Jess Hong

Jess Hong was born in Auckland^[2] and raised in Palmerston North, New Zealand to Chinese parents. Her mother came from Guangzhou while her father was from Shanghai. She is the youngest of three sisters.^[3][4]

She started taking drama classes at the age of 13, mainly to combat her shyness and social anxiety.^[3] Hong initially quit drama classes during her first year of high school but subsequently resumed them at the age of 17 during her final.^[4] After completing her secondary education, she moved to Wellington to study for three years at the national drama school, Toi Whakaari, graduating in 2019.^[3][5]

Hong moved to Auckland after graduation, undertaking casual work while auditioning for acting jobs.^[3][4] She has appeared in a variety of stage productions throughout New Zealand, including several Shakespeare performances. On television she has appeared in the New Zealand shows The Brokenwood Mysteries, Inked, Creamerie, and My Life Is Murder.^[5]

Hong gained international recognition with a leading role in the Netflix series 3 Body Problem, released in 2024.^[3] According to The Hollywood Reporter, Hong's character Jin Cheng, who is originally of Chinese descent, was rewritten to reflect her New Zealand background and accent.^[6] To prepare for the role, Hong downloaded Cixin Liu's Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy on Kindle.^[4]