Actor Justin Chien, who plays Charles Sun on Netflix’s The Brothers Sun, is one of the series’ most notable faces (for obvious reasons). Although The Brothers Sun is far from Chien’s on-screen acting debut, playing the older Sun brother will be a career-defining role for the actor. With its premiere in early 2024, The Brother Sun raised the standard for the year’s upcoming action comedy-drama series.
Introduced in the opening scene of the pilot episode of The Brothers Sun, Justin Chien’s character fight scenes quickly helped set the tone of the series. Alongside the character’s humor, Chien’s performance has received praise from critics, audiences, and admirers alike. Here’s more about Justin Chien’s life and career.
Justin Chien Comes From A Notable And Wealthy Family
Justin Chien, a Taiwanese-American actor, was born to Carl Chien and Virginia Hu Chien. The actor has three siblings – two brothers and a sister. Justin Chien’s father, Carl Chien, is the CEO of J.P. Morgan Taiwan. He’s also the Vice Chairman of Asia Pacific at J.P. Morgan. Before joining J.P. Morgan in 2002, Carl Chien worked with Goldman Sachs. However, it isn’t just actor Chien’s father who has had a prominent career in international commerce and finance; his grandfather was Fredrick Chien. Justin Chien’s late grandfather was a retired Chinese diplomat and politician. At the time of his death in 2005, Frederick Chien was the President of the Republic of China Control Yuan, a position he held from 1999. Even up to his great-great-grandfather, the family has been involved in Taiwanese/Chinese politics/international relations.
He Graduated With a BFA From the University of Southern California (USC)
Justin Chien has always had a mind of his own, even at a young age. Although there were undoubtedly expectations for him to follow in the footsteps of generations before him, Chien had a passion for acting. Chien enrolled at the University of Southern California (USC) School of Dramatic Arts with a scholarship. Chien actively participated in several of the school’s plays, immersing himself in the theater world. The actor was part of the cast of the school’s six-hour production of The Kentucky Cycle.
Justin Chien Got Signed By His Manager While In School
Although he remains grateful for the knowledge acquired at USC, Chien believes it takes a lot more to attain excellence by being proactive and taking the initiative. Chien was cast as one of the heads of the three-headed Oberon in the school’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Although each of the three actors playing Oberon’s head had an interesting line to say, Chien did his with much temerity that it caught the attention of his manager. As such, one of Chien’s mantras is to give one’s all to every role, irrespective of whether it’s a main or minor role. Justin Chien recalls that it wasn’t his big part roles in plays (although those are also important) but a single-line Oberon head role that got him signed as an actor.
He’s a Master in Martial Arts
Justin Chien’s fight scenes are one of the highlights of The Brother Sun television series. Although the fights are choreographed, Chien is an actual martial arts master and has been practicing for years. Before his casting in The Brothers Sun, Chien has a background in Muay Thai and jiu-jitsu. Although he only began practicing jiu-jitsu about four years ago and now has a blue belt, he’s been practicing Muay Thai for about a decade. Even executive producer and director Kevin Tancharoen was super impressed with Chien’s martial arts skills. According to Tancharoen, “I was actually shocked at how good he got, because he became a full-on martial arts expert. He fully Keanu’d this role.”
Justin Chien Has Starred In Several Short Films
Justin Chien began his on-screen acting in 2015. With almost a decade of professional acting, Chien truly has a bright future ahead of him. Chien’s earliest on-screen projects were in several short films. His first on-screen appearance was in the romance short Minolta (2015). In 2016, he appeared in two shorts, Cyclists and Consent or (the Unexpected Virtue of Affirmation). Including a few of his own short films, Justin Chien has starred in 10 short films, with his last credited short as Kodama (2023).
Justin Chien Is Also A Writer And Film Producer
Justin Chien has long proved he’s much more than a pretty face and a talented actor. Chien’s first credited work as a writer is the 2017 short drama Reverallium, which he also starred in. Chien wrote the award-nominated family drama short film Continuum (2018). Continuum was nominated for Best Short Film at the Chinese American Film Festival (C.A.F.F.). Chien co-directed Continuum and is also credited as an executive producer. Justin Chien co-produced the short animated musical Fine China (2020) and is an associate producer for the 2021 short film Endless Yesterdays. Although The Brothers Sun is his biggest work as an actor, Justin Chien was part of the lead cast in the drama series Two Sides: Unfaithful (2021).
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