Yifei Liu on playing Mulan: I allowed myself to forget who I am

Mulan will release on December 4. (Photo: Disney)

Chinese-American actor Yifei Liu, who has played the titular role in Mulan, has opened up about her approach to portray the iconic character.

She said, “I would say focus is really the number one. Each day I allowed myself to forget who I am for the moment. You have to kind of lose yourself and not think about just how brave Mulan is. Yes, I am playing a hero, so we need to bring out that side, but I think every human being is complex, and complex is so beautiful. And that’s where the energy of the character is.”

Mulan received mostly positive reviews, scoring 74 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes, a review aggregation site. The critical consensus reads, “It could have told its classic story with greater depth, but the live-action Mulan is a visual marvel that serves as a stirring update to its animated predecessor.”

A Niki Caro directorial, Mulan is the live-action remake of the 1998 animated movie of the same name. The animated film itself took its story from the The Ballad of Mulan, a Chinese folk song.

Set in China during the Han dynasty, Mulan follows Hua Mulan, a rebellious young woman who disguises herself as a man and enlists in the Imperial Army to fight off the Huns, invaders from the north, so that her ailing father would not have to go as part of conscription.

In addition to the original English, it will also be released in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu dubbed versions on Disney+ Hotstar Premium on December 4.

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