Shirley Chen is an actress known for the Sundance film Beast Beast (2020), executive produced by Alec Baldwin. Chen was awarded "Best Acting in a Narrative Short" at SXSW for her work in "Krista," the short that inspired Beast Beast. Chen is a student at Harvard University double-majoring in History & Literature and Theater, Dance, & Media and, during her first year, was one of the first six women cast in the Hasty Pudding Theatricals, the 200-year-old comedy musical production by America's oldest theatrical group. Chen also performed as a lead in Man of God at the Geffen Playhouse and has appeared in Speechless (ABC), Gamer's Guide (Disney XD), and Parenthood (NBC).
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Biography from IMDb.
- Actor
- 9 on MovieCove · 18 credits in all
Known for
What are Shirley Chen's films like?
Across a limited sample of 4 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Survival.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 2 · Earnest 2
Light 1 · Serious 2 · Dark 1
Grounded 2 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 0
Gentle 1 · Charged 2 · Intense 1
Steady 1 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 1
Straight-faced 1 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 1
Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 2 · Relentless 0
Casual 2 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 0
A split, not a type: Easy watch 1 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 2
Resolved 2 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0
Roles they play
- Heroas Krista in Beast Beast (2020)
- Threshold guardianas Joan Huang in Slanted (2025)
Moods and endings
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Shirley Chen's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 7 of their 9 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Shirley Chen's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
18 credits, 9 with a MovieCove page.
The Body (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)
Slanted(2025)
Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all filmsBetter Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)
Roots That Reach Toward The Sky (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)
Good Boy Banjo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)
The Truck (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)
Dìdi(2024)
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films
15 Cameras(2023)
Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films
Quiz Lady(2023)
Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films
Drone (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)
Jethica(2022)
Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films
Only the Moon Stands Still (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)
Beast Beast(2020)
Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films
God Is a Lobster (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)
Krista (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)
The Resident(2018)
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all shows
Speechless(2016)
Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all shows
Lonely Boy(2013)
Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films
Career shape
Star power in the 84th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 17 titles, 16 of them dated from 2013 to 2026.
Film career
Top draw in 1 MovieCove title.
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
Awards
Won a Sundance award in 2024, Ensemble.
Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.
How do Shirley Chen's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 42nd percentile, the median of all 7; across a limited sample of 4 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 45th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up2
- 50th to 74th2
- 25th to 49th4
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
4 of their 9 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Cult Classic2
- Crowd Pleaser4
- Mixed3
Reviewers score the acting 75/100 in their films, across 4 reviewed titles; fans 81, detractors 54. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does Shirley Chen work with?
People who share at least 2 of Shirley Chen's MovieCove titles; Will Madden shares the most, 2.
- Will MaddenShared titles: Jethica (2022), Beast Beast (2020)See all 2 shared titles with Will Madden
- Pete OhsShared titles: Jethica (2022), Beast Beast (2020)See all 2 shared titles with Pete Ohs
