{"id":106667,"date":"2020-11-06T23:00:34","date_gmt":"2020-11-06T20:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/mulan-ming-na-wen-interview-ahead-of-animated-4k-uhd-release-film\/"},"modified":"2020-11-06T23:00:34","modified_gmt":"2020-11-06T20:00:34","slug":"mulan-ming-na-wen-interview-ahead-of-animated-4k-uhd-release-film","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/mulan-ming-na-wen-interview-ahead-of-animated-4k-uhd-release-film\/","title":{"rendered":"#Mulan Ming-Na Wen Interview Ahead of Animated 4K UHD Release \u2013 \/Film"},"content":{"rendered":"

“#Mulan Ming-Na Wen Interview Ahead of Animated 4K UHD Release \u2013 \/Film<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

\n

\"mulan<\/p>\n

When Ming-Na Wen<\/strong> first stepped into the recording booth in 1995, she couldn\u2019t anticipate the legacy that\u00a0Mulan<\/em><\/strong> would leave \u2014 becoming one of the most beloved Disney animated movies<\/a>, and getting remade into a live-action film more than 20 years later\u2026in which she would make a cameo that made social media<\/a> explode. Nor could she anticipate that she would become one of the faces of the expanding Asian roles in Hollywood, with a career marked by firsts:\u00a0first Asian actor cast in a regular role in a soap opera, first all-Asian-led cast in a major Hollywood film in The Joy Luck Club<\/em>, first Asian Disney Princess.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think, definitely with this business, it was part luck, part timing, and maybe some destiny,\u201d Wen told \/Film in a Zoom interview ahead of the first-ever release of the animated\u00a0Mulan<\/em> on 4K UHD.\u00a0\u201cI think we\u2019re all destined for something.\u201d<\/p>\n

And it seems that Wen was destined to app<\/a>ear in\u00a0Mulan<\/em>, both as the star in the 1998 animated classic, and in a buzzy cameo at the end of Niki Caro<\/strong>\u2018s 2020 live-action\u00a0Mulan<\/em>, in which she was \u201cpassing the baton\u201d to the new Mulan, played by Liu Yifei<\/strong>. It\u2019s a cameo that almost didn\u2019t happen, Wen said, but thanks to director Caro and producer Jason Reed, and a quick-thinking hair and make-up department, Wen was able to make her cameo in a loving homage to the animated film.
\nFind out how the cameo came together in our full interview with Ming-Na Wen ahead of the 4K UHD release of the animated\u00a0Mulan<\/em> and the Blu-ray, 4K UHD, and DVD release\u00a0on November 10, 2020<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"Mulan<\/p>\n

The Mulan<\/em> animated film is getting its first-ever 4K Ultra HD release right at the same time as the live-action Mulan comes to Blu-ray. When you first stepped in the recording booth in \u2014 what was it, 1997?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Well, long before that, it was\u2026\u201995. We worked on that for three years. They<\/em> worked on it for five years, with the pre-production stuff and the research and writing it. But yeah, I was with them for three.
\nSo when you stepped into that recording booth in \u201995, did you imagine that the film\u2019s legacy would grow as it has today?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Definitely, not. I mean, I\u2019ve always been a huge Disney fan. So I knew about you know, the potential of the Cinderella\u2019s and the Snow Whites that is everlasting. But I really thought that Disney was taking a huge, huge gamble in creating an animation that was so based on a particular culture \u2014 in the Chinese culture \u2014 and have it be with all these Asian characters. At that time, you know, there hadn\u2019t been anything except perhaps Joy Luck Club<\/em>, and you know, some like big studio release projects that was all Asian or specifically Asian based. So I was just hoping that it would find an audience and I loved the story. And I think it was just a combination of great writing and amazing animation, and of course, all the actors voicing it. It just all came together and became a story that is still impactful to this generation.<\/p>\n

When you came to that project, did you get to give your own insight into the film? Or did you just were able to step in and kind of take on the character immediately?<\/strong><\/p>\n

No, I was so new to this process. I\u2019d never done voiceover work before. And, I had no idea that, you know, we did it alone. We weren\u2019t working with any of the actors, that it was purely me and a reader. And I had no idea. I mean, they possibly had had a lot of the story written. I don\u2019t know, I would just go in and do little segments at a time, and then they would animate it, and then I come back and do another segment over the years, then I would do a segment of their rewrites. It wasn\u2019t until the second, or towards the end of the third year that I started seeing some of the rough drafts and rough animation. So no, I just provided the voice. I had no idea. I mean, it\u2019s fantastic. It\u2019s wonderful that Mulan<\/em> is just a classic story now.<\/p>\n

