Maggie Q - Star of Nikita and Die hard
78A few years ago, the name Maggie Q was all but unknown to people. And it’s no surprise. Having gone from a down and out fashion model eking out a career in Hong Kong and Asia to minor actress to sudden Big Movie star, to then suddenly getting her own TV series NIKITA, it begs some obvious questions – like how did she do it, how did she act in so many Asian movies even though she hailed from Hawaii herself - and what does Q stand for? How did Maggie Q get to acting alongside Tom Cruise and more recently opposite Bruce Willis in the latest Die Hard Blockbuster? Since everyone is talking about this new starlet, it’s the right time to have a Hub on Maggie Q. Read on!
Maggie Q was born into the world as Margaret Denise Quigley, in Honolulu - born to an American Father of Irish descent (hence the Irish name Quigley) once stationed in Vietnam and a Mom from Vietnam. Her mother has 2 children from a previous Vietnamese family. Maggie being the youngest of 5 siblings, graduated from Mililani High School, then left to travel to Asia to places like Taiwan and Japan, and commenced a career as a young model. Her part-Vietnamese, part-Caucasian looks managed to work to her advantage in Asia, and she passed off an Asian model. Her sojourn in Asia, turned from a few months to a few years, and she wound up on the cover of many magazines and papers in Hong Kong. One newspaper there the Apple Daily was to shorten her name to Maggie Q, as Chinese people had difficulty pronouncing her Irish name, which sometimes sounded like "Queely" or "Quickly". (The name doesn't exactly roll off the tongue smoothly if you are Chinese, and the name is Irish!) She Kept Maggie Q, and Hong Kong became a second home to her where she often had to model for small fees, before a chance encounter with a Hong Kong Acting Legend changed her life and fortunes.
Jackie Chan, the famed Martial Arts actor saw Maggie Q and told her that she should be in films, seeing as she had both the looks and the figure for the screen. Though she had no acting experience, Maggie correctly surmised that films paid far more than modeling, and her meager salary as a model meant she jumped at the chance. But there was a big problem. This was Hong Kong, and Maggie was from Honolulu, in the USA. She could not speak any Asian languages, and in action movies – where actors had in those cash strapped days – to do some of their own stunts and fight sequences, she was a fish out of water with no experience, no ability to speak Chinese and she could not even do push-ups or touch her toes. Jackie Chan took a shine to the young Maggie and set her on the right course – making sure she got the training as an actor and stunt star in films. She had a small role in Rush Hour 2, as a girl in a car. Thanks to Jackie Chan, her career took off, and her first few films were Chinese language action films Gen-Y-Cops and Naked Weapon, not to be confused with the controversial Naked Killer.
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Titular roles in Das Hous Der Harmonie, a German – Singaporean collaboration further improved her prospects in acting. She appeared as a female agent in another Jackie Chan film Around the World in 80 Days in 2004. Having to learn Cantonese and Mandarin to get Hong Kong movie roles, it was a formative and learning period in her career. It was in 2006, when future Star Trek Movie Director J.J. Abrams (Creator of the TV series Lost and ALIAS) was looking for an “Asian Babe” to star alongside Tom Cruise in the Third Installment of Mission Impossible that Maggie Q was chosen. She fit the bill because she ticked all the boxes, as being Asian, youthful, sexy, and this time American. This time it was her being American which came to the fore, and worked in her favor. The character she was playing was Zhen, the only female member of the IMF Team in the film, and she had some memorable scenes where it was felt she helped carry the film. Wearing a sexy dress, dressed like a super model and driving a showy racing car naturally helped to turn heads both in the film and off screen. This was her moment, and when Hollywood took notice, people wondered where on earth did this Babe come from?
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In 2007, Les Wiseman
wanted an Asian Beauty to act opposite Bruce
Willis in the fourth film of a Blockbuster series in Live Free of Die hard (Also known as Die Hard 4.0) Hot on the success of Mission Impossible, she was
cast as Mai Linh, the girlfriend and Can-do bad ass high kicking hacker female lover of
the film’s bad guy, played by Timothy Olyphant. Her memorable fight scenes beating up Bruce Willis and co-star Justin Long, and
nail-biting moments in the memorable Elevator shaft CAR scene (!!?) - were to be the capstone on her film acting career, securing Maggie Q as an A-List Female actor. Her dream of hitting big time had just become
reality. The film, not surprisingly was a smash hit box office success around the world. She followed this with the film Balls
of Fury, a quirky film about the sport and game of table tennis. It couldn't be a more sharper contrast, compared to Die hard 4.0.
