flirtatious nature catches the attention of Benoît. The trio have an awkward conversation before Nicolas invites Emily and Mindy to attend JVMA's Soleil de Paris party the next day.

Mindy and Emily attend the Soleil de Paris sunscreen party, and Emily confides in Mindy that she saw Camille kissing Sofia Sideris at Alfie's flat. Mindy suggests she stop interfering in other people's lives. JVMA's "Soleil De Paris" promotion inspires Emily to suggest Benoît's song "Mon Soleil" to Nicolas, who decides to buy it. Mindy shares the news with Benoît, hoping he'd be excited to make money and have this platform, but he refuses to sell it as it wrote it for her, not for a ridiculous sunblock commercial. She understands and tells Emily the song isn't for sale. The next night, she and Benoît are meant to perform together, but an unexpected flower delivery from Nicolas causes an argument between the couple. Benoît is upset that their lives have become so different, and leaves when Mindy refuses to show him the note that came with the flowers. The duo end up stage together for an emotional and moody performance, though Benoît leaves before she takes her bow.

After radio silence from Benoît, Mindy takes this as a breakup and makes plans to meet with Nicolas for an outdoor movie with his friends. She invites Emily and Gabriel to attend, the latter of whom she takes pity on when she learns Camille isn't home from Greece yet. She wears Emily's unwanted sexy flight attendant outfit, a gift from Grégory Elliott Duprée, to the movie. She pairs off with Nicolas and, as they get ready to say goodbye, they finally confess to having feelings for one another and kiss. They start dating and hang out with Emily at Pierre Cadault's fashion opening. Mindy meets Louis de Leon and tries to make a good impression on Nicolas' friend and coworkers. When Emily and Agence Grateau fake Pierre Cadault's death to outshine JVMA's announcement of Gregory taking over, Nicolas is embarrassed in front of everyone, including his father. Emily and Mindy talk the next day over coffee, with Emily complaining about her relationship with Alfie. Mindy advises her to be patient with Alfie and then admits to being upset with her for prioritizing work, embarrassing Nicolas in front of his father, and putting her in a bad position between them. Emily apologizes and Mindy forgives her, even inviting her to her last performance at the jazz club and the after party celebration.

Emily attends the party and tries to make things right with Nicolas for Mindy's sake, but he refuses to accept her apologies. When Mindy happily comes over, Nicolas shares that Emily can't stay as she has a work dinner. Emily, not wanting to cause more problems, goes along with the lie and leaves with Alfie, cementing Mindy's annoyance towards her best friend. Nonetheless, the girls hang out for lunch when they see Camille arguing with Sofia. After an awkward exchange between the women, Mindy advises Emily to tell Gabriel the truth since they're engaged now. That night, everyone except Nicolas attends Gabriel's newly renamed restaurant L'Esprit de Gigi. When Emily runs off to the kitchen to talk to Gabriel, Alfie tells Mindy what really happened at her party; that Emily didn't want to leave but Nicolas made her. Mindy is angry and hugs Emily tightly, apologizing for how Nicolas treated her. She confronts him that night, angry that's he engaging in a petty pissing match with her best friend. She warns him to think hard about their relationship because she won't tolerate his hating her best friend.

Camille and Gabriel's engagement party is in Provence the next day. Mindy waits for hours at her apartment for Nicolas to pick her up. After realizing they won't get there on time, she texts Nicolas that he blew it. She gets an unexpected visit from Benoît, who tells her that the band - including her - are going to Eurovision. He submitted Mon Soleil for entry which is why he didn't want to sell it before. They share an intimate moment that is interrupted when Nicolas calls, ready to whisk her away to Provence in a helicopter. They have a dramatic entrance to the party when the helicopter lands several feet from the lunch table, disturbing the guests and furniture. As they take their seats, Nicolas apologizes to Emily and is ready to start over with her for Mindy's sake. The couple enjoys the engagement party, which becomes an impromptu wedding in a chapel on the property grounds. However, Camille shocks everyone by refusing to go through with the marriage. She believes Gabriel and Emily are in love and should be together, fleeing from the chapel as Mindy stares wide-eyed at her best friend.

## Personality

Mindy is beautiful, fashionable, and funny. She is direct and does not sugarcoat her advice, which oftentimes is directed at Emily.

## Relationships

### Emily Cooper

*Main article: Emily and Mindy*
Mindy is Emily's first friend in Paris. Mindy's experience with living in a foreign country without any friends allows her to understand how Emily is feeling with the culture shift. The girls meet frequently and primarily discuss the issue most present in Emily's life. They have become best friends who support one another in each of their individual endeavors and want the best for each other.

### Benoît

*Main article: Mindy and Benoît*
In Season 2, Mindy and Benoît busk together and begin dating.

## Trivia

* Mindy's name was inspired by Darren Star's good friend who helped him navigate Paris during his time there, like Mindy does for Emily.
* Part of her job as a nanny is to teach the children Mandarin. Ironically, the actress who portrays Mindy, Ashley Park, is not fluent in the language.
* Mindy is a "Chaoxianzu" (simplified Chinese: 朝鲜族; traditional Chinese: 朝鮮族), also known as "Joseonjok" or "Chosŏnjok" (Korean: 조선족), as she is Chinese-Korean. She is Chinese by nationality (from her Chinese father), and of Korean ethnicity (from her Korean mother), making her a second generation Chinese-Korean.
	+ Despite this, it is unknown whether she can speak Korean fluently.
	+ It is also unknown whether her mother is a North or South Korean.
* Mindy refers to her father as the "zipper King".
* Her family is immensely wealthy and she grew up with nannies.
* As part of her nanny job, Mindy took care of Laurent and Sybil.
* Mindy is fluent in three languages; French, English, and Mandarin.
	+ However, Ashley Park's Mandarin is not to fluent standards.
* Darren Star tweaked the storyline of Mindy a little bit to give Ashley Park a chance to sing. He feels that it enriches and adds some layers to the character.

## Appearances

* Masculin Féminin
* Sexy or Sexist
* A Kiss is Just a Kiss
* Faux Amis
* Ringarde
* French Ending
* Family Affair
* An American Auction in Paris (Credit and Picture)
* Cancel Couture
* Do You Know the Way to St. Tropez?
* Bon Anniversaire!
* Jules and Em
* An Englishman in Paris
* Boiling Point
* The Cook, The Thief, Her Ghost and His Lover
* Champagne Problems
* Scents and Sensibility
* French Revolution

* What's It All About...
* Coo D'état
* Live From Paris, It's Emily Cooper
* Ooo La La Liste
* Ex-En-Provence
* How to Lose a Designer in 10 Days
* Fashion Victim
* Love is in the Air
* Charade

## Gallery

* Promotional
* Season 1

## References

1. ↑ *Scents and Sensibility*
2. ↑ Netflix TUDUM lists official character descriptions
3. ↑ Instagram post
4. ↑ Darren Star and Lily Collins take us inside their new rom-com series, Emily in Paris