Jona Xiao seems to be so accomplished that even calling her a multi- hyphenate might be a disservice.
First, Xiao is an athlete who has competed in flag football and who is a Gay Games medalist in dodgeball. In addition, she is an experienced actress who has been in productions such as Raya and the Last Dragon, 2 Broke Girls and The Flash; just recently, she made her Marvel debut as the character Jorani/Iron Fist in the Disney+ series Eyes of Wakanda. And she is an entrepreneur, launching the organization Career ACTivate after being scammed by a fake talent agency.
Recently, she talked with Windy City Times about her various projects, AI and representation.
Note: This conversation was edited for clarity and length.
Windy City Times: You’ve excelled in several sports—including dodgeball. Congrats on the Gay Games medal!
Jona Xiao: Thanks! I medaled on the men’s team but my mixed co-ed team didn’t. I never thought I would say that I have a gold medal in the Gay Games in men’s dodgeball. That’s life—you never know what’s going to happen.
WCT: How did it happen that you medaled in men’s dodgeball?
JX: So the Games took place in Guadalajara, Mexico. I had some friends invite me to play mixed. There wasn’t a women’s division but I wanted to play as much as I could so I told the organizers, “Hey. If there’s a men’s team that could use another player, I’m down”—and I got lucky. In the championship match, I had something that was almost a game-winning catch. It was so beautiful—the queer community, sports and that intersection that can be less than ideal for some.
WCT: You stated that you had a rough childhood, and you had to deal with name-calling and racial slurs. How did you power through it?
JX: I felt very much like an outsider—and I still do, sometimes. For me, sports was one of the first avenues where I felt a sense of belonging and where I could work toward a goal with other people; that’s why I like team sports and collaborating on set. I didn’t have a lot of friends growing up but I had a best friend, so I think it’s about quality more than quantity when it comes to the closeness of those relationships. I wanted desperately to fit in but I did have some friends.
The mean things would hurt me but I’ve always had this belief—some may call it naive—that people are good, in some way, or that everyone’s trying their best. So someone says a racial slur or that girl who beat me up for fun (just because I was Asian) may have been taught by their parents. Not to excuse that behavior, but I think that helped me not give up on the world or humanity—and that’s something I carry to this day.
WCT: Like I’ve heard, hurt people hurt people. It’s possible that those people were going through something themselves.
JX: Absolutely. We’ve all been hurt, and hurt people can heal people. I’ve hurt other people badly, and I’ve had guilt and shame around that. None of us is perfect.
WCT: Let’s talk about Eyes of Wakanda. Tell me about the process of being part of this series.
JX: I never thought that I’d play a Marvel superhero. I got an audition through my agent—but I didn’t know it was for Eyes of Wakanda; it was titled Golden City at the time. Also, I didn’t know the role was for Iron Fist; all I knew was that it was a badass female martial artist who was vulnerable but strong, tough and sassy. I still didn’t know the role until I got the script and it literally said, “I am Iron Fist!” That was a “Holy Shit!” moment.
WCT: I imagine that one of the best parts—finding out that Iron Fist was a woman.
JX: Yeah—I thought it was really cool that they decided to showcase a female Iron Fist. People of all genders have wielded the Iron Fist across the MCU [Marvel Cinematic Universe]; we just hadn’t seen a female depicted in film or TV. I’m really proud of my character, Jorani, for earning the Iron Fist.
I really loved the banter between Jorani and her love interest. Working with Jacques [Colimon] was fun—and I loved working in the same room with him, which is rare; usually, you’re just recording by yourself.
WCT: Recording by yourself must be hard; you have no one to bounce off of.
JX: Yes. That’s just the norm, right? So it was a treat. And Isaac [Robinson-Smith], who plays Captain Ebo, was Zooming in from New York.
WCT: I saw all four episodes—and they were all intense and very entertaining.
JX: Yay! And you see how history is made across all these time periods and locations. The miniseries allows it to traverse a lot more space and time than you could with a movie. So this is a more ancient Iron Fist than people are used to seeing.
WCT: You don’t know if there’s any sort of sequel, do you?
JX: I don’t, but I hope they do. It’d be cool to explore other parts, centuries and locations across time, and how Wakanda has literally shaped history.
