While Jamie Chung got her start on reality television, she proved her acting ability by starring in shows like Gotham and Big Hero 6: The Series and some fans consider her one of the most successful stars from The Real World franchise.
Background Information
Jamie Jilynn Chung was born to first-generation Korean immigrants on April 10, 1983, in San Francisco, CA. Chung attended Lowell High School, graduating in 2001 and continuing her education at the University of California, Riverside. She graduated with a B.A. in economics and was a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority.
Jamie Chung first hit the small screen on the MTV series The Real World: San Diego in 2004, Post-The Real World, she appeared on its spinoff, Real World/Road Rules Challenge, but her career led her to act with one of her first roles being a Hooters girl in the film I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry.
Acting Career
Chung’s first television appearance was in the hit series Veronica Mars, starring Kristen Bell. Chung played the “flirting girl” in the 2006 Spit & Eggs episode, which was the ninth episode of season three.
The mystery television series ran on the CW for four seasons, with fans launching a Kickstarter fundraiser to raise money to produce a film. The efforts were successful, and a movie was released in 2014, with the fourth season airing in 2019, twelve years after season three ended.
Dragonball Evolution
In 2009, Chung played Chi Chi in the superhero-martial arts film Dragonball Evolution, which also starred Justin Chatwin and Emmy Rossum. The movie is based on the Akira Toriyama Japanese Dragon Ball manga series.
Unfortunately, the film didn’t fare well with critics and audiences, grossing only $9.4 million in the United States. Despite its lack of success, it offered Chung a starring role to help launch her career.
Grown Ups
Chung played Amber Hilliard in the 2010 comedy Grown Ups, which had several big names, including Chris Rock, Kevin James, Salma Hayek, David Spade, and Maya Rudolph. The film centered around five lifelong friends who reunited thirty years after winning their high school championship.
Chung plays the daughter of Rob (Rob Schneider) and the half-sister of Jasmine (Madison Riley). Adam Sandler wrote the film, and while critics didn’t praise it, it managed to gross $271 worldwide and produce a sequel in 2013.
Sucker Punch
The following year, Chung played Amber in the psychological fantasy Sucker Punch, starring Emily Browning. The film revolves around a young woman admitted to a mental institution. Chung played a fellow patient at Lennox House and replaced Emma Stone, initially set to play the role.
Director Zack Snyder considered the film “Alice in Wonderland with machine guns.” Unfortunately, the film was a flop at the box office and grossed $89 million against an $82 million budget.
The Hangover 2
That same year, Chung landed the role of Lauren in the comedy film The Hangover 2, the sequel to the hit movie The Hangover, with most of the original actors reprising their roles. Chung plays the fiancée of Stu Price (Ed Helms), and hilarity ensues as Stu travels to Thailand for their upcoming wedding.
Chung would continue landing film roles and starred as Lady Silk in the 2013 martial arts film The Man with the Iron Fists. The film also starred Russell Crowe and Lucy Liu and centers around a group of lone warriors who must unite to defeat a familiar rival to save their Jungle Village. Chung’s character is a prostitute in the Pink Blossom and the lover of the blacksmith.
In 2014, Chung lent her voice to the animated superhero film Big Hero 6, loosely based on the Marvel Comics of the same name. Chung voices Go Go Tomago, an athletic student who specializes in electromagnetics. The Disney film grossed nearly $688 million worldwide against a budget of $165 million.
Chung took her acting skills to the small screen, appearing in 12 episodes of the fantasy adventure series Once Upon a Time. In seasons 2-3 and 5, the actress had a recurring role, playing Mulan. The television show alternated between a fantastical world and a fictional seaside Maine town.
Gotham
In 2016, Chung played Valerie Vale for six episodes in the superhero crime drama Gotham. Valerie was the ex-girlfriend of Jim Gordon (Ben McKenzie), worked as a journalist at the Gotham Gazette, and was Vicki Vale’s aunt from the original DC comics.
After he demands Jim to pick whether she or Lee should be shot, Valerie is shot by Jervis. While Jim chose Lee, Jervis still pointed the gun at Valerie, which sent her to the hospital for surgery. Jim visited her in the hospital and became emotional at her state.
Valerie laughed at his crying and told him she knew he would choose Lee and Jervis would shoot Valerie. Valerie then told Jim she knew he was still in love with Lee.
Fans felt loose ends needed to be tied before Valerie left the show and felt the character disappeared.
Chung appeared as a series regular on The Gifted, appearing in 29 episodes playing the role of Clarice Fong/Blink. Between 2017 and 2019, fans could watch Chung on the superhero television show based on Marvel Comics’ X-Men properties. Chung’s character was a lively mutant with teleportation powers.
The actress appeared in 6 episodes of the HBO horror drama series Lovecraft Country, playing Ji-Ah. The show follows a young black man in the 1950s, searching for his father across the segregated United States, with Chung playing a Korean nursing student who has an affair with Atticus (Jonathan Majors).
Chung was a regular on the animated television show Big Hero 6: The Series, reprising her role of Go Go Tomago. The series took place after the original film’s events and ran for three seasons, with Chung appearing in 45 episodes. While the show ended in 2021, you can catch it on Disney+.
What is Jamie Chung Doing Now?
Jamie Chung is still very much active as an actress and will star in the upcoming movies Junction and the murder mystery Reunion. She also had a recurring role as Molly Park in the crime mystery miniseries Dexter: New Blood. The show was a continuation of the original Showtime series Dexter and premiered on Showtime in November 2021.
Fans can also catch up with Chung on Instagram, where she posts to her 1.4 million followers.
Personal Life
Chung began dating her future husband, Bryan Greenberg, in 2012, ten years after their first meeting. While the couple went out once in New York, they didn’t see each other again for a year. Despite many missed opportunities, the couple got engaged in 2013 and married in October 2015 during a 3-day celebration.
The couple welcomed twins via surrogate in October 2021, with Chung stating she was afraid pregnancy would hurt her career. She told Today Parents, “I was terrified of putting my life on hold for two-plus years. In my industry, it feels like you’re easily forgotten if you don’t work within the next month of your last job.”
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