The iconic beauty that is Nancy Kwan

Los Angeles — Looking flawless and glowing, Nancy Kwan of “The World of Suzie Wong” and “Flower Drum Song” fame, doesn't look a day older.

Now 81, the Chinese-American actress-philanthropist and former dancer, played a pivotal role in the acceptance of Asian actresses in Hollywood films.

The daughter of a Cantonese architect and a European model of English and Scottish ancestry, Nancy is simply a classic beauty that never fades.

Asked what her secret was, Nancy revealed, “I never had a facelift or anything. Just live a healthy life, you will be fine.”

She admits she is not a vegetarian, "but I do watch what I eat. And now that I am older, I don’t eat as much as I used to eat.”

As for surviving during these pandemic times and keeping her mental and physical health in check, Nancy disclosed, “being very cautious and careful. I do exercise a lot. I practice Tai Chi and I go to class for Tai Chi and Chi Gong and Yoga so with exercise and doing our best to stay safe, really." 

Courtesy of Janet Susan R. Nepales/HFPA

And what does she have to say with the unfortunate wave of violence against Asians in America?

She replied, saying it's an offshoot of the pandemic. "They said because it came from China. So they think all the Asians have something to do with it, living in America. And that’s the way they get their frustrations out. I hope they would find another way of doing it instead of beating up people or hurting other people.  I don’t think it solves anything. Certainly, it doesn’t make it any better," she said."

“The last few years, this racism, this word, has become — I don’t even know how to find the word, I mean it’s just used so commonly," she said, adding such attitude will hurt the multinational country that is America.

"I’m sorry that this is happening against Asians.We are all aware of it, and we are made aware of it, and we just have to deal with it.  And I hope it will end soon; I mean, it’s just so silly, blaming a virus that comes from China on people here. What are the Asians going to do with it here?  So, I guess people are frustrated.”

A former dancer, Nancy confessed that she's always wanted to become a ballet dancer. "I did a lot of concerts and took a lot of classes and was very dedicated. Then I went to boarding school in England. One thing I insisted on was I wanted to get into the Royal Ballet. So, I had an audition there when I was about 12 and they accepted me. So they said finish your education and then come and join us, so that’s what I did."

But back home in Hong Kong, Nancy heart of how Ray Stark and Seven Arts were going to do screen tests on some of her favorite Asian Chinese actors. "I thought, oh I’d like to see that. I’ve never seen a screen test and I get to see my favorite actors."

She asked her father, who said OK and arranged everything for her. On the day of the screen test, up in the studio watching the actors, "somebody comes up to me and says, 'excuse me, are you here for the screen test?' I said oh no, no, no, I’m just observing. So he said, 'well would you like to do a screen test?'"

Nancy was led on stool where she was asked a few questions. “All I did was giggle. I giggled through the whole interview (Laughs)," she recalls.

Five weeks later, preparing herself to go back to England, she receives a letter from Seven Arts and Ray Stark. “He said, 'we saw your screen test and we would like to give you a contract to come to Hollywood; we’ll give you a contract for six months to come to Hollywood.' So my father said well do you want to go? I said well, if it doesn’t work out, I can always go back to school in England. So I said yeah, I’d like to go."

“Then my father said one thing very important, he said we don’t know anyone in Hollywood, she has to stay in a place for women only, like a women’s hostel or something. So they came back, they said what about the studio club? Now at that time I didn’t know anything about the studio club but my father said ok, as long as it’s all women, that’s ok. So I arrived in the studio club. Well, I remember the first morning I went to breakfast at the studio club. I’d never seen so many beautiful women from all over the world, having breakfast and speaking in different languages and everything. And I said, ah, I think I’m going to like this place. And that’s how I started.”

Courtesy of Janet Susan R. Nepales/HFPA

With her meteoric rise to fame when she did “The World of Suzie Wong” and “Flower Drum Song,” we asked her how she handled fame during that time. She said, “You just get on with your life, what are you going to do?  I mean, yes, people recognize you more, and yes you have to stay more grounded, but I was just very young and living my life really, that’s what I was doing.  I was living my life and I wasn’t thinking about handling fame or anything, and just working and enjoying life.”

As to what keeps her going, her spiritual life and compass, Nancy shared, “Well, I was brought up with it. I get more Asian. I am more aware of it, the awareness by practicing Tai-Chi Qigong. I’m a Buddhist also, so I like to stay centered, and I meditate quite often, especially now with this turmoil going on in this country and everything around the world actually.  So hopefully, we send out a lot of goodness and healing to the world and to what’s happening to all the sick people at the moment and people who are dying.”

Also a writer, Nancy pointed out that she just finished a screenplay. “Actually, I finished a screenplay not that long ago based on Asian-Americans because I thought okay, if I don’t know about Asians what about a screenplay on Asian-Americans. So I started in San Francisco because I know San Francisco quite well in Chinatown and in different locations around San Francisco. I did that last year. Now, I’m writing little notes because somebody encouraged me to write an autobiography.  I don’t know. I’m thinking about it so I’m kind of jotting notes down and writing things that happened to me that were interesting that I thought was worth telling.  Yeah, that’s what I do pretty much.”

Married since 1976 to Austrian actor-film director-producer-screenwriter Norbert Meisel, now 91, Nancy narrated how they met. “Well, it’s funny we met in Thailand on a film I was doing in Thailand many years ago.  In the ’70s with Donald Pleasance and some other actors and Norbert came out to visit the producer who’s a mutual friend and so that’s how we met.  The two countries.  I often wonder I say wow, you know, he’s from Europe but I went to school. He’s from Austria and I’m from Asia but we seem to get on and he likes Chinese food. That’s the most important (laughs).  If he doesn’t like Chinese food that’s it for me, I mean, and he has a good sense of humor.”

Courtesy of Janet Susan R. Nepales/HFPA

Aside from having a good sense of humor and the ability to appreciate, Nancy added that compromise is needed to have a lasting marriage. “Marriage is give and take,” she said. “it’s not always happy but it’s okay because then you appreciate your happiness when you have the other thing, you know, and fights and everything else but that’s natural. That’s part of life so I just take it as it comes along and I’ve been with Norbert now for I don’t know 30 something years so we’re getting on (laughs) and we are getting old together so that’s also nice. Because you change as you go along.  Looking back now, I’m glad I had that chance.”

So where is she right now in life?

Nancy replied, “This time of my life, as I’m older now and hopefully more mature, I am doing pretty much what I would like to do.  I still write, write screenplays, but the last few years, we haven’t been doing as much, especially with the pandemic now, there’s not much going on.  And hopefully, I will still work as an actor if a good role comes along.  And I paint, and I do different things too. I guess, I satisfy my artistic being and meditation for my spiritual being.” — LA, GMA News