The question of nationality is not as relevant to Olivia Chan as it is to most stars. For a start, in terms of looks, her ethnicity is Chinese and her nationality is American. But what really matters in the minds of the public is the question of whether or not she acts too well (given that she is now, officially, an American citizen by the US government). This is related more to age than nationality. That said, given the public’s perception of how young people in their thirties and forties should act, Chan definitely grades above the norm insofar as her age and maturity are concerned.
It is also interesting to note that Chan is not particularly talented when it comes to acting or singing but does have a penchant for high-tech gadgets. There is a video of her from earlier this year in which she appears to be operating a small remotely-piloted aircraft. It is not clear whether this contraption is meant to be used as a recreational toy or as a weapon of some sort but it is clearly very cool!
However, as far as Chan’s nationalities are concerned, she is not American, despite being born in California. Instead, she is considered Chinese by the Chinese government (that’s why she wears a sashaying Chinese national costume at the beginning of the video) and therefore belongs to the Chinese ethnic category of citizens known as Hui. While it is possible that the character originated in the Chinese language, no one is certain. Given Chan’s age, her accent, and the fact that she speaks very slowly, it is probably best if we leave the question of nationality up to interpretation. In the end, all we can say is that Olivia Chan is an interesting example of how technology, identity, and public perception can affect and confound the definition and boundaries of youth and old age.