Australian actress and Hollywood star Nicole Kidman was recently spotted on the streets of Hong Kong and the internet is blowing up. Kidman, who landed in Hong Kong last week, is in town to film her upcoming Amazon Prime series Expats, but many are outraged by the actress’ arrival as it was revealed by the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau (CEDB) that Kidman was exempted from undergoing mandatory quarantine. This comes after the city’s recently tightened restrictions for inbound travellers, as well as the current outbreak of the Delta variant in Australia.
This isn’t the first time that Kidman has received backlash from Hongkongers. When it was first announced that Kidman would co-produce a new television series based on the 2016 book The Expatriates by Hong Kong-born author Janice Y.K. Lee with Lulu Wang (best known for directing the 2019 comedy-drama The Farewell), many took to the internet to express their frustrations towards the series’ and what many commenters called a ‘tone-deaf plot’ which revolves around a group of wealthy American expats living in the city.
American-Korean actress Ji-young Yoo was one of the first to be cast in a role. Yoo will play Mercy Cho, a Columbia graduate with a carefree attitude that would eventually land her trouble within the expat community in Hong Kong. Other members of the cast include Sarayu Blue, who starred in Grey’s Anatomy and Veep, and British actor Jack Huston, who is known for his role in the crime drama series Boardwalk Empire. The two will play as a married couple struggling in a rocky relationship.
While some individuals are furious at the government’s decision to waive quarantine rules for Kidman, others have commented about their confusion over the actress’ need for a shopping trip two days after landing in Hong Kong. Either way, it seems that filming for the series has already started and Kidman has been spotted filming on Hong Kong Island. There’s currently no confirmed announcement about when the series will come out.
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