Woman Crush Wednesday: Brenda Song is Not Defined by London Tipton

Happy Wednesday, a.k.a. Woman Crush Wednesday! This week we’re ~obsessing~ over a star who you may remember watching in your childhood. Now she’s back, starring in a new Netflix flick… But don’t expect the clueless and hilarious hotel heiress you once loved. She’s escaped way outside the bounds of Disney Channel.

WHO’S THAT GAL: Brenda Song

WHY WE’RE CRUSHING: Netflix recently dropped Secret Obsession on July 18, a thriller starring Song as newlywed Jennifer Williams. While being chased down by a sharp-knife-bearing, psycho-killer, Jennifer is hit by a car and subsequently rushed to the hospital by nearby witnesses. Though she survives, she has amnesia and cannot remember the accident or her doting husband, Russell (Mike Vogel). All seems relatively well when Jennifer is released from the hospital and the couple returns to their sprawling home in the mountains… That is until Jennifer notices that things seem out of place (read: poorly photoshopped wedding photos, freshly dug human-sized holes in the backyard, and scary flashbacks to the night of her attack). Let’s just say, this ain’t no suite life.

Admittedly, Secret Obsession is far outside Song’s wheelhouse. Perhaps the closest she’s gotten to the genre would be her brief stint on Scandal, but even then she played a fun-loving, slightly comedic legal secretary. Song has admitted that this particular role was challenging given her previous repertoire of work, which she called mostly “lighthearted and fun.” But we have to say, Song absolutely made this movie. Yes, Mike Vogel as a deranged stalker was creepily convincing and also deserves applause for a job well done. But, in reality, Song’s performance carried the film, from the excruciating believability of seeing her limp on her injured ankle (and then further injuring it) to the authenticity with which she conveyed her terror of Russell, which she did by pulling from personal fears and experiences.

Overall, if this film proves anything it’s that Song is just as able to play the funny, lighthearted character as she is the more serious — and definitely badass — one. Now, as she expands her portfolio to include more diverse genres, it’s anyone’s best guess what she’ll do next. While it’s a shame that she was limited to the “London Tipton character,” at least now she’s broken out of that mold, and we couldn’t be more excited for her.

WHERE YOU’VE SEEN HER BEFORE: You know Song best from her long-running role as London Tipton in The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, followed by the series’ spin-off, The Suite Life on Deck. Evidently, Song, who played the ditzy, privileged girl from 2005 to 2011, landed the part without so much as an audition. Her character made appearances across several other Disney Channel series as well, including Hannah Montana and Wizards of Waverly Place. Soon after gaining recognition on The Suite Life, Song starred in her own Disney Channel movie, Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior, where she played a popular teenage girl who is told by a young Buddhist monk (Shin Koyamada) that she is the reincarnation of a legendary warrior and the only person able to defeat an ancient, evil spirit.

Since her time on Disney Channel ended, Song has mostly flown under the radar, but that isn’t to say she’s been inactive. You may have seen her in the critically-acclaimed film The Social Network in the supporting role of Christy, or in smaller, recurring roles on series like Scandal and New Girl. Recently, she starred in the comedy-drama Changeland alongside Seth Green, Breckin Meyer, and current beau (and famous child actor) Macaulay Culkin. She was also cast as the leading role in Disney Channel’s newest animated series, Amphibia, which premiered in June. Given her successes this year, and her recent indoctrination into the Netflix family, it’s clear that Song is making a comeback.

WHERE YOU’LL SEE HER AGAIN: Up next, Song is set to star in Hulu’s new comedy series Dollface, with co-stars Kat Dennings and Shay Mitchell. The series, set to premiere in November, centers around Jules (Dennings), a young woman who, after being dumped by her longtime boyfriend, must re-enter the world of women and rekindle past friendships. Song will play Jules’ best friend, Madison Maxwell. While this is all that’s on the horizon for the young actress as of yet, we can confidently predict that Song’s career is about to skyrocket, particularly her work in genres outside comedy. We sincerely hope that she’s jumping up and down, saying, “Yay me!”

Where to stream Secret Obsession