IT IS HERE. Disney has cast the lead actress for the live action “Mulan,” Liu Yifei, also known as Crystal Liu.
In the past year Disney has had lots of push back because of rumors that a white actress might play the lead role, but they have not disappointed. Honestly it is about time that Hollywood has understood, and listened to our complaints that whitewashing is not ok.
But will they keep their promise, or crush our hearts with the rest of the cast?
It is promised to be one of the first all-Asian casts for a Hollywood movie. And after all, this is Mulan, and we should accept nothing less than an all-Asian cast! But unfortunately, Hollywood has the worst reputation of casting white actors instead of actors of color. Recent examples of this are, Ghost in the Shell and Netflix’s Death Note. But why is this still happening?
The excuses Hollywood often give us are “white actors will bring in more people”, “because the character is actually supposed to ‘look’ white”, and the cop-out of “we picked the best person for the job”. Unfortunately, people believe this garbage. But I don’t just want more diversity, I demand more diversity! Specifically for “Mulan”, I expect to have all sorts of Asian actors because there is no shortage of Chinese, Korean, Japanese, and other Asian American actors in the industry.
And at the end of the day there are unbelievably still people in this world that are judging Disney for picking a Chinese actress. Others have said that picking a Chinese actress would please the Chinese people and make it a box office hit. No, Disney chose a Chinese actress to star in their movie because Disney’s adaptation of the tale of Mulan is about a Chinese girl that saves CHINA. I don’t know how to spell it out any differently, it was not a white, black, or Latino girl that saved China, but a young Chinese girl that saved her country.
However, amid the controversy, I am ecstatic to hear what Crystal Liu has to say about her new role. Liu is a fantastic choice as she has lots of prior acting and modeling experience. She also has had her taste of the martial arts, is a beloved actor of China, and will not let down her race with this excellent opportunity to show the world what Asian actors can do.
So, can we not celebrate the win of having a Chinese actress in Hollywood? Mulan is going to be about a bada** Chinese woman saving China, and thinking about it gives me chills. Stay tuned for more casting announcements regarding “Mulan” in the coming weeks!