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Famous as the ‘synth’ robot Anita in TV sci-fi smash Humans, Gemma Chan tells Katie Gatens about ditching not one, but two, possible high-flying careers... to act

Why did Humans appeal to you initially? ‘I try to read scripts first of all as a viewer rather than as an actor. When I was sent the scripts for the first three episodes I was hooked by the quality of the writing and found the characters compelling. Humans is science-fiction, but I like the fact it’s grounded and believable. My interest in science also meant the script struck a chord with me immediately.’

Do you have any credentials as a sci-fi geek? ‘I love classic films like Blade Runner and 2001: A Space Odyssey. Books-wise, I read a very good graphic novel recently called Alex + Ada about a young man whose grandma buys him a companion robot and he has to adjust to life with it – so not a million miles away from Humans.’

How did you prepare for playing a robot? ‘I was given classes, a kind of ‘synth school’, to perfect the body language. Everything you think you know how to do we had to learn again: standing up, sitting down, walking. The producer and director didn’t want anything too literally robotic, so we worked around the fact that every movement of the synth would use up battery power, therefore there had to be a reason for every gesture and it had to be efficient. Changing just a small detail can make any movement look slightly strange. It was difficult, but fascinating.’

JACK RYAN: SHADOW RECRUIT (2014)

Chan's Hollywood breakthrough saw her team

up with the CIA agent. Kenneth Branagh starred as a villainous Russian tycoon.

HUMANS (2015) Gemma is the beautiful

robot who's brought in to attend to a family's needs.

But resentment soon grows in this sci-fi

runaway hit.

LONDON FIELDS (2015) The much anticipated

adaptation of Martin Amis's novel about a group of

amoral oddballs living in London. Gemma plays a

con man's mistress.

TV

MILESTONES

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GEMMA CHAN

Highlights

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Has the show’s huge success come as a surpise? ‘We truly had no idea it would be as big as it has been and that it would appeal to such a large demographic. We have AI in so many aspects of our lives already, in supermarkets, in call centres – we have become so reliant on technology. The threat of it going in a darker direction is very real and that‘s part of the

reason why people have engaged with the show.’

How did you become an actor? ‘I’m a professionally trained violinist so it might have been music for me, or in fact law, which I studied [at University of Oxford]. I had always loved acting, I just didn’t realise that it could be a viable career option. I knew quite soon into my law degree

that I didn‘t want to practise corporate law so I secretly applied for drama school without telling anyone. My parents were, understandably, a bit worried. But they’re incredibly supportive now.’

What’s next for you? ‘Theatre: I’m in Harold Pinter’s The Homecoming at London’s Trafalgar Studios. I was terrified at first, it’s such an iconic play but I think you’ve got to do things that scare you sometimes – complex female roles are my cup of tea. I shoot the second series of Humans and I just finished filming Stratton, an action thriller with Dominic Cooper that comes out next year.’

Watch Humans on board now

PLOT YOUR IN-FLIGHT FUN BEFORE YOU FLYDid you know you can plan your movie, TV and audio choices up to two months before you fly? Visit the My High Life Entertainment page at ba.com or go to BA’s Facebook page to read reviews of all the great entertainment available on board.Then print out a list or add to your personal planner.

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SO WHAT IS A SYNTH, ANYWAY?

In this year’s breakout thrilling TV drama Humans, which has also seen success in the

US, Australia and New Zealand, Gemma Chan plays Anita, a synth robot. In a society where artificial intelligence is universally accepted, synths, who look just like humans, now carry out all of the menial tasks in the home. But

the ‘help’ provided by Anita causes increasing concern to busy lawyer and mother, Laura

Hawkins, as the drama explores the chilling possibility of robots’

intelligence overtaking that of humans.

UNEXPECTED

TALENTSSome of our biggest entertainment stars have more than one string to their bow

Seth MacFarlane The creator of Family Guy can also sing like, well, like Frank Sinatra. MacFarlane was trained by the legendary singer's voice coaches, making him the obvious choice to take top billing on Sinatra night at this year’s BBC Proms.

Christina Hendricks Mad Men’s Joan Holloway is something of an accomplished accordion player, even performing with the instrument in the show.

Vanilla Ice The American rapper was a three-time Grand National Motocross champion. He was also crowned the world's sixth best jet skier in 1993, picking up sponsorship from Kawasaki.

Jason Lee You may know him from Kevin Smith movies or as the ‘dad’ in Alvin and the Chipmunks, but Lee was once a legendary pro skateboarder with his own skateboard company. He even had a skate shoe named after him – the Airwalk Jason Lee.

Geena Davis The Thelma and Louise star took up archery in 1997 and almost made her way to the Sydney Olympics, such was her talent for flinging arrows. Onwards and upwards. In 1999, Davis participated in the US archery team Olympic trials where she was placed 24th out of 300, narrowly missing out on a trip to Australia.

Listen to Seth MacFarlane singing Frank Sinatra in audio

Pictured clockwise from top left: Vanilla Ice; Christina Hendricks; Seth MacFarlane; Geena Davis; Jason Lee