With a huge hanks once again to Meng, we now have a full translated transcript of Maggie’s interview with Vogue China from late last year. It’s such a great interview so be sure to take a read.

After being in the industry for over 10 years and traveling all over the globe, this ethnically mixed
beauty with an amazing body has finally made it big in Hollywood. For this photoshoot with Dan Jackson,
Vogue has placed her atop a bed of roses to bring out her naturally sexy air.

“Sexiness is an attitude. It’s the way you think and the things you do. I think women usually only
understand and emit true sexiness after they turn 30.”

On a hot summer’s day in Beijing at 9 am, when we arrived at a beautiful park by a lake, Maggie Q was
already patiently and quietly having her hair and makeup done by 2 groups of people in the restaurant
next to it. It was obvious that a long haul flight and many nights of appearances had taken its toll on her
but this did not dampen her beauty, health or her bubbly personality. A boy once told her on a beach in
Hawaii that she was so beautiful and one day, she will definitely stand in the spotlight for everyone to
admire her beauty. Presently, this has definitely come to pass, with the whole world paying attention to
her after she made it big in Hollywood.

Born in Oahu, Hawaii, the beautiful ethnically mixed Maggie Q bravely went abroad alone when she
was only 17 to pursue her dreams. She recalls “I remember when I first arrived in Shanghai, I met so
many beautiful Chinese women that by comparison, I felt like an ugly duckling.” Today, this ugly duckling
that grew up on the gorgeous island of Hawaii has fully blossomed into a beautiful swan that exudes
sexiness effortlessly. She says “Sexiness is an attitude. It’s the way you think and the things you do. I
think women usually only understand and emit true sexiness after they turn 30”. When asked which
designer she thinks best encompasses her sexy and trendy style, she replies Rick Owens. “His designs
are functional and yet sexy and simple and complements my style perfectly”. Her love for functional
yet glamourous clothes even extends to her character – Nikita – on the show Nikita that made her a
household name and clearly showcases the many different but equally appealing sides to her.

“My name is Nikita. 6 years ago, I was taken out of prison and forced by a covert unit of the government
to be an assassin. 3 years ago, I escaped and have been hunted ever since. I was the first recruit to get
out. I’m going to make certain I’m not the last”. This is the opening of Nikita, a TV series based on the
French movie of the same name. It tells the story of a beautiful assassin and premiered in 2010 on the
CW, giving the network its highest rated premiere of that year. With a gun in hand, dressed in black
leather from top to toe and riding a motorcycle, Maggie Q as Nikita has left a deep impression in the
minds of many viewers.

Due to the success of season 1, Nikita was renewed for a second season. Maggie Q says “This season of
Nikita will explore more of Nikita’s backstory and address questions like Who are her parents? What are
her goals? Who has she loved before? Everything that was left unanswered by season 1 will be touched
on by season 2 to give viewers a clearer picture of the character”.

Maggie understands her character completely and she isn’t afraid of her character being regarded as
one dimensional. She says “I think that before we learn to play all sorts of characters, we must first
know how to play a certain kind of character. If we try to be everything at once, we will simply lose
ourselves and the character. I believe very strongly in this and that’s why I am so proud and honoured
to play a complicated character like Nikita and I will continue to do my best to portray her as well as
possible. I think that by the end of season 1, people will see that there is so much more to her than just
a sexy assassin hungry for revenge”.

As Nikita films in Toronto, Canada, she has had the opportunity to stay there for quite a while. Every
day, while filming, people get to see her 3 beloved dogs. The moment her dogs were mentioned,
Maggie’s eyes filled with love and she said while laughing, “They are my loyal companions!”

“One will only be able to do great things when he is in his rightful place in this world!”

“The strange thing is, thinking back to these past ten years, I realize I’m not someone who works
towards a goal or has a fixed direction. The reason I am where I am today is my passion for acting and
because I don’t tolerate failure on my part”.

The beautiful landscape of Toronto really appeals to Maggie’s love of nature. When she gets a break
from filming, she usually returns to her home deep in the hills in Los Angeles where she can get in
touch with nature and hide from both the scrutiny of the media and the pressures of Hollywood. Once
she gets the time, Maggie enjoys reading 3 different novels at once. “I love reading. It helps me to
forget everything and go into an unknown world. I also love learning new things and reading up about
interesting topics that concern society like animal rights and environmental conservation”. Besides a
killer body, Maggie Q also has a killer mind.

Once you have travelled the world, you will have seen so much and self-esteem and confidence come as
natural byproducts of that. This explains why Maggie Q is so full of curiosity and passion for nature. As
she grew as an actress, Maggie got more and more job offers but her career was not always so smooth
sailing. When she first left Hawaii for Tokyo, she faced a lot of rejection as people were not interested
in her looks. They were looking for models that were either completely Caucasian or completely Asian
and her ethnically mixed beauty just did not fit the bill. Then someone suggested that she should go
to Hong Kong where the people were more welcoming and open. The moment she got to Hong Kong,
Maggie struck gold. “When I got to Hong Kong, Jackie Chan happened to be looking for fresh faces to
produce Kungfu movies for the younger generation. At that time, I knew nothing of the martial arts and

yet, Jackie saw my potential”.

Sure enough, Maggie found fame with movies like Naked Weapon, eventually paving the way for
her transition to Hollywood beginning with Mission Impossible 3 and Die Hard 4.0. Then, with Three
Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon, Maggie quickly became one of China’s most adored actresses.

After travelling all over the globe, Maggie became a huge international star thanks to her own
perseverance and instinct. She says “The strange thing is, thinking back to these past ten years, I realize
I’m not someone who works towards a goal or has a fixed direction. The reason I am where I am today is
my passion for acting and because I don’t tolerate failure on my part”. She cites her idol, Maggie Cheung
as her inspiration. “No matter where she goes, she carries herself with such grace. I really admire her
self-confidence and her carefree attitude”.

After travelling all over Asia and experiencing so much in her life, Maggie still feels a special connection
to China. “Due to China’s rapid economic development, it is now often regarded as a place of wealth
and extravagance. However, when I was in Inner Mongolia filming, I witnessed how happy the people
were even though they had so little and that really reminded me of home. Perhaps it is because in
both Hawaii and China, life seems so much simpler and more peaceful. People sometimes tell me that
although I am pursuing my career in Hollywood, they always feel like I have such a strong connection to
China and I am always so touched to hear it!”

Although Maggie sometimes feels like a fish out of water in Hollywood, she would not give up her job
for anything. She says “One will only be able to do great things when he is in his rightful place in this
world!” When asked about her plans for the future, she says that for now, she is only concentrating on
Nikita. However, when filming for the current season ends and if she comes across a good script, she
would gladly do a movie anywhere in the world and not just in Hollywood.

In person, Maggie is very nice, warm and funny. Although the heat and her hectic work schedule made
her seem rather tired that day, throughout the interview, she never stopped smiling and often burst
into fits of laughter. “One must always maintain a sense of humour in life. This is the key to happiness.
Once you have found the person or thing that you are passionate about, you can only move forward and
progress. Of course, this doesn’t mean that everything will be smooth sailing from then on but once you
have found the one thing you love most, life will become better than you can possibly imagine!”