Posted in: BBC, Doctor Who, TV | Tagged: Jing Lusi, Number 10, steven moffat

Number 10: Jing Lusi Discusses Joining Steven Moffat's New Series

Red Eye star Jing Lusi is having her moment, and now she's offering us some insights into Steven Moffat's upcoming new series, Number 10.

One of the buzziest upcoming British series is Steven Moffat's comedy-drama Number 10, set at the most famous address in the United Kingdom: the British Prime Minister's home and office. The includes many Doctor Who alumni that Moffat has worked with before, and also features Jing Lusi as the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Jing Lusi is currently having a moment – Americans might mainly know her from playing a mean girl in Crazy Rich Asians, but she is also the lead in ITVX's Red Eye, a hit conspiracy thriller series where she plays London cop DC Hana Li. In Series One, Hana is tasked with escorting Dr.Matthew Nolan (Richard Armitage) back to China to face a murder charge, only to discover he's been framed by the CIA, who want them silenced before they get off the plane. The series proved to be a huge hit, attracting seven million viewers in the UK and even more on international streaming platforms. In Series Two, which premiered on New Year's Day, Hana is stuck in a lockdown in the US Embassy in London with the Head of Security, Clay Brody (Martin Compston), as the guests at a reception are getting bumped off.

Jing spoke with The Hollywood Reporter about being No. 1 on the call sheet for the first time in her career with Red Eye after playing supporting roles for years on series like Holby City and Gangs of London, but also talked about co-starring in Number 10, which marks the first time she's playing a comedic role.

"I'm so excited to not only be working with that level of that cast and Steven Moffat," she said. "Oh my God, what a genius — but just to be doing something that's a bit comedic. I grew up on comedies and rom-coms, and it's always something that I've wanted to do. We've already shot some stuff, so I was in last week and sort of feeling, "Ah, I feel like the new kid in this genre," even though I've been in comedies. But I wasn't particularly playing a funny role, you know? If you look at Crazy Rich Asians, they had so many stand-up comedians that were just ad-libbing, and I was like, "Oh, I'm the mean bitch. I'm not that funny." So, yeah, I'm so excited, and it's so fun. Apparently, they have re-created exactly the interior of Number 10 … We're going to be filming in the studio, and I guess I'll get to see what it looks like behind those doors.

"What really struck me about this was we did the read through the day, and hearing everyone act it out … It's so well written, there's so much comedy, there's so much poignancy, but it's actually a very serious subject matter. That's what I love about Steven Moffat's work, and also watching Douglas Is Cancelled — it starts off quite light, and you're like, "Oh, I know what this is going to be." And then it just twists, it flips. You're like, "Whoa, I did not see that coming." That's kind of what I experienced when I read the Number 10 script."

Jing Lusi is the first East Asian woman to lead a British drama series, and a cop show to boot. Now she's entered the world of Moffat Comedy, which, given her ability to play snarky, should fit her to a T.

Red Eye Series One and Two are available to stream on Hulu.

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