Entertainment Weekly - 04.2020

→ Mulan (Yifei Liu)

prepares for battle

↘ Commander

Tung (Donnie Yen)

gets low

upbringing of her own: Born in cen-

tral China, Liu spent some of her

formative years with her mother in

New York City before returning to

Beijing for acting school.

In person, the actress demurs at

the parallels, insisting she took

more from the role than she gave.

“I try not to compare myself to the

character,” says Liu, 32, noting that

she gleans more personal insight

from her roles than anything else.

“Mulan makes it happen—not

through big drama, but through

little decisions and bravery and

self-awareness.”

Mulan director Niki Caro

(Whale Rider) confirms Liu’s

strength was both emotional and

physical. “I needed a warrior more

than an actress,” says Caro. She

describes a scene in her film where

Mulan bathes in a lake: “I wanted

to see the shoulders of a soldier.”

Now the fate of a reportedly

$200 million Disney film sitting at

the intersection of China and Hol-

lywood rests on those capable

shoulders. The Chinese-American

actress rose to fame on China’s

fantasy series Chinese Paladin and

scored international acclaim in hit

Chinese co-productions like The

Forbidden Kingdom alongside

Jackie Chan and Jet Li.

Chatting poolside (cue strains

of “Reflection”) at the Hollywood

Roosevelt, Liu is warm and pains-

takingly considerate, pausing the

interview to fix the dripping

lid of a reporter’s coffee cup. She

apologizes for her nerves, her

casual jeans and sneakers belying

her guardedness.

It’s understandable, considering

the last time she was publicly forth-

right she faced criticism. In August

2019, as political unrest in Hong

Kong boiled over in protests in the

streets, Liu sparked an online back-

lash and calls to boycott Mulan after

sharing a social media post in sup-

port of the police force, which was

under international scrutiny for

alleged brutality. The actress came

prepared to address the issue, her

talking point repeating comments

she’d already made on the matter.

“It’s obviously a very complicated

situation, and I’m not an expert.

MOVIES

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Fight Club

WITH MULAN, DISNEY GETS DOWN TO THE BUSINESS OF MAKING

ITS FIRST FULL-BLOWN MARTIAL-ARTS MOVIE

6 OTHER DISNEY

LIVE-ACTION

REMAKES WE’D

LOVE TO SEE

↓

The Aristocats

1970

The Black

Cauldron

1985

Hercules

1997

Atlantis:

The Lost Empire

2001

Treasure

Planet

2002

The Princess

and the Frog

2009

Mulan—brave, true,

and loyal—carry over

well into the martial-

arts warrior spirit,”

reflects Jason Scott

Lee, who stars as

villainous Böri Khan.

Also essential?

Enlisting legendary

martial-arts stars Don-

nie Yen, Jet Li, and

Gong Li to add legiti-

macy. “I grew up

watching Donnie Yen

and Jet Li,” gushes

newcomer Yoson

An, who plays Mulan’s

comrade Honghui.

“Donnie has this epic

scene where he shows

the entire squadron

his abilities, and get-

ting to see it in person

was surreal.”

Most crucially, how-

ever, the film’s Chinese

traditions and Disney’s

cinematic DNA share

one central tenet.

“The most important

thing about this story

is the idea of filial

piety, devotion to

family—it’s the core

of Chinese culture

and also the core of

Disney, you could

argue,” says Caro. “It’s

a beautiful marriage.

We can bring honor to

Chinese culture in an

authentic and specific

way.” And bring to

the screen a girl worth

fighting for. —MLL

Director Niki Caro

promises a “girly mar-

tial-arts extravaganza”

in her live-action

update of Mulan. But

first, she and her

stunt teams had to find

a way to merge the

sometimes brutal tra-

ditions of martial-arts

cinema with Disney’s

family-friendly brand.

“What I connected

to was the power,

grace, and beauty of

[martial arts],” she

explains. “One of the

big challenges was

how to express war

and epic battle, [and]

still be real and raw

and visceral.”

Caro chose to focus

as much on the phil-

osophy of martial arts

as the practice. “The

principles inherent to

I hope this all gets resolved soon.”

Her smile blooms when the con-

versation turns to her gauntlet

audition and the intense three

months of physical preparation

Mulan required. Liu’s daily decath-

lon-esque regimen, which regularly

clocked in at six to seven hours,

featured cardio and strength con-

ditioning, as well as equestrian,

archery, sword, and martial-arts

training. “It’s not just about the

muscle or the look or the fight, it’s

more about your energy,” says Liu,

who performed 90 percent of her

own stunts. Adds Caro: “She never

complained, she never stopped.

She woman’d up.”

The capacity to woman up is what

the star hopes female audiences

take to heart from Mulan. Says Liu:

“If they can see how powerful they

are and get a glimpse of themselves

in her, then I’ll be happy.” �

EW ● COM APRIL 2020 51

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MULAN

: JASIN BOLAND/© 2019 DISNEY ENTERPRISES, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. (2);

MULAN

: © WALT DISNEY CO./EVERETT COLLECTION

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