Jona Xiao
Jona Xiao (born May 18, 1989) is an American actress born in China.
Jona Xiao | |
|---|---|
肖乔娜 | |
| Born | Qiaona Xiao May 18, 1989 |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 2005-present |
| Jona Xiao | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 肖喬娜 | ||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 肖乔娜 | ||||||
| |||||||
Early life
Xiao was born in Changsha, China and moved to New York as infant,[1] before ultimately settling in St. Louis, Missouri with her family; starting acting in middle school. Growing up, she was called 'chink' and 'yellow' and decided to be an actress to break against stereotypes.[2] Xiao founded Career ACTivate, which specializes in helping actors jumpstart and progress their careers.[3]
Career
Xiao was cast in Spider-Man: Homecoming in a role that she denies was initially written for an Asian-American actress. Marisa Tomei, who plays Aunt May in the film, lobbied for Xiao to be cast.[1] Her role ended up getting cut in the final film.[4]
In 2021, Xiao lent her voice to a younger Namaari in Raya and the Last Dragon.[5]
Filmography
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | The Forgotten | Female Med Student | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 2012 | Female Vampires Online | Jin | Episode: "Her Highness" |
| Victorious | Nina | Episode: "Driving Tori Crazy" | |
| Crackhorse Presents | Rebecca | Episode: "Becoming One" | |
| Paul Goetz's Last Ditch Effort | Lori | Episode: "Thumb and Thumber" | |
| 2 Broke Girls | Hipster #3 | Episode: "And the Pearl Necklace" | |
| 2013 | Kroll Show | TBA | 2 episodes |
| Bones | Miriam Young | Episode: "The Party in the Pants" | |
| The Young and the Restless | Angie | 1 episode | |
| Trophy Wife | Graduate 3 | Episode: "Pilot" | |
| 2014 | Days of Our Lives | Joelle | 1 episode |
| Saving Face | Soo Jin Park | TV Pilot | |
| Rizzoli & Isles | Young Mother | Episode: "It Takes a Village" | |
| 2016 | Halt and Catch Fire | Julie Yang | 4 episodes |
| 2017 | Being Mary Jane | Natalie Wu | Recurring (season 4) |
| 2019 | Fête | Linseed | Episode: "2017" |
| 2021 | Hightown | Daisy | Recurring (season 2) |
| Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness | Shen May (voice) | Web series | |
| The Flash | Rainbow Raider 2.0 / Carrie Bates | Episode: "Good-Bye Vibrations" |
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Alice Upside Down | Loretta | |
| 2010 | The Mandarin Orange Boy | Lian | |
| 2015 | Tag | Arden | |
| 2016 | Keeping Up with the Joneses | Stacey Chung | |
| 2017 | Gifted | Lijuan | |
| Mercy | Kathy | Short film | |
| 2018 | Flavors of Youth | Lulu (voice) | English dub |
| 2021 | Raya and the Last Dragon | Young Namaari (voice) |
References
- Pham, Jason (April 12, 2017). "A Long Way From 'Rappingstiltskin': Jona Xiao Talks 'Spider-Man,' Diversity and Teaching Mandarin to Jon Hamm". NBC News. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
- Yong, Haren (November 2, 2013). "Exclusive Interview with Rising Starlet Jona Xiao". Gornoblonde. Retrieved October 5, 2016.
- Smith, Deborah (March 19, 2015). ""Create Yourself." Spotlight Interview with Jona Xiao by Deborah Smith". Ms. in the Biz. Retrieved October 5, 2016.
- Alexander, Julia (June 27, 2017). "Spider-Man: Homecoming actress teases important, secret role in film (update)". Polygon. Retrieved August 16, 2017.
- "Actress Jona Xiao Proves Powerful as Young Antagonist in Disney's 'Raya and the Last Dragon'". Ein Presswire. March 3, 2021. Retrieved May 1, 2021.