KUALA LUMPUR, September 4 — Australian actor Christopher Chung recently embraced his Malaysian heritage in a new promo for Netflix’s My Brilliant Career, sharing his favourite childhood foods and Chinese phrases.

Chung, who stars in the six-part adaptation of Miles Franklin’s 1901 classic, was born in Australia to a Malaysian-Chinese father and an Irish mother.

In the new promo, the 38-year-old can be seen sharing some of his favourite Cantonese phrases that he grew up with.

“Some of my favourite Chinese-Malaysian phrases are ‘sik fan’, because it means ‘eat’.

“I love to eat, as most Asians do, and it was always a moment of coming together with the family.

“So ‘sik fan’ is the number one phrase that we would use in my house,” Chung said.

He also revealed that he had a lot of nicknames growing up and one that really stuck with him was ‘bun ji’ which means ‘silly boy’; his uncle gave it to him, and his brother often used it to tease him.

Chung also shared that ‘leng zai’ or ‘beautiful boy’ is another phrase that he grew up with as his grandmother would often call him that.

“The phrase that got me in trouble the most when I was growing up was ‘d** l** lo mo’, it means ‘go f*** your mother’.

“It’s not something that Harry Beecham (his character in the series) would ever say, or would he?” Chung said.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Speaking like a true Malaysian, Chung also revealed his top local dishes whenever he comes back to the country.

“My favourite thing to eat when I go back to Malaysia is just side-of-the-road teh tarik to start and a roti canai for breakfast and nasi lemak for lunch but my favourite Malaysian sweet is kuih,” he said.

Aside from that, Chung also pointed out that seeing Australian-Chinese actor Chris Pang in the 2010 film Tomorrow, When the War Began was the moment he truly felt represented on screen.

“I think it’s a real full circle moment to see someone represent you on screen and then to have them as a colleague and in your world.

“It’s been a really lovely, full circle moment for me. I’m hoping that it encourages people to think beyond what their capabilities are, or what’s possible for them.

“So to be able to be that reflection for someone else is one of the most…I don’t even know how to say it but it is one of the most fulfilling things that I could possibly ask for as an actor,” he said.

My Brilliant Career follows headstrong protagonist Sybylla Melvyn played by Philippa Northeast as she resists 1900s Australian society’s pressure to settle down, defying her family’s push toward a conventional marriage in a bid to build a life as an independent writer.

When sent to her grandmother’s wealthy estate to be groomed for marriage, her fierce ambitions are put to the ultimate test after she finds herself drawn to an eligible, charming suitor who encourages her literary dreams.

Chung plays Harry Beecham, a wealthy and eligible station owner who is drawn to Sybylla’s sharp mind and encourages her writing ambitions.

Aside from Chung and Northeast, other cast members in the series include Anna Chancellor, Genevieve O’Reilly, Kate Mulvany, Jake Dunn, Alexander England, Sherry-Lee Watson, and Miah Madden.

Chung previously made waves with the hit Apple TV espionage series Slow Horses where he played a hacker named Roddy Ho which earned him a BAFTA nomination for Best Supporting Actor.