There has never been a , which returns for a second season on April 28. Considering she’s starring in two shows about big events, Chao has some party etiquette she’s picked up from her tenure in the genre:
- Respect a “shoes on” vs “shoes off” household.
- Bring layers to adjust to the temperature.
- Bring the host a gift.
- If you’re hosting, pick good music—and make sure the volume of those tunes fit the vibe (dancing or talking) of the soirée.
She tells me these rules with such conviction—even though I’m already taking notes, I feel the need to pin these specific words onto my wall to remember them forever.
As for all the partying, it’s a weird phenomenon to be in two similarly titled shows back-to-back, Chao agrees: “I’ve been in shows that have ‘party’ in [the title] and three things that have ‘love’ in it,” she says. “I don’t know—I’m about parties and love!”
The “love” references another trio of titles in which she’s appeared, including Almost Love, Modern Love, and HBO Max’s prematurely canceled Love Life. HBO Max canceled and removed from its catalog several original titles last year, like Minx, FBoy Island, and Genera+ion;, Love Life was a casualty as well. Luckily, both seasons are available to stream on Tubi now, after hanging in limbo.
“As long as it’s available to people, I’m cool with it,” Chao says of the show’s move. “That show and [my character] Sara Yang are very meaningful to me. It came out in the beginning of the pandemic. It was something to hold onto during a tough time. It was also a calling card that floated me during the time that we were all not working, and led to some other jobs.”
Those “other jobs” Chao is talking about are all, seemingly, premiering right now. Alongside Party Down and the new season of The Afterparty, the actress has starred in recent romantic comedies Your Place or Mine and Somebody I Used to Know. And Chao has a new sci-fi comedy premiering at SXSW in a few days, If You Were the Last, where she stars as a stranded astronaut opposite Marvel star Anthony Mackie.
Zoë Chao as Minka in Your Place or Mine.
Netflix
People recognize Chao in public now, she says, but she’s not exactly the celebrity DeuxMoi is posting “spotted” sightings about. Still, just the other day, someone screamed on an airplane after they saw Chao’s face. (That fan later asked for Chao’s number to hang out in New York City; while she’s friendly, she doesn’t recommend committing that violation of privacy.) Out of her bevy of supporting roles, what do fans usually recognize Chao from?
“That’s a good question—because I actually never know what people know me from,” she says. “Sometimes I can guess. They don’t necessarily articulate.” (That’s better than the irritating “Are we having fun yet?” that Adam Scott’s Henry immediately meets at every turn in Party Down.)
“This show is in the canon of best comedic TV shows of all time, one could argue.”
But thanks to her witty turn as a chef—sorry, food artist—on Party Down, maybe fans will start recognizing Chao from there. That’s what she hopes for, at least. For Chao, working on Party Down crossed off a big dream on her bucket list.
“I was more nervous going into this project than any other project I’ve been lucky enough to participate in. This show is in the canon of best comedic TV shows of all time, one could argue,” Chao says. “These actors are the titans of comedy. They’ve gone on to have these really impressive careers.”
It’s true. After the show, Scott and Megan Mullally starred in Parks and Recreation, Jane Lynch moved over to Glee, and Martin Starr worked on Silicon Valley. The list goes on. Chao’s already rising in fame, thanks to a plethora of shows and movies releasing in 2023. It seems like there’s only a matter of time before she skyrockets in fame—just like her OG Party Down team did over a decade ago.