WCT: And you could be other characters.
JX: That would be fun! I would be down.
WCT: I also wanted to ask you about Career ACTivate. That was launched because of something that happened to you.
JX: When I was 12, I was scammed by a talent agency. I didn’t know it was a scam and my parents didn’t have much money; I felt so much guilt and shame. I didn’t tell anyone for years because I was so ashamed about the financial position it put my parents in. I was making all the rookie mistakes that a struggling actor made; I had no clue.
Then I started studying the business side of the industry in college. I worked in casting and representation on the industry side—and I had so many “a-ha” moments in which I learned working actors were doing that other people were not even aware of. Then I started teaching the business side of the industry and that’s where Career ACTivate started. Like Jorani, a.k.a. Iron Fist, gets to protect the city of K’un-Lun, I feel grateful that I get a role protecting actors and fellow artists.
We do free workshops and we’re in the middle of a free giveaway of casting meetings. We’re proud of what we’re doing.
WCT: And what are your thoughts about the AI actor?
JX: Oh, yes—Tilly [Norwood]. I’ve had a complicated relationship with AI. We actually launched the first AI course for actors; I wanted to call it “Make AI Your Bitch” [laughs] but my team encouraged me to use a more PC title so it’s called “AI Audition Sidekick.” I believe that AI should be used as leverage and a tool but not as a replacement, so I’m not a fan of replacing artists.
At one of our Career ACTivate masterminds, we had a showrunner who talked about how people wondered if they would still go to the movies when television first came out. Aaron Rahsaan Thomas said, “I’ve yet to see a generation that only wants to see animation, for instance. People will always want that human connection.” So I don’t see a time in the future when all actors are replaced by AI.
We have AI tools—like with ChatGPTs I’ve created for actors to take care of busy work—but I caution actors that it’s very much like an echo chamber. It really validates you but even when you tell AI to be objective, it isn’t; a friend and I fed it the same questions, but the slants were totally different. It needs to be balanced with people who can be really real with you.
WCT: Out of curiosity, if you could work with any three actors, who would they be?
JX: I’ve never met them but here’s who I would like to work with: Sally Field; Edward Norton, with his breakout role in Primal Fear; and maybe somebody in the comedy world like Ali Wong. I saw her stand-up last year, and it was so delightful.
WCT: Asking you something I’ve asked some other people, what does representation mean to you?
JX: That’s a great question. To me, it means showing the breadth of humanity reflected across screens in terms of gender, sexuality, race and class. It’s to really honor the diversity we have in the world, and it’s not just about depicting it; it’s to have three-dimensional versions. I’ve auditioned for many nail-salon-type positions, and that’s not to say that it’s not a real thing—but when the representation of an Asian woman is so narrow it’s like we’re lacking [true] representation, even when we see an Asian face.
WCT: Yes—like I’ve wondered how Viola Davis felt filming The Help, although she’s had so many different roles since.
JX: That’s true! I hope you get to ask her that question one day. It’s also so that the current and future generations don’t have to feel invisible.
There were only five Asian students in my high school graduating class of 550 people, and I felt very othered. At one point, someone told me that “yellow,” when describing Asians, is derogatory. Fast-forward six months and I would vocalize my hatred for the color yellow—but, on some level, I think it was unconscious programming for self-hatred and –denial. It’s comedic and sad at the same time, but I’d look at the mirror and be surprised to see an Asian girl looking back at me because I was so used to being around Caucasians; I’d be surprised and even a little disappointed. Now I’m really proud to be Chinese-American—and I actually like the color yellow now! [Laughs]
WCT: Is there anything you wanted to add?
JX: I don’t think I’ve ever shared this but it’s a fun story. I believe that we don’t have ceilings except the ones we impose upon ourselves. Looking back, there are ups and downs that I’ve been really grateful for.
In high school, a friend created a Wikipedia page for me as a Christmas gift; it was very sweet. But two days later, it was taken down—because I was a “non-notable person.” [Laughs] I thought that was hilarious! Now I have a Wikipedia page and it has stayed up for years. If I had an easy life, I don’t think I would be where I am. I’ve really worked on my resilience.