Season 2, Episode 5 of NBC's medical drama, New Amsterdam aired on October 22, 2019. The episode was titled 'The Karman Line,' and it introduced a new guest character who sent shockwaves across audiences.
Juliette Kimura was a young girl who arrived at New Amsterdam hospital alongside her brother and parents following an injury to the little boy. It is soon established that Juliette was the perpetrator of her brother's injury. The head of the Psych department at the hospital, Dr. Ignatius 'Iggy' Frome (Tyler Labine) diagnoses her as a psychopath. The character of Juliette was portrayed by a budding actress by the name Emma Ming Hong.
In real life, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5), this kind of diagnosis cannot be officially rendered until an individual has attained the age of 18. Nonetheless, young Juliette displayed all the main characteristics that would qualify someone as psychopathic: she was remorseless, deceitful, highly intelligent, superficially charming, and above all, apathetic to other people's rights and feelings.
It was without a doubt one of the standout cameos of the season - and the series for that matter. So just who is the incredibly talented youngster who brought so much finesse to such a complicated role?
Shielded Her From The Trappings Of Celebrity
The character of Juliette Kimura was written as 11 years old at the time that she first appeared on New Amsterdam. Emma Ming Hong was likely to be just about the same age, although no official records of her birthday have been made public yet; such is the care with which her family - and colleagues - have shielded her from the trappings of celebrity.
In 2019, Hong was a sixth-grader at The Henry C. Beck Middle School in Camden County, New Jersey. Assuming that COVID-19 disruptions to education didn't impede her progress, she should now be in her final year of middle school.
Hong lives in the Cherry Hill town of New Jersey, with her mother Josie Hong - a physical therapist, and her father - a doctor. Despite being determined to give her daughter a normal childhood, Josie is very proud of the start that Emma has made to her acting career. In one of the very rare interviews of the family that exist, she told a local publication how the young girl had wanted to be on TV since she was 3.
Rave Reviews On Her Talent
From the moment she apparently pointed at their television set as a toddler and told her parents, "I want to be on there," they knew that the die for her career was already cast. They started allowing her to express her talents singing with their local church choir and performing in community theater groups.
Even at this relatively hidden level, Josie and her husband were already getting rave reviews on their daughter's talent. They were encouraged to try and attach her to an agent. Once they did, the floodgates of opportunity opened and Emma finally saw her dream of being on TV come to pass.
Her first TV gig was in the NBC musical drama, Rise in 2018. She appeared as a character called Bailey in the fourth episode of what was to be the only season of the show. In the same year, she made a cameo in 'The Magic Rake' episode of CBS' political drama, Madam Secretary. She played Ai Chen, daughter of Ming Chen, a Chinese politician.
Her First Taste Of Big Screen Action
In 2019, Hong got her first taste of big screen action when she joined stellar names such as Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis and James McAvoy in M. Night Shyamalan's Split sequel, Glass. Later that year, she also featured in another film titled Lucky Grandma, which was written by Angela Cheng and Sasie Sealy, who also directed. She played a character called Luna.
Hong was back on TV in 2020, when she appeared as Samantha in two episodes of Apple TV+'s romantic comedy-drama, Little Voice. Like her first television series, Little Voice was canceled after one season despite receiving favorable reviews. After she impressed in her original appearance on New Amsterdam, Hong returned to reprise her role in episode six of Season 3 earlier this year.
At her age, she still can't say what path her future will follow, but she seems certain that acting will be involved. "It started as a hobby and it's escalated into this and I don't regret any of it," she told The Sun Newspapers of New Jersey. "I've always been very animated. It just kind of gives me like an outlet to show the world what I can do."
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