Yippeee - Kayyy - Aaaayyy!!
Maggie Q
Maggie was further to appear in Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon, an ancient costume drama set in China, and she starred as Inspector Chase Linh, a live action character in the Video Game Need for Speed: Undercover. It was a video game with a near movie style budget. Maggie was chosen to be the title character and role for the 2010 TV series NIKITA, based on The Luc Besson French hit film “The Assasin” and American remake “Nikita” which featured Gabriel Byrne. The NIKITA TV show is a revamp of the original Film story, with extra new characters added. Nikita is about a woman who is sentenced to prison for life for being a Killer, only to be releases on condition that she train to be an Assassin for the Government to do Black Bag operations involving eliminating all sorts of Bad Guys. The female character is pursued and saved by the Nikita character who has escaped the system, and attained her own freedom, and is now trying to bring down the entire program that tried to ruin her life, and she uses her skills as trained Killer to take on the shady Govt organisation and bring it down. It smacks of redemption and has a doomed fate quality to it, and is noted for being dark and edgy. And for having Maggie Q in the lead starring role. With another hit in the making also with the title “Priest”, it must be said that Life is busy for this Asian Babe.
From humble origins in the beautiful island paradise of Honolulu to Hong Kong to Hollywood, thanks in part to actor Jackie Chan, Maggie Q has much to be grateful for. Good looks, sexy star quality, and knowing the right people – she has become, like Jessica Alba and Jennifer Garner (of ALIAS fame) - another great leading lady of the present and future. With one foot in Movies and the other in TV, she can run with the foxes and run with the hounds. And having the ability to play American or Asian characters in either – gives her an edge that few actors can hope to match – namely an ability to be all things to all comers. Maggie Q is a new sensation who’s star will continue to shine for the foreseeable future. And the good news is, she’s single!
All text in this article Copyright (c) 2010 Cheeky Girl. All film titles are copyright of their respective holders. Images used under fair usage policy.
NIKITA - trailer - rated 18
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- Sucker Punch - a movie with girls, leather, guns and robots
Vanessa Hudgens must be the luckiest girl in Hollywood. After the success of High School Musical, she has reinvented herself for an older audience and is about to appear Sucker Punch, the New Zack Snyder Movie. Snyder's films have solid Box Office...
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CommentsLoading...
Hello Leslie. Thanks for being the first commenter on my new Maggie Q hub. Glad you enjoyed, my friend. Have a nice weekend!
Loved Die Hard 4 and deff love that tattoo on top of her thigh, hope you two are having a great weekend, I must get writing again xox
Hey Art! I am very glad you are still here. I saw another message on another hub and I feared the worse. I was going to email you to not go ahead with whatever it was. I would truly miss you like the dickens. :) Glad to have you always here, moi friend. You are a good friend always to me, and Cathy. If I did anything silly in the last day or two, please tell me. I was honestly doing my best for you. *Hugs ya*
Oh, her Tattoo of the Phoenix, Maggie Q has a nice one! Tattoo I mean! Heh!
I got your back, Art. *Wink* Take care! Have a nice relaxing and good weekend. XOXOX
Maggie Q has it all as an actress. Jackie Chan certainly knows how to pick 'em.
I love Maggie Q, but I just cant buy her as a killing machine. But you have to love that Nikita poster!
Hello drbj: I agree, Jackie picked a real winner. Maggie Q has the looks and figure for anything in films or TV. She is a bit on the "slight" side, and could use a bit more meat on her bones perhaps - but she is class too. Cheers!
Hy Sabreblade: as a killing machine, I know what you mean. I got that impression even in the Die Hard film some years back. More beautiful than deadly, and a wee bit too delicate looking to be a bone-crushing, all in WWF Female Bruiser-type. But she passes mustard as the female Nikita when it comes to acting. And yes, that poster is Dynamite. Love the guns as legs on the chair she is reclining on. Take care, Sabre! :)
I know you stood by me Cassy and I love you for it xox
She looks stunning moi friend. Asian mix really kills right Cath? LOL (where is she?)
