Gemma Chan was at the Newport Beach Film Festival yesterday where she was honoured with the Outstanding Achievement in Acting award for her performance in Josephine.

Josephine had its world premiere at the beginning of the year at Sundance where it won the Grand Jury Prize. It’s been making the festival rounds ever since, from Berlin to TIFF, which is where Sarah screened it, writing in her review that the film is “a staggering work, a shattering experience, a film that is difficult in its subject matter but so elegant in its execution that the combination is unforgettable.” Sarah’s assessment is consistent with most critics – Josephine has a 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and 86% at Metacritic, qualifying as universal acclaim.

The film opens on November 20, which is timed for award season for sure, although it obviously won’t compete at the box office – the point is that they’re campaigning her, positioning it for a run at some nominations… with limited resources. Josephine does not have the backing of a major studio or A24 or Neon, but those who have seen it are passionate about it, and the hope is that it won’t get lost in all the discussions about higher-profile films. And Gemma is definitely on the long list for consideration for a Best Supporting Actress nomination.

Right now, in that category, the frontrunner is definitely Anne Hathaway for her work in The Odyssey, followed by Penelope Cruz. Penelope is the hinge here because she turned in two strong performances in both The Invite and La Bola Negra and she’s going for the double – which means she could take up two spots. Let’s assume she doesn’t but gets in for one of them, leaving three spots open. Samantha Morton in The Odyssey has a good chance but right now I don’t know that there’s consensus about the final two positions. And it’s between Kate O’Flynn, Amanda Seyfried, Merritt Wever, Monica Barbaro, Sandra Hüller, and Gemma to fill them. Gemma is probably on the outer circle, sitting at ninth or tenth, but the point is she’s in it, and she could start building some momentum with awards at festivals like Newport and, of course, word of mouth.

That, for her, is the first priority right now. But of course she’s also in the spotlight just as Crazy Rich Asians is making headlines now that HBO has greenlit the series. If you recall, when the announcement came a couple of weeks ago, Gemma’s name was not included on the list of returning cast members. She was asked about this recently, this was her response:

Sounds like they’re still trying to work out a deal and/or scheduling. This was one of the biggest questions when they confirmed the series – what about Gemma/Astrid? So far I haven’t seen any leaks about her status and what’s happening behind the scenes, if there’s a negotiation situation, which is good news, that nobody is trying to take it to the streets. Hopefully they can all work something out, because we alllll want more Astrid.

In the meantime, though, if you can get to it, physically and emotionally, considering the trigger warnings, go see Josephine. Everyone does incredible work in this film, including Channing Tatum, but the young lead who plays the title character, Mason Reeves, is DEVASTATING. And she’s picking up some awards too!

Gemma Chan attends the 27th Annual Newport Beach Film Festival: 'Josephine' Premiere where she received the Outstanding Achievement in Acting Award, October 20, 2026

Photo credits: Dave Safley/Cover Images

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