Your career is one marked by firsts \u2014\u00a0 first Asian actor cast in a regular role in a soap opera, first all-Asian-led cast in a major Hollywood film in The Joy Luck Club<\/em>, first Asian Disney princess. Was this something you set out to do when you started your acting career or did it just happen to fall in place?<\/strong>
\nOh yeah, I had a crystal ball [Laughs<\/em>]. I knew exactly what was going to happen! I don\u2019t know, for me I just wanted to be an actor, and I felt like I had this passion and this desire. My mom said I was destined, I was born to do it because of the shape of my noise, for Chinese [people], my nose is a high bridge. I think, definitely with this business, it was part luck, part timing, and maybe some destiny. I think we\u2019re all destined for something. So I\u2019m just very grateful, I\u2019m always extremely grateful for any job that comes along and any dreams that can come true. Because it\u2019s a really tough business, especially if you\u2019re a woman, and especially if you\u2019re an ethnic woman, and especially now, if you\u2019re an older woman. So I\u2019m always very, very grateful.<\/p>\n

Yeah, for example when you starred in The Joy Luck Club<\/em>, I heard that your voiceover narration in the film got you noticed by the Disney team, which led to you being selected to voice Mulan.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Uh-huh, and because Joy Luck Club<\/em> \u2014 and a lot of people don\u2019t know it \u2014 it was Hollywood Pictures, but it was under the Disney umbrella. In fact, I feel like my whole career is dedicated to Mickey Mouse. Everything I\u2019ve done thus far, except for maybe ER<\/em> and a couple films, has always been under the umbrella of Disney.<\/p>\n

And I think what was really funny was that when I got the job, I was really excited and happy about it. And then when I went in for one of my first recording sessions, once I found out that the character was 16, 17 years old, she was this young girl. I like created this young voice for her, where I was just like, up here a little bit, you know? And I remember the director Barry Cook and the producers, Tony Bancroft and Pam Coats, they were just like, \u201cWhat are you doing?\u201d I was like, \u201cI\u2019m trying to create a voice.\u201d And they\u2019re like, \u201cNo, we hired you for your voice. So just go back to doing your voice.\u201d So it made it a lot easier, that\u2019s for sure.<\/p>\n

So speaking of Disney and being under that Disney umbrella for quite a while with a lot of your roles. Apart from Mulan, what has been your favorite role in the Disney projects that you\u2019ve been in?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I got the chance to participate in sort of a lifelong dream. I\u2019m a huge Star Wars fan. And, you know, when I was younger, like I would always pray to God, Buddha and the Force \u2014 and I still do to this day. And so when I was able to participate in The Mandalorian<\/em> as this character, Fennec Shand, let me tell you, that was an ultimate dream come true. And to be on Tatooine\u2026it was just a breathtaking moment for me, as an actor, as someone who was that young girl who wanted to be in this world to suddenly be in this world. It was. I think it that would that\u2019s my favorite, aside from Mulan.
\nI also want to give a shout out to your role in Agents of SHIELD<\/em> as Agent May, because she was such a great role and, you know, one that is something that you\u2019ve played before with Mulan, like that kick ass woman. But at the same time, one who is above 40. And seeing her being able to do all those kinds of roles with nuance, and with so much complexity was really exciting. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Oh, that\u2019s great. Thank you. Yeah, I mean, prior to The Mandalorian<\/em>, definitely getting to be part of the Marvel Universe was just ridiculous, you know, for a geek girl. And, and it\u2019s been an incredible challenge, and a lot of fun to be Agent May. Because, you know, she had a lot of fight scenes. And I remember when I did Street Fighter<\/em>, way back when, I was like, I will never do another action genre project again, only because, you know, it was very tough, and it requires a lot of discipline. And I was just like, I would just be an actress<\/em> [laughs] in the normal realm. So little did I know, I would spend seven years being an action hero.<\/p>\n

Yeah, I love Agent May, who I think, unlike Mulan, who was unsure of herself and had to discover who she was, she was this character who\u2019s been through so much, and in a way still had to find herself again. So I guess in a way, it is kind of similar. They had lost themselves in some way or one had to discover who she was capable of being and the other one had to discover who she used to be, and bring some of that back.<\/p>\n

Throughout your career, your roles have kind of reflected that evolution of how we\u2019ve seen Asian roles grow on screen. You were in the Joy Luck Club<\/em>, which was the first major Asian led ensemble film, but you also had your turn in genre shows, doing martial arts movies. And now you have become a Disney Legend. And seeing the gate open for even more Asian roles in the wake of Crazy Rich Asians<\/em>, The Farewell<\/em>, etc., both commercially and critically, how does that feel for you having seen your career almost be part of that evolution for Asian roles?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Well, I wouldn\u2019t give myself that much credit. I appreciate that. I feel that it\u2019s wonderful that there are more Asian Americans and overseas international Asian actors, as well as in the music, the K-pop craze, I think elevates the image \u2014 just like Crazy Rich Asians<\/em> does \u2014 of Asians being sexy, being hip, being cool, glamorous. Because a lot of times, I still feel that we\u2019re stereotyped into a very particular image of being the sidekick or the nerdier person or the good friend, or the doctor. And there\u2019s nothing wrong with any of those as long as it gets work for people, especially Asians. But I think that there still needs to be more. We need to start producing and writing more, we still need to kind of tell our story, and keep it fresh and yet, at the same time, universal so that people can latch on to it \u2014 like Mulan<\/em>. Even though it\u2019s such a specific story about a young girl in China, it kind of transcends all that because it really speaks to any young person or anybody who is still trying to find the potential in themselves. So I\u2019m hoping for more. I would like to see a lot more.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