Thank you Tony Stark! Hearing these words from you makes me a happy girl here, Iron Man, um...I mean Tony! Heh! We love you too, Art! Mwah! Have a great day - today is 10/10/10 ! One day in a whole lifetime! Enjoy it!! XOXOX
Hello Blaise! Maggie Q does look very stunning! Especially draped across that chair above. She is a babe, and then some. LOL! Cathy is part Indian and Thai and British, so yes, Asian mix is her thing, amongst many I am sure. Cathy likes all types, Blaise. Even in a flight attendant uniform, it seems!! *Wink* Where is my baby? She popped over to be with her family (after our morning run in the park), then will be home for dinner! She was "sniffing" around the Hubs last night. LOL!!! Hope you have a great day, Blaise. XOX
Or if you looked at your watch at ten past ten, it wud be 10/10/10/10 lol. Anyways I gotta get writing again especially under my TG name, I have been lazy this last week but have passed the £60 mark already.
Its all about those backlinks and of course aging. But also use the ad filter, I did a Biker Tattoos blog and my earnings nosedived as all my ads were bike related.
Always make sure you get those keywords just right, and in adsense use yer ad filter, it does make a big difference moi friend. Enjoy yer Sunday girls, muchness hugs to you both xoxo
...well it's a very very good day to be a man - that's for sure - Maggie Q can flip me over her back anyday and pin me down - and so can you my dear cheeky girl - because I flipped over you a long long time ago - when I first had the honor of finding these hallowed hub pages of yours.
By the way the original foreign language film (French) of La Femme Nikita is a real gem - and then again so are your fine array of hubs my one and only Cheeky girl!
Hey Tony! I am super happy about the date and times today! It's been a great day for us ladies. :) Aw, you can have a wee break from the hub writing once in a blue moon, I guess. Congrats on hitting the £60 already. I found my payments shot up after setting up moi website. Love that Google adsense!
I totally agree about the backlinks. They are what gets me my traffic from outside of Hub Pages, apart from searches of course. Yes, I have tinkered around with the Ad filter a bit. Google are changing things round in it a bit, but it's such a great tool. I always see other keyword tools on the web, but haven't tried any yet. Thanks for the keyword tips here Art! It's easy for me to find them but hard for Cathy cos she writes mainly poetry, and the keywords are thin on the ground re subject matter sometimes. Cheers, moi friend! Have a nice week ahead. XOXO
Hy Epigramman, hoo boy - flipping somebody - now that's a tall order. Wait till I fetch my wok! Heh! Maggie can be quite the tease, can't she. She is a real looker. LOL! Well, you are showering me with nice compliments here, Sir. And I like very much!! :) Nikita was a great film, a Quality feature as usual from Monsieur Luc Besson. Wonder would he ever direct a Die Hard movie? It's not like he couldn't do action, he clearly can, and directed a Bruce Willis flick called "The Fifth Element". Plenty of flipping in that film too! Heh! Thanks for loving my fine array of hubs! Cheers, Colin. Enjoy your day, moi friend! X
Hi Cheeky Girl. How ya doin ? Well I have not seen the TV show but I have seen the commercial for it. And Maggie definitely does not hurt your eyes while gazing at her. I guess I will have to DVR the show now. And I noticed you said she's single. I wonder how she feels about older more immature men ?
Hello Tony! I am doing well! The TV show looks good, and I liked it. Maggie Q is great on the eyes, we think! Heh! Yes, I am DVRing the show also. And yes, you would stand a great chance there I am sure, tony. She is a real beauty. Have a great day! :)
Thanks for share about this woman. Maggie Q is really beautiful and talented. I love her oriental face. Good work and I love tour review. Vote Up.
Prasetio
Great Hub. Just watched the 1st episode of Nikita with my Husband and we are both instantly hooked and looking forward to episode 2 on Thursday (here in UK). One of those series like "Dollhouse", one episode is all it takes to make you determined not to miss a single episode until it finishes.
Hy prasetio: Maggie Q is a babe, if you ask me! LOL! She is part-Vietnamese, and born in Honolulu, which explains her Asian features. Cheers for this!! :)
Hy misyhorizon2003: Yes, I saw the 1st episode, it was just great. She is great in this show, I heard it is well liked, and she is fantastic. I am a fan of the 2 movies on which it is based. Thanks for the comments!
I loved the movie 'The Assassin' and did wonder if the series Nikita was based on it in any way as the plot was so similar. Nice to know my suspicions were correct.
