Note: This interview was completed prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike.
Actress Zoë Chao is currently starring in two dryly comic series: the Apple TV+ murder-mystery comedy The Afterparty, about a high school reunion that ends with a death, and the recently-revived Party Down, about a catering company staffed with thwarted Hollywood dreamers. Chao tells The Treatment about how her family’s artistic background informed her roles in both series. She talks about leaning into the awkwardness of her characters, and why she doesn’t see herself as funny, despite primarily being cast in comedies.
More: Actor Adam Scott on the joy of bringing back ‘Party Down’
More: ‘Party Down’ creator talks bringing the show back after 13 years