The Making of an Ordinary Woman breaks traditional social framework, giving women in Asia a role they can relate to: someone who shares the anxieties women have to face in their 40s, striving to be an extraordinary ordinary woman who can navigate the worlds of love and human relationships with humor and grace. Since the launch of season one, it has become a TV phenomenon, smashing TV ratings record while garnering fantastic reviews from audiences and critics alike. The show received a 8.3 IMDB rating, and a 9.1 rating on Douban. It was nominated for 8 Golden Bell Awards, Taiwan's equivalence of the Emmys, and won 3 Golden Bell Awards including Best Mini-Series. Before season two comes out simultaneously with Taiwan on August 8th, let's take a look at what Chia-Ling's challenges are this time around, and meet the cast and directors.
Story
Chia-Ling is ready for life after 40! A stable relationship, a career change, love and support from her family and finally getting her own house, what’s not to like about 40? Just when she ventures into this new stage of womanhood, she was told by her doctor that she is showing signs of early menopause. As the clock is ticking, she feels more pressured to figure out what she wants for her life. Yet, she is not the only one! Her father’s health is slowly deteriorating. Realizing time is not on his side, her father reconnects with his first love again, leaving Chia-Ling’s mother upset and furious.
As Chia-Ling juggles between work and relationship, she must also deal with her peculiar family as her unfaithful father, self-pitying mother, confused brother, and even her hapless cousin in Taipei, are all fighting for her attention. Yet, none of these come close to the abrupt surprise waiting around the corner: an innocent, unblemished life that will change Chia-Ling’s life on a catastrophic level.
Trailer
Ying-Hsuan Hsieh as Chia-Ling Chen
Ying-Xsuan Hsieh is a well-acclaimed Taiwanese actress whose prolific performances span the fields of theater, film, television, advertising, music videos, and more. Hsieh has performed in over 30 theater productions, and her enchanting talent has earned her the title "Goddess of Theater" from her fans.
In recent years, Hsieh has taken up more roles in films and television series. She has been nominated for multiple Golden Bell Awards for Mini-series/TV Movie Lead Actress and Supporting Actress for productions including Green Door, A Boy Named Flora A, and Wake Up. In 2018, she won the Golden Horse Award for Best Actress for her outstanding performance in the film Dear Ex. Her recent film Little Big Women, became the highest-grossing domestic film in Taiwan in 2020.
Sara Yu as Hsiu-Chin Wu (Chia-Ling’s Mother)
Sara Yu (on the right) is a multi-talented Taiwanese singer, host and actress. She started out as a singer in the female duo musical group Walkie Talkie, which released 6 successful albums and was nominated for 3 Golden Melody Awards.
Yu made her acting debut in 2003, and is known for her performance in The Arc of Life, Who Killed the Good Man, and Little Big Women. In 2020, she won the Golden Bell Award for Mini-series/TV Movie Supporting Actress with The Making of an Ordinary Woman. As a multi-faceted artist, her works have been recognized by the Golden Bell Awards, Golden Horse Awards, and Golden Melody Awards. These three awards represent the top performances from the Taiwanese television, film and music industry respectively.
DIRECTORS
Yi-Wen Yen is a well-known Taiwanese actress, director, and screenwriter. She started out in theater and moved on to participate in advertising as well as television works. She has appeared in a handful of films and television series, including The Arc of Life, Adventure of the Ring by HBO Asia, and U Motherbaker.
Yen was nominated for several Golden Bell Awards as well as Taipei Film Awards. She won the Golden Bell Award for Mini-series/TV Movie Lead Actress with her performance in Angel’s Radio. After years of standing in front of the camera, she started to explore the role of directing and made her debut with The Making of an Ordinary Woman in 2019.
Zhang-Lun Chen is an award-winning Taiwanese director and screenwriter. He worked with world-renowned director Hsiao-Hsien Hou at a young age, which inspired him to pursue a career in filmmaking. His works span across film and television, including Far and Away, Purple Dadaocheng, and A Cinematic Journey.
Chen’s directing and script works received much recognition from various bodies such as the Asian Television Festival, Golden Horse Awards, and Taipei Film Festival. Among them, On the Band of the Left River earned him the Golden Bell Award for Best Director in a Television Series.
The Making of an Extraordinary Woman S2 is available on August 8th, with new episodes released every week. Refresh Season One here:
