Who is Ruibo Qian in ‘Our Flag Means Death’ and where have I seen her before?

Oh, how we missed watching the cast of Our Flag Means Death get up to their usual hijinks on screen. Despite the much darker tone we’re met with in season 2, the show maintains its typical comedic flare, making room for new characters to shine alongside returning fan favorites. Among them is the Pirate Queen who conquered China, Zheng Yi Sao. (Yes, the historical figure, much like the Gentleman Pirate).

Zheng Yi Sao is portrayed by Ruibo Qian in the series and it didn’t take very long after her introduction for fans (myself included) to get invested in her character. She’s nice to those she likes, yes, but don’t let that fool you. She is also an impressively ruthless pirate who has no qualms about getting violent when her natural charm doesn’t get her what she wants. What’s not to love?

Naturally, watching Qian play this Pirate Queen has gotten us all curious about the actress, for a very obvious reason — she’s absolutely incredible in the role. So, in what other TV shows or movies have we seen this face before? And while we’re at it, what exactly do we know about her?

Who is Ruibo Qian?

According to Ruibo Qian’s website, she was born in Shanghai, China, but at some point moved to New York, where she is currently based. This website also tells us that she’s a musician, which anyone could have figured that out by taking a quick look at her social media, where Qian sometimes posts videos of herself playing the guitar. Her passion for music is palpable through the screen.

That said, music has never overshadowed Qian’s acting career, which started in 2011. Per her IMDb page, the actress’ first TV role was in the drama Whatever This Is., in which she played Shannon. Since then, she has made appearances in several well-known shows, including Jessica Jones, Orange Is the New Black, and The Good Fight.

If you don’t remember Qian in any of those shows, fear not, as some of her more notorious roles will ring a bell. The actress is best known for portraying Penelope Wu in Black Mirror, Dr. Bethany in Manchester by the Sea, Triangle Tanya in Mozart in the Jungle, and Janelle in Broad City. Do any of these sound familiar? At least one of them should, but don’t worry, there’s plenty of time to catch up on Ruibo Qian’s projects if not.

The first season of Our Flag Means Death is available to stream in full on Max along with new episodes from season 2.