So I want to speak about Mulan, and specifically your cameo in the live action Mulan<\/em> film. That was a very exciting moment for a lot of fans of the animated movie. Can you describe how it came about? Because it almost didn\u2019t happen.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yeah Jason Reed, one of the executive producers, and I had a chat about potentially having me be in one of the scenes. And in with my schedule on SHIELD<\/em>, it was sort of difficult, especially because they were shooting in New Zealand and we film Agents of SHIELD in LA. And we tried the first time around, they were going to put me in a scene, I think, with the matchmaker. And I was going to be the potential mother-in-law in the scene. And at first, they thought that they only needed me for about a week. But then with weather conditions, and the difficulty of figuring out logistics, I mean, it\u2019s really difficult to shoot such a big project. They said that they needed me for a month, just in case. And of course, you know, my producers, bless their hearts, they threw up their hands, like, \u201cMan, we\u2019re trying but that\u2019s impossible. We can\u2019t lose you for a month.\u201d And I understood, so you know, I thanked Jason for trying and it just doesn\u2019t seem like it was gonna work out.<\/p>\n

And I\u2019m not sure who came up with the idea, it was either Nicki or Jason or both, but they thought of this idea of putting me in this cameo, and have me present \u2014 like passing the baton \u2014 to the new Mulan, as this \u201cesteemed guest.\u201d And I thought that was wonderful. And for that, they only needed me to shoot for a couple of days. So it worked out, we were able to work around the schedule, it was very<\/em> hush-hush. Nobody, not my cast, the crew, only my producers knew, and me, and that was it. I flew to New Zealand with my daughter, because Jason wanted my daughter Michaela to also participate, and it was very special. We got to be in New Zealand together, she took some time off from school, and it all worked out. And I\u2019m so thankful the fans, they cried! I couldn\u2019t believe it!<\/p>\n

Yeah, there was a big outpouring of excitement for that cameo, especially on social media after Mulan<\/em> premiered. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Yeah, I think it\u2019s a great Easter egg. And I think it\u2019s a great homage. It\u2019s really all about the fans, and the fact that they loved it so much, it says a lot. And it means so much to me.<\/p>\n

So they just threw the outfit that you had on together? Because that outfit was also a very deliberate homage to the animated movie!<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s incredible! Literally this is what happened: Michaela and I landed, we got ushered to the set, hair and make-up, costumes. Well, first they did costumes. They already had it all designed and set up for us, it was all about the fitting. Threw all this garment on me, it was insane; threw garments on Michaela. Tucked this, did that, threw away that, tried something else. Then we were rushed out to hair and make-up and we had this really<\/em> massive wig that [make-up and hair designer] Denise [Kum] had created for me. Did the make-up, Niki said no, too much, go back. We did a second hair-do, still too much. Then she finally said, \u201cI want her to look like the animated Mulan.\u201d They were like, \u201cHow?!\u201d So we had a picture of Mulan when she was all [dolled] up to look her best, looked her most honorable for the matchmaker, and Denise somehow made it work. The hair and make-up department put this thing together that had this resemblance to that picture. I mean, we did that all in two days before we shot the scene. It was insane.<\/p>\n

Oh my god, that\u2019s amazing.<\/strong><\/p>\n

An insane mission!<\/p>\n

So I\u2019m assuming you got to see the final product in the live-action Mulan<\/em>. What did you think of how that cameo worked in, and the overall film?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I loved it. I thought it was just spectacular, it was so beautiful, and breathtaking, and Yifei was incredible, and the whole cast. They were just wonderful. It was so beautifully shot. I thought it did such justice in telling a story, and made it stand on its own, and made it very different from the animated Mulan<\/em>. They had the themes of the music in the score, but unfortunately with COVID, and unfortunately when they made the decision to stream it, it lost the cinematic beauty of that film. It needed to be seen on the big screen to appreciate the lushness of that film.<\/p>\n

Speaking earlier, when you talked about Asian roles in front of the screen and behind the screen, and how there needs to be more done, are you planning to stick around with Disney and continue flying the flag there and using that platform to do these roles, or would you consider taking part in writing and producing that Asian-led content?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yeah, in fact I have a producing deal with a studio. We\u2019re hard at work creating a few projects specifically for that, and always looking. I\u2019ve got about four projects that I\u2019m hoping to nurse and baby, and move into making it happen. It\u2019s not easy, but I\u2019m working on it.<\/p>\n

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Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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