From cruising effortlessly alognside Tom Cruise in the Mission Impossible franchise to flaunting her thrilling avatar in Bruce Willis’ Live Free or Die Hard – Margaret Denise Quigley aka Maggie Q has established herself as a trailblazing Hollywood star we can’t seem to get enough of! Maggie’s journey to stardom has been quite tumultuous, to say the least. Who knew that a bright student wanting to become a veterinarian would embark on a globetrotting adventure to fund her education and eventually land up in showbiz? Full of surprising twists and turns, Maggie Q’s life is nothing less than a movie. If you’re also smitten by the gorgeous star, let’s take you through an up, close and personal account of her life!
Born and raised in Hawaii, Maggie was always an allrounder who won an athletics scholarship in hopes of furthering her career in the sciences. However, due to her family’s financial conditions, she couldn’t come up with the required funding and had to leave her hometown of Honolulu to earn enough money to pursue her dreams. Destiny clearly had other plans for Maggie, as she went on to become one of the top models and prominent celebrities in Hong Kong. Her career has seen a meteoric rise since and rightly so! Here are 10 facts about Maggie Q you probably didn’t know.
Lesser-known facts about Maggie Q you have to know
1. Jackie Chan trained her to become an action star
When Maggie settled in Hong Kong to commence her acting career, she was tapped by none other than Jackie Chan, who saw in her a potential action star. The superstar’s intensive training taught Maggie the importance of professionalism and performing her own stunts. Talking about how she was alien to doing stunts and martial arts at the beginning of her career, Maggie told New York Magazine, “I had never done a day of martial arts in my life when I started in the business.” She added, “I couldn’t even touch my toes.”Given the action-packed roles she would go on to do, her martial arts training surely aided her!
2. She lost hearing in one ear after a stunt explosion
As impressive as doing one’s own stunts sounds, it naturally comes with a lot of risks. That’s exactly what happened with Maggie Q, when she got struck by an explosive stunt that blew out her eardrum. In an earlier conversation with Maxim UK, she stated, “I’m also deaf in one ear where my eardrum was blown out in an explosive stunt.”
In the same conversation, she also revealed being smashed in the face with a ‘piece of two-by-four’ that left one side of her face black for two weeks. Despite all these fallbacks, the star continues to ace many of her action sequences on her own!
3. Maggie Q’s passion for animal welfare turned her into a vegan
Maggie embarked on the path of veganism, giving up all animal products from her diet. The star is an active PETA ambassador, having led multiple campaigns in Asia promoting vegetarianism. Maggie has often spoken about how giving up meat has been one of the most rewarding decisions of her life, adding that she finds immense satisfaction in doing her bit to stop animal suffering. She was also PETA Asia-Pacific’s Person of the Year in 2008.
Her dedication towards the cause is unparalleled! Did you know she was responsible for the removal of all real fur from the wardrobe of her 2008 flick, Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon?
4. She made her acting career debut with House of the Dragon
Maggie Q made a breakthrough in the entertainment industry with her debut TV drama House of the Dragon, which was a massive hit in Asia. The 1998 show peaked her to such fame that she landed her first movie role just two years later in the horror flick Model from Hell.This was followed by Maggie’s impressive performance as the FBI agent Jane Quigley inGen-Y Cops, which impressed Jackie Chan to such an extent that he cast her in his filmsManhattan MidnightandRush Hour 2.
A Hollywood breakthrough was inevitable for a prolific actor like her, and she landed her very first international role alongside Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible III.This was followed by appearances in the Die Hard series, Deception, Divergent, The Protégéand more.
5. She switched to ‘Maggie Q’ as people couldn’t pronounce her surname properly
Hong Kong’s hit girl dropped her real name after settling in the city at the start of her movie career. This was because many locals couldn’t enunciate her surname ‘Quigley’ properly, leading to the birth of ‘Maggie Q’. Her stage name was reportedly taken from a Hong Kong newspaper and stuck with Asian audiences for its easier pronunciation.
6. Maggie Q has five tattoos, including that of a phoenix
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The actor is a style icon, known for her fashion sense and impeccable body tattoos. She has a number of unique inks on her body, many of which she has had to conceal for her roles. From a cross tattoo on her right forearm, a ‘Zulu Phrase’ tattoo and a phoenix tattoo on her left hip to Chinese characters and Tibetan script on her arms –Maggie’s inks never fail to grab attention.
7. She was previously engaged to actor Dylan McDermott
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Maggie Q and Dylan McDermott’s romance started on the sets of the CBS drama series, Stalker, in 2014. The duo got engaged a year later in 2015, only to call it quits four years later. Maggie, who has earlier been linked to Justin Long,Brett RatnerandDaniel Wu, hasn’t dated publicly since Dylan. For those unversed, Dylan McDermott is a Golden Globe Award recipient, best known for his role in the legal drama series The Practice.
8. Maggie Q had a hard time navigating the ‘toxic’ modelling industry
Maggie, who started out as a model in her teenage years before transitioning to acting, called the modelling industry ‘toxic and gross’. Talking about the toxicity in the industry, she told Salon, “It was intended to shame you into either never eating, having an eating disorder, or feeling really bad about yourself and it’s disgusting. It’s really gross.” The actor also stated that she would never recommend anyone to pursue a modelling career.
9. The dog mama’s compassion for animal is boundless
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Did you know that at one point, Maggie was living in Los Angeles with her seven rescued dogs? In a conversation with PEOPLE in 2022, it was revealed that the actor starts her mornings with three-to-five-mile hikes in the mountains with her furry friends. Maggie continues to strongly advocate for the adoption of abused, neglected or unwanted animals.
10. She has been a brand ambassador for multiple luxury brands
Maggie Q is quite a popular pick for luxury brands, thanks to her influence across Asian markets. She has minted lucrative deals with fashion houses like Gucci, Calvin Klein, Shiseido and more. Given her strong social media presence, brands are surely earning profits with these collaborations!
How many of these facts about Maggie Q did you already know?
(Hero and feature image credit: maggieq/ Instagram)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- Is Maggie Q a vegetarian?
Maggie Q is a vegan. She embarked on the path of veganism more than two decades ago.
- DoesMaggieQ know martial arts?
Yes, Maggie Q knows martial arts and performs most of her stunts herself.
- What isMaggieQ known for?
She’s an actress, activist, and model, who rose to international fame with films like Mission: Impossible III, Divergent and more.
- IsMaggieQ deaf?
Maggie Q is deaf in one ear. The incident happened when an explosive stunt blew her eardrum.
