Isabella Wei never imagined she’d one day step onto the set of Bridgerton, dressed in an ornate gown and preparing to film a scene at the masquerade ball. For a young actress from Hong Kong, it felt like stepping into a dream. “The scene of the Bridgerton masquerade ball is such an iconic one,” she recalls her pinch-me moment. “We’ve done the fittings, and you sort of get ready for it, but actually getting onto the set, and realising that you are now immersed in what you’ve been watching, was such an unbelievable experience.”

At just 21 years old, Isabella Wei has already travelled an incredible journey, quite literally. From local theatre productions in Hong Kong to starring in major global projects in Europe, her story is one of fearless leaps, unexpected lessons, and a deep love for her craft that has carried her through every challenge.

Growing up in Hong Kong, Wei didn’t plan on becoming an actress. She spent years as a dancer and performer with the Hong Kong Youth Arts Foundation (HKYAF), finding her creative home in their productions. It was there, in 2020, that she stepped into her very first acting role in the play #hashtag, an experience she remembers vividly.

“I was really struggling because that was my first acting role ever,” she shares. “I played a villain-type character, and I just remember being in the dressing room, crying, because I was really struggling with feeling like I was being a bad person for playing a villain […] I remember saying that I didn’t know if I could commit to the character, because I didn’t like how bad it made me feel.” 

Support came in the form of her friends, who were also choreographers for the show. “They told me: As much as it’s impacting you, you have to give it your all. Because if you don’t, you’re going to regret it. Even though it might feel like the right decision [to give up], if you don’t put your heart and leave it on the stage, you will regret it,” she recalls. Those words have stayed with her, shaping her approach to acting and teaching her an important lesson: leave everything on the stage.

That philosophy carried Wei through what would become a turning point in her life. While still a high school student in Hong Kong, she auditioned for Netflix’s 1899, a multilingual mystery-thriller that follows European immigrants aboard a steamship as they encounter a lost ship on their journey. The show, which featured an ensemble cast of international actors, became her breakout moment in 2022.

“I think the biggest risk I’ve taken was probably my first project. Still, I have yet to have something to top that,” she reflects. “[Pursuing] acting as a career path wasn’t something I’d ever dreamed of, or I guess, understood, was something that could happen. So that shift was just so unfathomable to me. What’s going to happen with school? What’s going to happen with the future? Who knows if this will then flourish into a bigger career, or will it just be a one-time thing?” But it was far from a one-time thing. Her leap of faith set her star on the rise, opening doors to opportunities she had never imagined.

Wei’s career soon gained momentum. She made her feature film debut in The Crow, landed a recurring role in Netflix’s espionage thriller Black Doves, and starred in Hong Kong director Calif Chong’s directorial debut feature film High Wire as female lead Au Go-Wing, a British-Chinese takeaway girl who embarks on the pursuit of artistic bravery and freedom when a circus travels to her small town.