Meet Benedict Wong: how the 3 Body Problem actor launched himself out of his family’s takeaway restaurant and into the Marvel Cinematic Universe – and Ian McKellen was an early fan

The British actor, who faced agent indifference and was often typecast in predictable Asian roles early in his career, is now master of the sorcery required to make it as a star in Hollywood

British actor Benedict Wong has gone from starring in Asian-centric roles to taking on characters that transcend cultures and race. While the actor has been honing his craft for decades, he's perhaps best known for his role as the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Sorcerer Supreme - an essential character in the Doctor Strange saga.

More recently, Wong starred in the Netflix sci-fi hit 3 Body Problem in a role central to the plot. In the series, adapted from a Chinese novel by Liu Cixin, Wong plays Clarence "Da" Shi, a detective investigating a series of deaths of scientists.

Undoubtedly, the actor has a range that allows him to cross comfortably between characters. Born to Hong Kong parents, Wong grew up in Eccles, a suburb of Manchester, England.

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Modest beginnings

Before he pursued acting, Wong worked at his family's takeaway restaurant in Salford, Greater Manchester, where he recounts being the target of racism. Perhaps from experiencing this at a young age and standing out as Asian, the idea of seeking opportunities and carving out a path for himself emerged.

At 17, Wong took a two-year performing arts course in Manchester. He also worked in various odd jobs at bars and clubs, and thrived in the city's diverse cultural scene. "Manchester was a real bedrock for me and I miss it like crazy," he told Vulture in April. "Its dopamine hits you."

It was through working in that bar-club environment in Manchester that Wong landed his first acting gig. He asked a friend who was an actor how he got into the profession. The friend handed him a copy of a monologue from the play East, by Steven Berkoff. Wong read it, went to an audition and was cast.

Around the same time, in the 1990s, he got a job working at a fringe theatre as a janitor and ticket collector, which coincidentally meant exposure to an added theatrical diet of dance and mime.

When his father told him, at 21, to "get a proper job", Wong persuaded him to let him have three more years to pursue his dream. Wong couldn't afford drama school, so instead he joined an actors' cooperative and plunged in headfirst. There, he learned not only the craft of acting but also about the business of it. He did two-week stints each year representing other actors in the cooperative, which saw him mailing casting directors with reviews - something that gave him perspective on the industry from the business side. "I just tried out in the field and if I grazed my knees, I'd get back up," he told The National in May 2022.

Breaking into the London scene

By 1996, Wong had outgrown the cooperative and moved to London to pursue more promising opportunities. He quickly scored a role in the film The Letter, which caught the attention of critics as well as Ian McKellen. Armed with raving endorsements, Wong thought the path would be sunny ahead.

Instead, he was repeatedly typecast in stereotypical Asian roles: "the waiter, the gangster ... the godfather", as he told Vulture.

"Wong and Only"

All of this is not to say that the actor isn't willing to play to his Hong Kong roots. In 2013 he starred in the play The Arrest of Ai Weiwei, in which he portrayed the titular Chinese artist and political activist.

Soon afterwards, Wong decided he wanted to take charge of his own career and not leave matters in the hands of an agent. He went on record to say, jokingly, that he was represented by Wong and Only Management.

Based on his recent career trajectory, this seems to have been a wise decision. Wong has scored several high-profile roles that have seen him traversing occupations, eras and even universes. From playing Wong, Sorcerer Supreme of the Masters of the Mystic Arts in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, to the detective in 3 Body Problem, this Mancunian has carved out a path enabling him to highlight his versatility as an actor.

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This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (www.scmp.com), the leading news media reporting on China and Asia.

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