Gemma Chan gets inundated with people touching her chin to try to "turn [her] off" – thinking she is her ‘Humans’ character.
The 35-year-old actress stars as Anita/Mia, a servile synth, in the popular sci-fi series, and Gemma has revealed that fans of the show have asked her to do some peculiar things in the style of her on-screen character.
She said: "I’ve had people ask to record voicemail messages in Anita’s voice, and I’ve had people come up and try to turn me off, pushing the bit under the chin."
Gemma believes her starring role on the Channel 4 series has helped to develop her acting skills, making her a more "resourceful" performer.
Asked about the challenge of playing a synth, Gemma responded: "You have to express yourself in a different way. I suppose it has made me more resourceful, in a way.
"I now really know the power that you have in stillness, and in economy as well – how you can convey something in the most efficient way. And also really using your eyes – not doing the little tricks and ticks that we usually do. So it has made me focus it down to what’s needed to convey something."
Gemma also claimed that despite being a sci-fi series, ‘Humans’ has proven to be easy to relate to for TV watchers.
The actress explained: "I think there’s something about the fact that it feels very embedded in a real world – so even though it’s science fiction, it feels very plausible, it feels very grounded.
"Some of the scenes that have the most drama take place in a family kitchen, and I think people watching it can feel ‘that’s how my family might respond if we had a synth in our home.’
"It’s very relatable for people. And there’s a great range of characters in the show, there’s always someone for everyone to relate to."
Gemma Chan’s bizarre fan encounters
