Secret chef! Jamie Chung opened up to Us Weekly about what fans might not know about her — and the Reunion star has some serious cooking skills.
The actress, 39, revealed that she loves to cook Korean hot pot at home. “You need to start with the base — it’s with the miso base,” she exclusively told Us. “You add a little Korean red chili flakes and then you cook all the vegetables and then you throw in Odon noodles. Then — the very last minute you can — do strips of meat or you can do your shrimp. As it’s boiling, you can serve it right in the middle of the table. Everyone has their own little bowl.”
She likes to embrace her roots in the kitchen and on screen. Chung, who is married to Bryan Greenberg, said that her favorite role ever was on HBO’s Emmy-nominated series Lovecraft Country as Ji-Ah.
“I was so terrified of speaking Korean, and it’s an identity that I always fought when I was much younger, you know, because I wanted to assimilate and be like everyone else,” the San Francisco native explained. “I’m particularly proud of that role because I really got to do everything. I got to get over a lot of my fears, which is speaking Korean in a role, singing in a role, dancing in a role — I really had to do it all. So that’s kind of the peak.”
A year after playing her favorite character yet, she took on a new role in real life: mom. Chung and the One Tree Hill alum, who married in 2015, welcomed twin boys via surrogate in October 2021.
“They’re just starting solid foods, and it’s so fun watching them explore,” she gushed while promoting her partnership with Huggies’ Baby Academy for Pups. “They’re really taking everything in. … It’s so fun to see them react to new things, whether it’s new tastes, new sounds, new visions, a swing. It’s been a really fun delight to kind of rediscover all of these things with them.”
Scroll down to learn more about Chung:
1. One place I’d like to visit is Greenland, because I want to see the [aurora] borealis.
2. My first car was a Volkswagen Jetta. I didn’t know how to drive a stick when I drove it off the lot, but you learn quickly.
3. One piece of clothing I can’t live without is underwear.
4. The best advice I’ve gotten is don’t go to sleep angry.
5. The best advice I’ve ever given is that there’s only one way [from the bottom], and that’s up.
6. The song that brings back the best memory for me is anything R&B, or anything from the ’90s.
7. My secret talent is that I can change a diaper in under five seconds. We use Huggies’ Special Delivery diapers because they are soft and proven to be hypoallergenic.
8. My favorite movie of all time is The Green Mile because I can watch it over and over. But then there’s also Forrest Gump, which is kind of like a masterpiece, so either of those two.
9. [Being] a mom is my dream role. I never thought I would love it this much.
10. The best gift my husband has given me is an hour, so I could get a massage.
11. The biggest misconception about me is that I’m short.
12. My favorite room in my house is the kitchen nook because it gets the best light in the morning. It feels zen and serene, and we have all these beautiful flowers growing.
13. The show I’m binging right now is Naked and Afraid XL.
14. My go-to snack is whatever the babies are snacking on these days, so it’s a lot of teething crackers.
15. The proudest moment of my career was playing Ji-Ah in Lovecraft Country. I got to get over a lot of my fears, like speaking Korean in a role, and singing and dancing.
16. The biggest challenge of having twins is not losing yourself as a parent.
17. My first job was at The Athlete’s Foot. I had a sneaker obsession and the only way I could buy sneakers was by getting my own job [there].
18. My most starstruck moment was when I met Meryl Streep. Bryan worked with her on a film and I got to meet her at a party. I was tongue-tied.
19. On a Saturday night, you can find me at home with a glass of wine, probably entertaining friends.
20. On a Sunday afternoon, you can find me strolling around with my babies and my dog in a park.
21. I keep in touch with a lot of my former costars, but I keep up with the Gifted cast the most.
22. My celebrity crush growing up was Jonathan Taylor Thomas.
23. To draw inspiration for roles, I do a deep dive into the person — what they like and the history of what’s going on at that time.
24. The best compliment I’ve received was from my [kids’] pediatrician. She’s like, “You guys are doing great.”
25. My favorite meal to cook at home is a Korean hot pot.