Hello misty, yes the Assassin is one and the same. I did like that film too. Gabriel Byrne was good in that film. Same plot, same idea. It just goes to show you how good ideas can translate onto TV. Cheers!
I wondered, when I first started seeing the ads for the new Nikita series, who she was. The world knows now. She is not a woman that blends into the woodwork. Her beauty looks intelligient, and she is. She took her opportunities and ran with them. You illustrated perfectly a beautiful woman with brains does exist. Great writing. Thoroughly interesting and a compliment to your subject. Thank you, Cheeky Girl.
wow. now thats what i call a woman, Beautiful
Hy Amy: she tends to stand out, and definitely would not blend into the woodwork, me thinks! And you make a good point, she is beautiful in a smart looking way. There are such things as beautiful smart women. I mean, look at me! Hehehe! I am kidding a bit. (A BIT!??) Well, I like my hubs to be interesting and entertaining, Amy. I am glad you like! Looking forward to seeing Nikita tonight at 9pm on Living Channel! Cheers, moi friend! Take care! :)
Hy Trampoline Man: glad you like Maggie Q! She is a beauty! :)
a true beauty like us...LOL Dropping by here to poke you ;)
Hello 25!! Yes she is!! Hehehehe!! Hey, poke away!!! ;)
Thanks for the nice comment and caring, my Mum was in hospital and ive been running back and forward. Shes ok now and got out yesterday so tis back to writing for me, I hope my fav 2 girls have had a good weekend so far.
Enjoy yer Sunday and muchness hugs to you both xoxo
Hy Art! Sorry to hear about your Mum. I am glad to hear your Mum is better. I hope things get better. Yes, we had a lovely day. I hope your weekend is good too, Art. I am looking forward to seeing more hubs, moi friend. Cheers! :) XOXOX
I'm a fan of both the Luc Besson film and the USA series with Peta Wilson...now I'll give the new Nikita a chance...great hub!
Hy Joe: Luc Besson is a genius. The last episode I saw over here (UK) was very good. The series is great as it has flashbacks to how Nikita rescued the other female killer and switches from the past back to the present. It's a great show! Cheers! :D
My sis was watching Naked Weapon last night..and I saw this pretty chick stared at me for a long moment LMAO She's beautiful damn!
Wow, well done your sister!! I have not seen this film yet moi self. Wonder have you seen Nikita yet. I love the show, think its really cool. Yes, she is a dishy girl! :)
Not yet, looking forward to watch Naked Weapon and Nikita. :)
Wow, you are in for a treat, Fehl. It's very good. Cheers! :)
Hey Cassy you once asked about the Goldentoad, he has returned so do check out the talent I was talking about, say I sent you lol.
http://hubpages.com/hub/Status-of-an-Imaginary-Wri
xoxo
Cheers, Art. I will check out the hub! :)
Great bio on the lovely Maggie Q! My friend actually works on Nikita and said Maggie is a nice as she is beautiful. Another great hub, Cheeky Girl :0)
Hy Megavitamin: hey, that's cool that your friend works on the series Nikita. It's nice to know Maggie is a nice person too. Excellent! Thanks for the heads-up on this lady Superstar Maggie Q. Cheers!
Great hub, very informative! I like her in Nikita, good show. :)
Hy HelloKitty, thanks for the comments. I am a fan of her too. I am a fan of your Dad also! Cheers!!
this was entertaining! I think she is absolutely gorgeous!!!!!! Very stunning woman and the series looks amazing I have seen so many advertisements for this while watching my addiction (vampire diaries lol )
Hello Chrissie: nice to see your comments! I agree, she is stunning, and gorgeous! She has finally hit the big time! Aah, your addiction is vampire diaries!! Vamps are all the rage now! No wonder! LOL! Cheers!
Very well done Cheeky Girl. Her "mix" makes her exotic, but all women are. Thank you!
