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Yifei Liu hopes to inspire fans to ‘see how powerful they are’ through her iconic character Mulan
In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, Yifei Liu opened up about essaying the iconic role of Mulan in Disney’s new live-action remake.
Yifei Liu — the star of Disney’s new live-action Mulan remake of the beloved 1998 film opened up about sharing some similarities with her on-screen character, having experienced a divided upbringing of her own: Born in central China, Liu spent some of her formative years with her mother in New York City before returning to Beijing for acting school. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Yifei spoke candidly about her character. While insisting she took more from the role than she gave, Liu said: “Mulan makes it happen — not through big drama, but through little decisions and bravery and self-awareness.”
Liu also spoke about her gruelling audition and the intense three months of physical preparation Mulan required. “It’s not just about the muscle or the look or the fight, it’s more about your energy,” said Liu of the impact the regimen had on her approach to the character.
Mulan director Niki Caro confirmed Liu’s strength was both emotional and physical. “I needed a warrior more than an actress,” says Caro, who describes the worldwide search for Mulan as looking for a needle in “a global-sized haystack” through an audition process replete with a training gauntlet. She details a scene in her film where Mulan bathes in a lake: “It was really important that the actress we chose was open to building her body to a state where she could pass as a man in a man's army. I wanted to see the shoulders of a soldier.”
Reflecting on her character’s strength, Liu said: “Mulan is not a superhero, so her physical action needed to be anchored in a strong female body and bounded by the laws of physics.” It is reported that Liu performed approximately 90 percent of her own stunts. “As long as they gave me the chance, I wanted to try it,” Liu said. Concluding the interview with EW, Liu said, “if fans can see how powerful they are and get a glimpse of themselves in her (the character), then I’ll be happy.”
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