Gemma Chan reveals she endured sexual assault 10 minutes from her home
The Crazy Rich Asians and Eternals actress has spoken publicly about a traumatic experience during her university years, revealing how it influenced her involvement in a powerful new film exploring sexual violence and its impact on families.
Gemma Chan has revealed she was sexually assaulted by a stranger while walking home from a night out, describing how she was less than 10 minutes from safety when the attack took place.
The 43-year-old British actress, known for her roles in Humans, Crazy Rich Asians and Marvel’s Eternals, spoke about her experience in an interview with The Sunday Times while discussing her new film, Josephine.
The drama, in which she stars alongside Channing Tatum, 46, follows a young girl who witnesses a rape in a park and explores the consequences for her family.
Gemma said: “I am a sexual assault survivor myself.”
She added: “It’s not something I talk about a lot, but unfortunately it’s very common – something like one in four women, one in 18 men.
“And it’s so underreported that the statistics are much lower than the reality. It’s an epidemic.”
The actress, who studied law at Oxford University before pursuing an acting career, described the attack, which happened after she became separated from friends during a night out.
Gemma said: “I was walking home at night, and was followed after separating from my friends.
“I had only a little bit to go until I was home, less than 10 minutes.”
According to The Sunday Times, Gemma reported the assault to police, but the man responsible was never found.
Her decision to speak about the attack comes as she promotes Josephine, a drama examining the impact of sexual violence on a child who witnesses an assault and the family attempting to help her understand what happened.
Gemma plays the girl's mother and is also among the film's producers, alongside her co-star Channing, who plays the child's father.
The story centres on eight-year-old Josephine, whose life changes after she witnesses a rape while running through a park with her father.
The film was written and directed by Beth de Araújo, whose screenplay draws on her own childhood experience of witnessing sexual violence in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park.
Beth's second feature, following the 2022 thriller Soft and Quiet, won both the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award in the US dramatic competition at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. It stars newcomer Mason Reeves as Josephine and is scheduled for release in UK cinemas on 20 November.
Gemma has also discussed the film's themes during its promotional campaign, including an appearance on the British Independent Film Awards podcast on 11 November, where she spoke about producing the drama with Channing and the impact of Crazy Rich Asians on her career.
The 2018 romantic comedy brought her international recognition for her portrayal of Astrid Leong, while her earlier performance as the synthetic human Anita in Channel 4's science-fiction drama Humans established her as a leading television actress.
She subsequently joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Sersi in Eternals, released in 2021, and appeared in the science-fiction film The Creator in 2023.
Gemma added to The Sunday Times: “Of course it’s not all men. But we really need good men to be speaking up, and speaking to their brothers, sons, friends. It has to change.”
The interview also addressed the difficulties women face in the entertainment industry, including misconduct in the workplace and the limited number of substantial roles available to actresses over 40.
