Ana Thu Nguyen is the latest Australian actor to get the blockbuster treatment, joining the cast of the upcoming Mortal Kombat 2 film.
Ana and her mother, Uyen Tran, joined The Australian Women’s Weekly Deputy Editor Tiffany Dunk on the Love Stories couch to talk about their relationship, history and Ana’s upcoming film.
Mortal Kombat 2’s Ana Thu Nguyen joins Tiffany Dunk on Love Stories:
Ana Thu Nguyen didn’t set out to become a Hollywood actor. In fact, for much of her life, she believed she wouldn’t.
But as she shares on the Love Stories podcast with her mother Uyen, her story began long before she was born, on a small overcrowded boat in the South China Sea, where her parents, then in their early 20s, were fleeing Vietnam in search of safety and a future.
“I can do this, I can do this, I can do this for my family. I can do this for my children,” Uyen says, recalling the mindset that carried her through an impossible journey and into a refugee camp in Indonesia.
For Ana, that legacy of sacrifice shaped everything.
“All my thoughts were to help my parents as much as I could. And if I entertained the idea of going down a creative path and not doing law or going into a secure job to be able to have money to help them financially and to help my younger sister, then I would be dishonouring them in some way.”
Growing up in Sydney’s Sutherland Shire, Ana’s childhood was defined by work, responsibility and translation duties for her parents. By day, she was a student; by afternoon, she was often helping in their Vietnamese bakery or acting as interpreter at appointments and meetings.
“I just had to, I think, because there’s no other choice really but to just, but to step up and be the eldest daughter,” she says.
That sense of duty ran alongside a deep imagination. Books became her escape. “I loved stories, I loved reading, I loved books so much… I literally escaped to stories.”
It was that love of narrative that eventually led her to acting, although not without internal resistance. Despite excelling academically and completing a double degree in commerce and law, Ana didn’t initially believe a creative path was possible.
“I think it was largely myself… stopping myself from even considering it.”
But everything changed during a period working in high-pressure corporate consulting overseas. One night in Chicago, exhausted and walking home after a 70-hour week, she had a moment of clarity.
“I remember thinking… if I were to work this hard, I want to do something that I love with it.”
She returned to Sydney and began again from scratch, self-training, building her own acting curriculum, and auditioning without connections or industry experience.
“I would do two hours of voice a day, two hours of movement… I set up my own curriculum just to mimic something that NIDA would do.”
Her persistence eventually led to screen roles and ultimately a life-changing audition for Mortal Kombat 2, where she plays Sindel. Ironically, she had previously auditioned for the first film and missed out.
“I was really devastated… but I let it go. I was like, okay, it’s all right.”
Years later, she approached the sequel differently, with less attachment and more trust.
“If it’s meant to happen, it’ll happen… and I just let it go.”
Six weeks after her callback, the call came. She had landed the role.
“I was like, what do you mean? I just did this less than six hours ago!” But it was meant to be.
Now, with Hollywood calling and a possible relocation to Los Angeles ahead, she still credits her mother’s philosophy of strength and perseverance as her foundation.
“You can do it… I can do it, I can do it, go win, go win,” Uyen says.
And Ana agrees, reflecting on the journey that brought her from a Vietnamese bakery counter to the big screen.
“It’s not just for yourself, but for everyone around… we’ve always just grown up with so much gratitude.”
For the full conversation, including Uyen’s extraordinary journey by boat, the family’s early years in Australia, and Ana’s emotional path to Mortal Kombat 2, listen to their episode of Love Stories.
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