I noticed your post on websites being downgraded in October, my Greattattoos suffered badly in Oct and traffic dropped from 3,000 a day to 800 a day. My earnings nosedived as well by about £50, still ya gotta keep on keeping on ; ) xoxo
Hy Micky Dee! Maggie is a very nice "Mix", if I can say that in a really nice and kind way! Aw, all women?! *Hugs you for that* Micky you are a wonderful guy for saying this. Glad you liked my Maggie Hub. She is a hero to me! Cheers! Have a great day! :D xx
Hello BadCo -ooh, you must have been sneaking a peek at something I posted! Frickin ban still? Sheeeat! Well thanks for the comment on Google earnings! Yes, there was a glitch announced in the search algorithm over something they did at Google, or some bug or whatever. It's been reported a few places. My stats dipped in October then came back. Yours too! Yes, we keep on Trucking, Art! Cheers, and glad I saw this from you! *Hugs ya mighty* Have a great day, moi friend! XOXOX
Maggie is one beautiful woman.
Hello Joseph, glad you like our wonderful Maggie Q. Beautiful is a good word for her. Cheers!
Hi Cheeky Girl,
You churned out a cool hub on Maggie Q. Happens to be a favourite of mine in and out of action. Thanks for the job and Keep it up
Hello Anjili, thank you for the comments here. I am a big Maggie Q fan too. I wish she would do lots more movies. Maybe romantic leads - she is very talented! Cheers!
Cheeky Girl - you always do an excellent job at writing. Always good info and carefully planned and laid out. Yip she is a beauty and has sex appeal..... but no more than you do my friend.
Big Hug plus!
Hy Neil, I love getting your comments! Well, being a big fan of Maggie Q, and as I watch every episode of Nikita, I am happy to share her info in this hub. She is very beautiful and sexy too. Ooooh! You adding me here too, Mr Sperling Sir? LOL! You're just saying that cos I have a new avatar photo! Heh! Well, I love the compliment, Neil! *Hugs ya back* Have a great day, moi friend! :D xx
Thanks Cathy! Appreciate the mention! :)
just saw this now..great article!i love the way you see maggie's talent.i mean not only her martial art skills but also on her acting.she has improved a lot, well, i know this cause i'm half asian and i've been watching her ever since. anyway, i'm looking forward for more great reads from you cheeky girl!
Hello kathleen: thanks for the comments, yes she is talented, and getting better roles in films and TV. I know she is hired mostly for her looks too. The half-asian thing is cool, my partner is half-asian too. :) Thanks again, and you will be seeing more reads from this girl alright. Cheers! :D
She was cool in Mission Impossible 3. Nice hub.
Hey Jet, thanks, she is a very cool chick! Glad you approve. Can't wait to see her in new Paul Bettany film "Priest". :)
Maggie Q is the new Angelina Jolie, tough girls rock!
Thanks celebrite, Maggie Q is simply a dazzling example of what a great action star can be and she had done so well. TV and films have been so good for her. She is a different kind of alternative to Angelina (I am a big Angelina fan!) but still great too! And yes, tough girls rock. LOL! Thanks for the comments! Cheers!
Maggie Q rocks! I am a huge fan of the original series NIKITA and have always admired the character. In the beginning I had my doubts about Miss Q. I could not imagine her pulling off the fierceness Peta Wilson did (being so slight/skinny). I was pleasantly surprised and sorry I ever doubted her!
Hy njsherry, the original Nikita was excellent, the character was also non-Asian, but Maggie pulls it off. She has that everywoman quality, and her looks stand in her favor. She is slender but she is fit ad well up for her demanding role and action moments. Thanks for being a Maggie fan! Cheers!
She's my idol actress. Love her in naked weapon.
Hey Mark, I heartily agree. There is something just sexy about here, and yes, I saw her in Naked Weapon and she was awesome! Cheers!
Gotta love Maggie Q! Although she's played some pretty sophisticated roles, I have to admit I love her performance in "Balls of Fury" the best:
"I'm trying to sacrifice my life for our love. Stop being such a d*ck!"- LOL!
Hey TattooKitty, great comment here! She can act and do the action thing so well in her movies! That's a great quote! LOL! If I said that to my partner, I would raise plenty of laughs.... eventually! LOL! Cheers! :)
Great Hub she is very beautiful and I loved her in ball of fury and now on Nikita. I think she has a banging body that doesn't look as if she starves herself to stay thin but thin by nature. I learned some cool things from this hub thanks
Amberheart, she is a great lady, and Nikita is a great TV series! She is made for that TV show. She keeps herself very well, and looks so healthy! She is banging alright! I'm glad you liked the hub! :)
Leslie Patton 19 months ago
Wow Great hub, very informative! Enjoyed reading it!